Herman Kerkhoff

Last updated • 6 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Herman Charles Kerkhoff
Nickname(s)
  • Bumper
  • Kerky
  • Hermie
Born:(1870-05-10)May 10, 1870
Lafayette, Indiana
Died:(1935-12-03)December 3, 1935
Lafayette, Indiana
Career information
Position(s) Left guard
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight235 lb (107 kg)
College Purdue
Career history
As player
1895 (1892–1894 allegedly under assumed name) Purdue University Boilermakers
1896–1897(one gm) Indianapolis Athletic Association
1897–1898 Chicago Athletic Association
1899–1901 Denver Athletic Club
1902 Pittsburgh Stars
1903 Franklin Athletic Club
1904–1905 Massillon Tigers
1906 Canton Bulldogs
Career highlights and awards

Herman Charles Kerkhoff (May 10, 1870 – December 3, 1935) was a professional American football player from the mid 1890s until 1906.

Contents

He resided in Lafayette, Indiana, most of his life, working on the Kerkhoff family dairy farm and later his own farm. He was one of ten children born to John and Elizabeth Kerkhoff. His great size and exceptional speed allowed him to travel the country playing football for the highest bidder of his services.

After stints with the Oakland Hill Bumpers of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Indianapolis Athletic Association, Chicago Athletic Association, and Denver Athletic Club, Bumper was signed by the Pittsburgh Stars of the first National Football League in 1902, the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest" Franklin Athletic Club in 1903, the Massillon Tigers in 1904 and 1905, and the Canton Athletic Club (renamed the Canton Bulldogs) in 1906. He was regarded as one of the best offensive linemen from his era.

He ran for sheriff of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, in 1906 on the Democratic ticket, losing narrowly. The Republican ticket was victorious in all Tippecanoe County elections in 1906.

Herman, who was also called Bumper, Kerky, Kerk, and Hermie, married Mary Lynch February 14, 1900. The couple had three children (Marie born 10–7–1901, Katherine born 5–6–04, Herman Joseph born 9–4–1908). Middle child Katherine died from illness on December 28, 1911, at the age of seven on the large family farm in Monitor Springs, Indiana, just east of Lafayette.

The Kerkhoff family of four moved to southeast Missouri in 1911, and attempted to continue farming on a great parcel of land. The family fortune was lost, and the family returned to Lafayette in late 1915.

Herman was sworn in as a Lafayette policeman August 18, 1920. He passed at his home in Lafayette on December 3, 1935.

Early career

Prior to his professional career, Herman played one documented season at Purdue University. He registered at Purdue as a "Special Student" in October 1895 before the Boilermakers played any games. He started all six games at left guard for the Boilermakers scoring a touchdown in an 18–4 win versus Minnesota. Purdue finished 4–3, one win was a forfeit victory Purdue claims versus Iowa State University.

It is believed he also suited up for Purdue in 1892–1894 under an assumed name which was a common practice at the time for quality footballers and midwest collegiate football programs. No proof of participation has been documented.

He also played football games for local Indiana teams including the Oakland Hill Bumpers (in Lafayette), Delphi, Frankfort, and Attica.

It is believed he also played for the orange-and-black-clad Pine Village Villagers on occasion, but no proof of participation has been documented.

Herman Kerkhoff was added to the Purdue University Football Media Guide as an 1895 football letter winner in 2019 after documentation was submitted on his behalf by his great-great-grandson William A. Fusiek and his triple great-granddaughter Claire Fusiek.

Professional career

Kerchoff began his professional career with the Indianapolis Artillery football team, which changed its name to the Indianapolis Athletic Association before the opening game in 1896.

He was recruited to play for the Chicago Athletic Association by CAA football manager and former player, and future Chicago mayor, William Hale Thompson. The IAA "Gunners" "Athletics" "Cannoneers" played in Chicago several times in 1896, including twice versus the CAA. In 1896, the IAA unveiled its all-yellow football uniforms in a football game versus the Chicago Cycling Club in Chicago.

Kerkhoff and his "Cherry Circle" teammates claimed the mythical athletic association championship in 1897 after finishing the season 7–1. the CAA played two practice games versus Northwestern University that were somewhat controlled and scripted by the respective coaches; and thus, should not be counted as legitimate competitive games. The Athletics only loss was 16–6 at highly acclaimed Yale late in the season. Kerkhoff played one game for the IAA Athletics and the remainder of the 1897 season and the 1898 campaign for the CAA.

From 1899 to 1901 Kerkhoff suited up for the "Cherry and Black" DAC Denver Athletic Club football team. His skills earned him mentions as "the most feared lineman in the west" at that time. The "guards back" play enabled the extremely fleet footed wonder boy milkman from Lafayette to score touchdowns and become a Denver hero. The 1899 squad finished 7–0, claiming the athletic association champions of the west crown. The Athletics allowed only six points all season. Kerkhoff was named to the “All Colorado Team” by several sources in the 1899 “Silver and Gold” football season summary edition.

In 1902, he helped the Pittsburgh Stars win the first and only "inaugural" NFL championship over the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies. That version of the National Football League lasted only one year and was not related to the modern NFL. He missed two games during the Stars season with a broken hand, vowing to play with a cage on it, if necessary. He played one game for Pittsburgh in coal miner boots because his huge cleats were on special order. The Pittsburgh team was managed by Dave Berry and played home games in Pittsburgh at The Colosseum. The Stars also practiced and played “home” games in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

He was signed at the conclusion of the Pittsburgh season by Dave Printz and became a member of the Franklin Athletic Club, which won the 1903 "World Championship" or American Championship Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. Historians later renamed this event the 1903 World Series of Football. Herman scored both touchdowns in the 12–0 title clinching win versus Watertown Red and Black from New York. In a practice that was common at that time, Kerkhoff, his teammates, and residents of Franklin wagered large sums of money on the games, and returned to Franklin as wealthy heroes.

In 1904, Kerkhoff joined the Massillon, Ohio, team and in his first game for the squad, he helped Massillon record a key 44–0 win over the Pittsburgh Lyceum. He also contributed in a 28–0 victory over the Shelby Blues, and a 63–0 victory over the Sharon Buhl Club, the self-proclaimed champions of the western Pennsylvania football circuit. The 1904 and 1905 Tigers were unbeaten and claimed the Ohio League championships both years.

In 1906, Herman semi-retired from football to pursue a life in politics. Kerkhoff ran for public office as Sheriff of Tippecanoe County Indiana in 1906 as a Democrat. After losing in the election, Canton's coach, Blondy Wallace, signed Kerkhoff and several other Massillon players to his Canton team. (To replace Kerkhoff, Massillon signed Tiny Maxwell.)

Canton and Massillon matched money offers until Canton finally offered more, so Herman joined the Bulldogs before the scheduled two-game home and home series against Massillon, which would determine the 1906 "Ohio League" champions. Canton won the first game 10–5; but the second game and the championship was won by Massillon (13–6). It was alleged the players "fixed" the games to necessitate a third “big money” winner-take-all game to be held in Cleveland. The events surrounding the series resulted in accusations of a betting scandal.

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Purdue Boilermakers football</span> Football team of Purdue University in Indiana, US

    The Purdue Boilermakers football team represents Purdue University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. Purdue plays its home games at Ross–Ade Stadium on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The head coach of Purdue is Ryan Walters, the 37th head coach in Purdue history. The Boilermakers compete in the Big Ten Conference as a member of the West Division. Purdue had most recently been a part of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten, but moved to the West Division in 2014 due to conference expansion.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">E. J. Stewart</span> American athlete, coach, and administrator (1877–1929)

    Edward James "Doc" Stewart was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was also the founder, and player-coach of the Massillon Tigers professional football team.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Hayden (baseball)</span> American baseball player (1880–1942)

    John Francis Hayden was a reserve outfielder in Major League Baseball who played between the 1901 and 1908 seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1901), Boston Americans (1906) and Chicago Cubs (1908). A native of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he attended college at Villanova University.

