Willie Heston
Encyclopedia
William Martin "Willie" Heston (September 9, 1878 – September 9, 1963) was an American football
player and coach. He played halfback
at San Jose State University
and the University of Michigan
. Heston was the head football coach for Drake University
in 1905 and North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now North Carolina State University
, in 1906. After he retired from coaching, he practiced law and served as a state court judge
in Michigan
. Heston was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1954. He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America
as the halfback for its all-time team for the first 50 years of the sport. University of Michigan coach Fielding H. Yost rated him as the greatest player of all-time.
in 1878. His father, John William Heston, was a tenant farmer near Galesburg. At age four, Heston moved with his family to a river-bottom farm in Rippey, Iowa
. Heston reportedly had two near-death experiences while living in Iowa, the first after contracting "whooping cough" and the second when he fell into the Raccoon River
and had to be rescued by his sister.
At age nine, Heston moved with his family to a ranch in southwestern Kansas, where Heston was taken out of school to help the family raise money herding cattle. In 1894, Heston moved with his family to a farm in Grant's Pass, Oregon. As a teenager, he worked digging a ditch to supply water to a mine and chopping down and selling firewood.
The local high school principal, Professor Champ Price, met Heston and suggested that he attend high school. Heston attended Grants Pass High School starting in 1895, and it was there that his athletic ability as a runner was discovered. He graduated from high school in 1898 as the co-valedictorian of his class.
(now San Jose State University
) in San Jose, California
, with plans to become a school teacher. Heston was introduced for the first time to football while attending San Jose State. San Jose's football coach, Jesse Woods, put Heston at the halfback position where he scored more touchdowns in his first year of football than any of the regular players. A newspaper reported on Heston in 1898: "A star run of left half Heston made 70 yards ... Heston was easily the star of the game. No better performance than his has been witnessed in this state."
San Jose's 1899 football team, with Heston as the captain, lost only one game, that being against the University of California. During the 1900 season, San Jose was undefeated and played Chico State Normal School to a 6-6 tie in the championship game. The teams agreed to a rematch three weeks later, and Stanford's coach Fielding H. Yost agreed to coach the San Jose State team in the two weeks leading up to the rematch. With Yost's guidance, San Jose State beat Chico State 46 to 0 in the rematch. Heston received his teaching degree from San Jose State and accepted a teaching job in Oregon in 1901.
and inviting Heston to continue his education at Michigan. Heston initially declined, but subsequently agreed and joined Yost at the University of Michigan in late summer of 1901. Heston was enrolled in the law school.
had four of the most successful seasons in the history of college football. The 1901 to 1904 teams became known as the "Point-a-Minute" teams because they averaged more than a point for every minute played. The 1901 team
was 11-0 and outscored its opponents 555 to 0. The 1902 team
was 11-0 and outscored its opponents 644 to 12. The 1903 team
was 11-0-1 and outscored opponents 565 to 6. And the 1904 team
was 10-0 and outscored its opponents 577 to 22. In Heston's four years as the starting left halfback, Michigan compiled an overall record of 43-0-1 and outscored its opponents 2,326 to 40.
During his four years at Michigan, Heston was known as a work-horse of the Wolverines' offense. In a 1903 game against the Chicago Maroons
, the Michigan team gained 267 yards rushing, and Heston accounted for 237 of them. Noting the frequency with which Heston carried the ball, Ring Lardner
wrote, "Michigan called Heston's signal. Maybe it was the only one they had."
Heston later wrote that his first touchdown at Michigan was his greatest thrill in football. His first game for Michigan was a September 1901 match against Albion College
. Heston was put into the game in the second half. While sitting on the bench, he noticed that Albion's quarterback made long lateral passes to the backs. Heston snuck through the line, grabbed the ball as the quarterback was trying to throw it to a back, and ran the ball back 30 yards for his first Michigan touchdown.
In the inaugural Rose Bowl game
played on January 1, 1902, Heston rushed for 170 yards on 18 carries, as Michigan defeated Stanford 49 to 0. Heston held the record for most rushing yards in a Rose Bowl game for 59 years.
Historic accounts differ on the number of touchdowns scored by Heston. In a letter to Grantland Rice
in 1925, Fielding H. Yost claimed that Heston had scored 106 touchdowns at Michigan. The University of Michigan gives the total as 72 touchdowns, which it reports is still the school record. Other sources have variously reported that Heston scored 92 touchdowns, 93 touchdowns, and "more than 100 touchdowns."
In 2002, the NCAA published "NCAA Football's Finest," researched and compiled by the NCAA Statistics Service. The compilers were able to find rushing statistics for only 17 of Heston's games for Michigan and, subject to that caveat, published the following statistics:
Walter Camp
selected Heston as a third-team All-American in 1901 and 1902 and as a first-team All-American in both 1903 and 1904. Although several sources cite Heston as the first player from outside the Ivy League to be picked as a first-team All-American, Clarence Herschberger
of Chicago and William Cunningham
of Michigan were the first, receiving the honor in 1898 from Camp and Casper Whitney respectively.
, the 1904 Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter run, was a classmate of Heston at the University of Michigan. Although Heston could not outrun Hahn at the 100-yard distance, he was regularly able to beat Hahn in impromptu 40-yard races. Walter Eckersall
, who played against Heston and later became a football writer for the Chicago Tribune
recalled that Heston "had an uncanny knack of gathering speed quickly and he frequently was penalized five yard for receiving the ball from the quarterback on a forward pass."
Heston also had what observers considered an uncanny ability to pivot and switch direction at full speed. Fielding Yost observed that "Heston could run full speed at a brick wall and, just before crashing into it, pivot and proceed alongside it with no diminishing of acceleration."
Eckersall described Heston as "a slashing, tearing back who drove off the tackles" who had "terrific driving power in his legs" and "a powerful stiff arm." Heston developed a reputation as a "hard, crunching runner who smashed through opposition when he couldn't outspeed his rivals." He was known as "a clever dodger in the open" who "used his hands with telling effect in warding off tacklers." In 1929, a newspaper reporter recalled Heston's running style as follows:
position on offense. Prior to Heston, left halfbacks ran plays in one direction, and right halfbacks ran plays in the other direction. Because of Heston's speed and agility, Yost placed Heston in the tailback position so that he could carry the ball on plays to either side of the line.
Heston's charging ability and open-field running have also been credited with leading to the origin of the "seven man line and a diamond on defense." Minnesota's College Football Hall of Fame
coaching staff of Henry L. Williams
and Pudge Heffelfinger
devised the strategy in 1903 to stop Heston. Minnesota had previously used the then-traditional nine-man line with the fullback backing up the line and a safety man down the field. Heffelfinger suggested that the halfbacks be pulled out of the line and stationed behind the tackles, thus requiring Heston to break through an initial seven-man line and a secondary line consisting of the fullback and two halfbacks. Known as the Minnesota shift
, the formation became a standard practice. In 1936, Arch Ward
credited Heston with leading to one of the "noteworthy transitions" in football history. In 1943, NEA sports editor Harry Grayson
credited Heston as the impetus for "a turning point from old style football to the modern game."
and the Akron East Ends
were the leading professional teams at the time, and both teams were reported to be angling for Heston's services. Heston reportedly sent a telegram to the Massillon team advising that Akron had offered him $500 to play for them in a Thanksgiving Day game, and asking how much Massillon would be willing to pay. When Massillon learned the next day that Heston had sent a similar telegram to the Akron club, both clubs refused to do business with him. The Canton Bulldogs
offered him $500 a game in August 1905, but Heston instead accepted a coaching position at Drake University
for the 1905 season. One football writer has cited Heston as "pro football's first holdout."
In 1906, Heston signed to play for the Canton Bulldogs
, reportedly for $600 and expenses. He next organized a team called "Willie Heston's All-Stars" to play a game against the Massillon Tigers
at Chicago's Comiskey Park
on Thanksgiving Day 1906. Early in the game, Heston broke a bone in his leg, ending his professional football career.
located in Des Moines, Iowa
. He held that position for the 1905 season. His coaching record at Drake was 4 wins, 4 losses, and 0 ties. Heston's Drake team lost to Michigan 48 to 0, but responded the following week with a "Point-a-Minute" win against Simpson College
by a score of 75 to 0.
. While posting a record of 3 wins, 1 loss, and 4 ties, Heston's team outscored its opponents 100 to 10. The team played scoreless ties against Virginia
, Clemson
and Richmond
. The one loss was to Virginia Tech
by a score of 6–0. The three wins were all dominating shutouts, including a 40 to 0 win against William & Mary
and a 17 to 0 win over VMI
.
. He served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Wayne County
from 1911 to 1916. He became a judge on the Detroit Recorders criminal court bench in 1916 and continued in that capacity through 1923.
. He had two sons, John Heston and William M. Heston, Jr., and a daughter, Frances. Both of his sons played varsity football for the University of Michigan.
In the 1930s, Heston went into the real estate business in Detroit. He also established a cemetery in Flat Rock, Michigan
. Heston ran a half-mile every morning until he was age 75, and remained vigorous and active into his eighties. A short time before his death at age 85, Heston told a reporter, "I don't run the half mile any more and I've quit going to dances, but I smoke seven cigars a day and I'm having a lot of fun loafing and living."
Heston died on his 85th birthday in 1963. He suffered from a kidney ailment while staying at his summer home in Lake Manistee
, Michigan
, and had been hospitalized for four weeks at a hospital in Traverse City
. The pallbearers at Heston's funeral were former Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans Ernie Vick
, Jack Blott
, Bennie Oosterbaan
, Francis Wistert, Harry Newman
and Otto Pommerening
.
Knute Rockne
named Heston as the greatest back of all time: "Willie Heston gets my vote as the greatest back of all time. Since those days many wonderful backs have flashed on the gridiron, including Red Grange
and my own Four Horsemen
of 1924, and my choice is still Heston."
International News Service sports editor Frank G. Menke
proclaimed Heston "the greatest halfback that America ever produced" and explained:
Fielding Yost argued that Heston was the greatest player of all-time. When some in the 1920s suggested that Red Grange
may have surpassed Heston as the greatest back, Yost provided sports writer Grantland Rice
with an eight-point argument as to why Heston was the greatest. Yost's points included the following:
In 1953, Heston was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
. And in 1974, the Football Writers Association of America
selected Heston as the halfback for the all-time team for the period 1869-1919 (football's first half century).
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He played halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
at San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. Heston was the head football coach for Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in 1905 and North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, in 1906. After he retired from coaching, he practiced law and served as a state court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Heston was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1954. He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
as the halfback for its all-time team for the first 50 years of the sport. University of Michigan coach Fielding H. Yost rated him as the greatest player of all-time.
Early years
Heston was born in Galesburg, IllinoisGalesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
in 1878. His father, John William Heston, was a tenant farmer near Galesburg. At age four, Heston moved with his family to a river-bottom farm in Rippey, Iowa
Rippey, Iowa
Rippey is a city in Greene County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 319.-Geography:Rippey is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. Heston reportedly had two near-death experiences while living in Iowa, the first after contracting "whooping cough" and the second when he fell into the Raccoon River
Raccoon River
The Raccoon River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to...
and had to be rescued by his sister.
At age nine, Heston moved with his family to a ranch in southwestern Kansas, where Heston was taken out of school to help the family raise money herding cattle. In 1894, Heston moved with his family to a farm in Grant's Pass, Oregon. As a teenager, he worked digging a ditch to supply water to a mine and chopping down and selling firewood.
The local high school principal, Professor Champ Price, met Heston and suggested that he attend high school. Heston attended Grants Pass High School starting in 1895, and it was there that his athletic ability as a runner was discovered. He graduated from high school in 1898 as the co-valedictorian of his class.
San Jose State Normal School
In 1898, Heston enrolled at San Jose State Normal SchoolCalifornia State Normal School
The California State Normal School was a teaching college founded on May 2, 1862, whose original campus later became both the California State University and its San Jose State University campus....
(now San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
) in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, with plans to become a school teacher. Heston was introduced for the first time to football while attending San Jose State. San Jose's football coach, Jesse Woods, put Heston at the halfback position where he scored more touchdowns in his first year of football than any of the regular players. A newspaper reported on Heston in 1898: "A star run of left half Heston made 70 yards ... Heston was easily the star of the game. No better performance than his has been witnessed in this state."
San Jose's 1899 football team, with Heston as the captain, lost only one game, that being against the University of California. During the 1900 season, San Jose was undefeated and played Chico State Normal School to a 6-6 tie in the championship game. The teams agreed to a rematch three weeks later, and Stanford's coach Fielding H. Yost agreed to coach the San Jose State team in the two weeks leading up to the rematch. With Yost's guidance, San Jose State beat Chico State 46 to 0 in the rematch. Heston received his teaching degree from San Jose State and accepted a teaching job in Oregon in 1901.
University of Michigan
In the summer of 1901, Heston received a letter from coach Yost advising that he had been hired as the football coach at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and inviting Heston to continue his education at Michigan. Heston initially declined, but subsequently agreed and joined Yost at the University of Michigan in late summer of 1901. Heston was enrolled in the law school.
Statistics and awards
With Heston in the backfield, the Michigan WolverinesMichigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
had four of the most successful seasons in the history of college football. The 1901 to 1904 teams became known as the "Point-a-Minute" teams because they averaged more than a point for every minute played. The 1901 team
1901 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season. In their first year under new head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550...
was 11-0 and outscored its opponents 555 to 0. The 1902 team
1902 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1902 college football season. In their second year under head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by a combined score of 644 to...
was 11-0 and outscored its opponents 644 to 12. The 1903 team
1903 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1903 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1903 college football season. The team's head football coach was Fielding H. Yost...
was 11-0-1 and outscored opponents 565 to 6. And the 1904 team
1904 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1904 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1904 college football season. In the team's fourth season under head coach Fielding H. Yost, the Wolverines compiled a perfect 10–0 record and outscored opponents 567–22. The 1904 team was the fourth of Yost's...
was 10-0 and outscored its opponents 577 to 22. In Heston's four years as the starting left halfback, Michigan compiled an overall record of 43-0-1 and outscored its opponents 2,326 to 40.
During his four years at Michigan, Heston was known as a work-horse of the Wolverines' offense. In a 1903 game against the Chicago Maroons
Chicago Maroons football
The Chicago Maroons are the college football team representing the University of Chicago. The Maroons play in NCAA Division III as a member of the University Athletic Association. From 1892 to 1939, the Maroons were a major college football power...
, the Michigan team gained 267 yards rushing, and Heston accounted for 237 of them. Noting the frequency with which Heston carried the ball, Ring Lardner
Ring Lardner
Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical takes on the sports world, marriage, and the theatre.-Personal life:...
wrote, "Michigan called Heston's signal. Maybe it was the only one they had."
Heston later wrote that his first touchdown at Michigan was his greatest thrill in football. His first game for Michigan was a September 1901 match against Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
. Heston was put into the game in the second half. While sitting on the bench, he noticed that Albion's quarterback made long lateral passes to the backs. Heston snuck through the line, grabbed the ball as the quarterback was trying to throw it to a back, and ran the ball back 30 yards for his first Michigan touchdown.
In the inaugural Rose Bowl game
1902 Rose Bowl
Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," what is now known as the Rose Bowl Game was first played on January 1, 1902 in Pasadena, California, starting the tradition of New Year's Day bowl games.The inaugural game featured Fielding H...
played on January 1, 1902, Heston rushed for 170 yards on 18 carries, as Michigan defeated Stanford 49 to 0. Heston held the record for most rushing yards in a Rose Bowl game for 59 years.
Historic accounts differ on the number of touchdowns scored by Heston. In a letter to Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
in 1925, Fielding H. Yost claimed that Heston had scored 106 touchdowns at Michigan. The University of Michigan gives the total as 72 touchdowns, which it reports is still the school record. Other sources have variously reported that Heston scored 92 touchdowns, 93 touchdowns, and "more than 100 touchdowns."
