Frank Francis Sinkwich Sr. (October 10, 1920 – October 22, 1990) was a Croatian American football player and coach. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1942 while playing for the Georgia Bulldogs, making him the first recipient from the Southeastern Conference.
Early life
Sinkwich was of Croat origin. He was born in Starjak, Yugoslavia. World War I broke out in 1914, and as with many, his mother and the children remained there for the duration of the war. They returned to the US, going to Youngstown, Ohio when he was two years old, joining his father Ignac (Ignatius), who operated a grocery store. By 1940, the family operated a restaurant in Youngstown. His surname was originally spelled Sinković.
According to an article Sinkwich wrote in 1988, he grew to appreciate the value of competitiveness on the streets of Youngstown's west side. "I learned early in neighborhood pickup games that I had the desire to compete," he wrote. "When people ask why I succeeded in athletics, I always tell them that I didn't want to get beat." and led the Bulldogs to an 11–1 season in 1942, capturing the Southeastern Conference championship and a victory over UCLA in the 1943 Rose Bowl. That same year, the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club honored Sinkwich as "back of the year", and he was overwhelmingly voted the "Number 1 athlete for 1942" in the annual poll by the Associated Press over second-place finisher Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox, a year in which Williams hit for baseball's triple crown.
The 1942 season was Sinkwich's first year of backfield-mate Charley Trippi. Georgia defeated Florida 75–0, the worst defeat in the history of Florida football. Sinkwich played with a broken jaw and kicked a field goal in a 19–3 defeat of Florida in 1941.
In his three-year college career, Sinkwich rushed for 2,271 yards, passed for 2,331 yards, and accounted for 60 touchdowns (30 rushing and 30 passing). In Detroit, he earned All-Pro honors in 1943–1944, as well as being named NFL MVP in 1944.
Legacy
Sinkwich died after a long illness in Athens, Georgia, at age 70. "We've lost one of the great legends in football history," said then Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley. "He was not only a great player but a wonderful person and citizen of Athens."
Head coaching record
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders