William Heffelfinger
William "Pudge" Heffelfinger at Yale
College	Yale
Sport	College football
Born	December 20, 1867
Place of birth	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died	April 2, 1954 (aged 86)
Place of death	Blessing, Texas
Career highlights
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Playing career
1888-1891	Yale
Position	Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1893 1894 1895	California Lehigh Minnesota
College Football Hall of Fame, 1951 (Bio)

William "Pudge" Walter Heffelfinger (December 20, 1867, Minneapolis, Minnesota - April 2, 1954, Blessing, Texas) was an American football player and considered the first to play professionally.^[1]

Heffelfinger, a three-time All-American, played for Walter Camp at Yale University in 1889, 1890, and 1891.^[1] He then played amateur football for the Chicago Athletic Association (for which he was compensated with "double expenses," as was a common practice at the time).

On November 12, 1892, Heffelfinger was paid $25 for his expenses and a bonus of $500 (far above and beyond even double his expenses) by the Allegheny Athletic Association to play in a game against the rival Pittsburgh Athletic Club, during which he scored the game's only touchdown on a recovered fumble.^[1] Though the payment was not verified until the acquisition of an Allegheny Athletic Association expense ledger from the day by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this fee has established Heffelfinger as being the first professional football player on record. The Pittsburgh Athletic Club had previously offered him $250 to play for them in the game, but he felt it wasn't enough to jeopardize his amateur status.^[2]

[edit] Coaching career

[edit] California

Heffelfinger took his first head football coaching job with the University of California, Berkeley for the 1893 football season and was the third person to be assigned to the post. His team achieved a record of 5 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie.^[3]

[edit] Lehigh University

Heffelfinger was the third head football coach for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and he held that position for the 1894 season. His overall coaching record at Lehigh was 5 wins, 9 losses, and 0 ties. ^[4]

[edit] University of Minnesota

Heffelfinger also coached the University of Minnesota football team in 1895. He led the team to a 7-3 record in his only season there. Highlights included victories over rivals University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Chicago, outscoring their opponents 136 to 58 for the season.^[5]

[edit] Football Head Coaching Records

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Names, Larry D (1987). "The Myth". in Scott, Greg. The History of the Green Bay Packers: The Lambeau Years. 1. Angel Press of WI. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-939995-00-X. 
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ California Coaching Records
4. ^ Lehigh Coaching Records
5. ^ Coaching Records Game by Game

[edit] External links

• http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9326037
• http://www.allbiographies.com/biography-HeffelfingerPudge-53035.html
• http://library.thinkquest.org/12590/heffelfi.htm
• http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/minnesota_database.htm

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