In 2002, the NCAA published "NCAA Football's Finest," researched and compiled by the NCAA Statistics Service. The compilers were able to find rushing statistics for only 17 of Heston's games for Michigan and, subject to that caveat, published the following statistics:
| Year | Carries | Rushing Yards | Average | Touchdowns | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 67 | 684 | 10.2 | 20 | 100 |
| 1902 | 56 | 487 | 8.7 | 15 | 75 |
| 1903 | 102 | 482 | 4.7 | 16 | 80 |
| 1904 | 54 | 686 | 12.7 | 21 | 105 |
| Total | 279 | 2339 | 8.4 | 72 | 360 |
Walter Camp
Walter Camp
Walter Chauncey Camp was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". With John Heisman, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Pop Warner, Fielding H. Yost, and George Halas, Camp was one of the most accomplished persons in the early history of American football...
selected Heston as a third-team All-American in 1901 and 1902 and as a first-team All-American in both 1903 and 1904. Although several sources cite Heston as the first player from outside the Ivy League to be picked as a first-team All-American, Clarence Herschberger
Clarence Herschberger
Clarence B. "Herschie" Herschberger was an American football fullback, punter and placekicker. He played for the University of Chicago from 1896–1898 and became the first western player to be selected as a first-team All-American in 1898...
of Chicago and William Cunningham
William Cunningham (American football)
William Ralph Cunningham was an All-American football center for the University of Michigan Wolverines.Cunningham was born at Volant, Pennsylvania in July 1872...
of Michigan were the first, receiving the honor in 1898 from Camp and Casper Whitney respectively.
Running style
At five feet eight inches and 185 pounds, Heston was described as being "compact and muscularly built." He was known for his quick starting ability. Archie HahnArchie Hahn
Charles Archibald "Archie" Hahn was a German-American athlete, and one of the best sprinters in the early 20th century....
, the 1904 Olympic gold medalist in the 100-meter run, was a classmate of Heston at the University of Michigan. Although Heston could not outrun Hahn at the 100-yard distance, he was regularly able to beat Hahn in impromptu 40-yard races. Walter Eckersall
Walter Eckersall
Walter "Eckie" Eckersall was an American football player, official, and sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.-Early life:...
, who played against Heston and later became a football writer for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
recalled that Heston "had an uncanny knack of gathering speed quickly and he frequently was penalized five yard for receiving the ball from the quarterback on a forward pass."
Heston also had what observers considered an uncanny ability to pivot and switch direction at full speed. Fielding Yost observed that "Heston could run full speed at a brick wall and, just before crashing into it, pivot and proceed alongside it with no diminishing of acceleration."
Eckersall described Heston as "a slashing, tearing back who drove off the tackles" who had "terrific driving power in his legs" and "a powerful stiff arm." Heston developed a reputation as a "hard, crunching runner who smashed through opposition when he couldn't outspeed his rivals." He was known as "a clever dodger in the open" who "used his hands with telling effect in warding off tacklers." In 1929, a newspaper reporter recalled Heston's running style as follows:
"A strong arm helped Willie, Sr., to move 'em. After cracking through that line the old arm would go out. You can still pick out men who used to play football against Michigan in '02 and '03, they say, because their faces seem just a little out of kilter. The straight arm in the old days sometimes wasn't so straight."
Defensive player
Heston played in the era when players remained in the game on both offense and defense. In 1954, the Chicago Tribune profiled Heston as one of the "Iron Men of Football's Glory Days." After the 1904 season, the "Football Guide" described Heston as "practically unhurtable." Though known primarily for his running and scoring, Fielding Yost said of Heston: "He was one of the greatest defensive backs, one of the hardest, surest tacklers that ever lived." Chicago's Walter Eckersall recalled: "On defense, Heston was just as valuable to his team. He was a quick thinker, who anticipated opponents' plays ... He was always in the vicinity of the ball and never appeared to tire."Innovations
Heston has been acknowledged as the first to play at what later was designated as the tailbackTailback
Tailback can mean:* Halfback * A line of motor vehicles caught up in traffic congestion; a traffic jam...
position on offense. Prior to Heston, left halfbacks ran plays in one direction, and right halfbacks ran plays in the other direction. Because of Heston's speed and agility, Yost placed Heston in the tailback position so that he could carry the ball on plays to either side of the line.
