Heisman, John (William)

(born Oct. 23, 1869, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.—died Oct. 3, 1936, New York City, N.Y.) U.S. collegiate gridiron football coach and one of the game's greatest innovators. Heisman played football for both Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania. He was responsible for legalizing the forward pass in 1906, and he originated the centre snap and the “hike” count signals of the quarterback in starting play. He coached at several colleges between 1892 and 1927, compiling a record of 185 wins, 68 losses, and 18 ties. The Heisman Trophy was named for him.

Heisman, John (William) (1869–1936) football coach; born in Cleveland, Ohio. He began coaching in 1892 at Oberlin College and was successful at several schools. His longest tenure was at Georgia Tech (1904–19), where he produced undefeated teams from 1915–17. A supreme innovator, he invented numerous plays and championed the legalization of the forward pass. The Heisman Trophy, awarded annually since 1935 to college football's outstanding player, is named after him.