Heston's charging ability and open-field running have also been credited with leading to the origin of the "seven man line and a diamond on defense." Minnesota's College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
coaching staff of Henry L. Williams
Henry L. Williams
Dr. Henry Lane Williams was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1891 and the University of Minnesota from 1900 to 1921, compiling a career college football record of 141–34–12...
and Pudge Heffelfinger
William Heffelfinger
-External links:...
devised the strategy in 1903 to stop Heston. Minnesota had previously used the then-traditional nine-man line with the fullback backing up the line and a safety man down the field. Heffelfinger suggested that the halfbacks be pulled out of the line and stationed behind the tackles, thus requiring Heston to break through an initial seven-man line and a secondary line consisting of the fullback and two halfbacks. Known as the Minnesota shift
Minnesota shift
The Minnesota shift, also known as the jump shift, was an American football maneuver in which an offensive team shifted from one formation into another pre-determined formation on signal prior to the snap of the ball. It was the forerunner to all quick shifts in American football...
, the formation became a standard practice. In 1936, Arch Ward
Arch Ward
Arch Ward was the sports editor for the Chicago Tribune and personal friend of the owner, Robert R. McCormick. He created the MLB All-Star Game, the All-America Football Conference , the Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament and the College All-Star Game. Ward was twice offered the job as...
credited Heston with leading to one of the "noteworthy transitions" in football history. In 1943, NEA sports editor Harry Grayson
Harry Grayson
Harry Markey Grayson was an American sportswriter. He was the sports editor of the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1934 to 1963.-Baseball:* , February 5, 1936*, March 18, 1938...
credited Heston as the impetus for "a turning point from old style football to the modern game."
Professional football
In late 1904 or 1905, Heston reportedly sought to establish a bidding contest for his services among the professional football teams. The Massillon TigersMassillon Tigers
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
and the Akron East Ends
Akron East Ends
The Akron East Ends are a defunct amateur American Football team that played in the Ohio League, a forerunner to the National Football League. They played in Akron, Ohio, from 1894 until at least 1904. Its primary rivals were the amateur Canton Athletic Association , the Shelby Blues, and later the...
were the leading professional teams at the time, and both teams were reported to be angling for Heston's services. Heston reportedly sent a telegram to the Massillon team advising that Akron had offered him $500 to play for them in a Thanksgiving Day game, and asking how much Massillon would be willing to pay. When Massillon learned the next day that Heston had sent a similar telegram to the Akron club, both clubs refused to do business with him. The Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
offered him $500 a game in August 1905, but Heston instead accepted a coaching position at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
for the 1905 season. One football writer has cited Heston as "pro football's first holdout."
In 1906, Heston signed to play for the Canton Bulldogs
Canton Bulldogs
The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and its successor, the National Football League, from 1920 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs would go on to win the 1917, 1918...
, reportedly for $600 and expenses. He next organized a team called "Willie Heston's All-Stars" to play a game against the Massillon Tigers
Massillon Tigers
The Massillon Tigers were an early professional football team from Massillon, Ohio. Playing in the "Ohio League", the team was a rival to the pre-National Football League version of the Canton Bulldogs. The Tigers won Ohio League championships in 1903, 1904, 1905, and 1906, then merged to become...
at Chicago's Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
on Thanksgiving Day 1906. Early in the game, Heston broke a bone in his leg, ending his professional football career.
Drake University
Heston was the eighth head football coach for Drake UniversityDrake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
located in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. He held that position for the 1905 season. His coaching record at Drake was 4 wins, 4 losses, and 0 ties. Heston's Drake team lost to Michigan 48 to 0, but responded the following week with a "Point-a-Minute" win against Simpson College
Simpson College
Simpson College is a four-year, coeducational liberal arts institution situated in Indianola, Iowa, USA, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Simpson, which has been fully accredited by North Central Association since 1913, is a small school with approximately 1,400 full-time students...
by a score of 75 to 0.
North Carolina State University
In 1906, Heston served as the head coach for North Carolina State UniversityNC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
. While posting a record of 3 wins, 1 loss, and 4 ties, Heston's team outscored its opponents 100 to 10. The team played scoreless ties against Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Clemson
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and Richmond
Richmond Spiders football
The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I...
. The one loss was to Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
by a score of 6–0. The three wins were all dominating shutouts, including a 40 to 0 win against William & Mary
William & Mary Tribe football
The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2010, Jimmye Laycock is in his 31st...
and a 17 to 0 win over VMI
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
.
Legal career
Heston received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1904. In 1908, he established a law practice in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
from 1911 to 1916. He became a judge on the Detroit Recorders criminal court bench in 1916 and continued in that capacity through 1923.
Family and later years
Heston was married twice. His first wife died, and he was married in 1956 at age 77 to the former Sarah E. Williams of Bay City, MichiganBay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. He had two sons, John Heston and William M. Heston, Jr., and a daughter, Frances. Both of his sons played varsity football for the University of Michigan.
In the 1930s, Heston went into the real estate business in Detroit. He also established a cemetery in Flat Rock, Michigan
Flat Rock, Michigan
- Racial makeup :As of the census of 2000, there were 8,488 people, 3,181 households, and 2,306 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,266.9 per square mile . There were 3,291 housing units at an average density of 491.2 per square mile...
. Heston ran a half-mile every morning until he was age 75, and remained vigorous and active into his eighties. A short time before his death at age 85, Heston told a reporter, "I don't run the half mile any more and I've quit going to dances, but I smoke seven cigars a day and I'm having a lot of fun loafing and living."
Heston died on his 85th birthday in 1963. He suffered from a kidney ailment while staying at his summer home in Lake Manistee
Manistee Lake
-References:*...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and had been hospitalized for four weeks at a hospital in Traverse City
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. The pallbearers at Heston's funeral were former Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans Ernie Vick
Ernie Vick
Henry Arthur "Ernie" Vick was an American football and baseball player. He was selected as an All-American center in 1921, played on the 1926 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.-University of Michigan:Born in Toledo, Ohio, Vick...
, Jack Blott
Jack Blott
Jack Leonard Blott was an All-American football center and place kicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1922–1923. He was also a baseball catcher for the Wolverines from 1922–1924. After a two-game Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1924, he worked as...
, Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
, Francis Wistert, Harry Newman
Harry Newman
Harry Lawrence Newman was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines , the New York Giants , and the Brooklyn/Rochester Tigers .-College career:...
and Otto Pommerening
Otto Pommerening
Otto P. Pommerening was an All-American football player for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1927-1928. He was a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan....
.
Historical honors and recognition
In the first half of the 20th century, Heston was ranked as one of the greatest players in football history.Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
named Heston as the greatest back of all time: "Willie Heston gets my vote as the greatest back of all time. Since those days many wonderful backs have flashed on the gridiron, including Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
and my own Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (football)
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame comprised a winning group of American football players at the University of Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne. They were the backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team...
of 1924, and my choice is still Heston."
International News Service sports editor Frank G. Menke
Frank G. Menke
Frank Grant Menke was an American newspaper reporter, author, and sports historian. He wrote for the Hearst Newspapers from 1912 to 1932 and his articles appeared daily in 300 newspapers across the country. He was billed by the Hearst syndicate as "America's Foremost Sport Writer"...
proclaimed Heston "the greatest halfback that America ever produced" and explained:
"Heston was the irresistible force -- the human juggernaut. He hurled his compact, marvelous body into the most powerful human walls that were ever produced -- and split them asunder. Every team that played Michigan during the regime of Heston had orders to 'get Heston!' And none succeeded. Four men, six men, eight men, oftentimes threw themselves into the pathway of the charging Wolverine. And he crashed into -- and through -- those defenses as a bowling pin tips through the ten pins."
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
may have surpassed Heston as the greatest back, Yost provided sports writer Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
with an eight-point argument as to why Heston was the greatest. Yost's points included the following:
"1. He was the fastest starting back that ever lived. Heston could beat Archie Hahn every time at fifty yards, and Hahn was good for 9 4-5, then world's
champion.
2. Heston was the quickest back for a shift or a thrust or a sidestep I ever saw. He was like lightning.
3. Heston was the most powerful runner of them all. Weighing 185 pounds, he was compactly built and struck with such terrific force that few could stand up before him. ...
5. He was never hurt.
6. He was equally great at ripping open a line or shooting through a broken field.
7. He made 106 touchdowns in four years. This would be equal to 636 points today. ... He gained over 500 yards from scrimmage in any number of single contests."
In 1953, Heston was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. And in 1974, the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
selected Heston as the halfback for the all-time team for the period 1869-1919 (football's first half century).
See also
- List of Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...