    The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. A member of the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit, the team is best known for being the first football club to play a full season while composed entirely of professional players. In 1895, team's quarterback, John Brallier, also became the first football player to openly turn professional, by accepting $10 and expenses to play for Latrobe against the Jeannette Athletic Club.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">John Brallier</span> American football player and coach (1876–1960)

    John Kinport "Sal" Brallier was one of the first professional American football players. He was nationally acknowledged as the first openly paid professional football player when he was given $10 to play for the Latrobe Athletic Association for a game against the Jeanette Athletic Association in 1895.

    The Canton Bulldogs–Massillon Tigers betting scandal was the first major scandal in professional football in the United States. It refers to a series of allegations made by a Massillon, Ohio newspaper charging the Canton Bulldogs coach, Blondy Wallace, and Massillon Tigers end, Walter East, of conspiring to fix a two-game series between the two clubs. One account of the scandal called for Canton to win the first game and Massillon was to win the second, forcing a third game—with the biggest gate—to be played legitimately, with the 1906 Ohio League championship at stake. Another account accused Wallace and East of bribing Massillon players to throw a game in the series. Canton denied the charges, maintaining that Massillon only wanted to damage the club's reputation. Although Massillon could not prove that Canton had indeed thrown the second game and it remains unknown if there was ever a match-fixing agreement, the scandal tarnished the Bulldogs name and reportedly helped ruin professional football in Ohio until the mid-1910s.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondy Wallace</span> American football player and coach

    Charles Edgar "Blondy" Wallace was an early professional football player and later convicted criminal during the Prohibition Era. He was a 240-pound, former Walter Camp second-team All-American tackle from the University of Pennsylvania. He also played two years at Peddie Institute, in New Jersey, winning state championships in 1896 and 1897. During his professional playing career he was involved in almost every major event in professional football between 1902 and 1907. Over that timespan he played for the independent Philadelphia Athletic Club, the Philadelphia Athletics of the first National Football League, the "New York" team and the Syracuse Athletic Club in the 1902 World Series of Football, the Franklin Athletic Club and the Canton Bulldogs of the Ohio League. In 2022, he was named one of the 10 inaugural members for the Football Learning Academy's Hall of Honor, which looks to acknowledge deserving icons that are not currently inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    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 "All-Massillons" to win another title in 1907. The team returned as the Tigers in 1915 but, with the reemergence of the Bulldogs, only won one more Ohio League title. Pro football was popularized in Ohio when the amateur Massillon Tigers hired four Pittsburgh pros to play in the season-ending game against Akron. At the same time, pro football declined in the Pittsburgh area, and the emphasis on the pro game moved west from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

    Jacob Paul "Twister" Steinberg was a professional football player in the early 1900s. As a member of the first National Football League, he played with the Philadelphia Athletics in the first professional night game in history. He also won the first, and only, two series of the first World Series of Football with the Syracuse Athletic Club and the Franklin Athletic Club. Steinberg was also the first Jewish professional basketball player. Harry March, dubbed the "Father of Pro Football", referred to Steinberg as, "one of the most elusive, fastest, slickest, shrewdest, and clean backs of the century."

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Parratt</span> American football player and coach (1883–1959)

    George Watson "Peggy" Parratt was a professional football player who played in the "Ohio League" prior to its becoming a part of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Parratt played quarterback for the Shelby Blues, Lorain Pros, Massillon Tigers, Massillon All-Stars, Franklin Athletic Club of Cleveland, Akron Indians and the Cleveland Tigers between 1905 and 1916. Parratt threw the first legal forward pass in professional football history while playing for the Massillon Tigers on October 25, 1906.

    Lewis Oscar "Bull" Smith was a Major League Baseball outfielder. He played from 1904 to 1911 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Senators. In 1911 Bull was asked to “teach the finer points of the game” as a coach for the Washington Senators. Bull was given an official at-bat for the big club for his services. He took a walk. Smith attended West Virginia University, where he played four seasons (1900–1903) of college baseball for the Mountaineers.

    Charles Robert Shiring was a professional football player from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his playing career with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club during the late 1890s and the Homestead Library & Athletic Club in 1901. In 1902, he played for the Pittsburgh Stars of the first National Football League (NFL) who ended up winning the league title. Since the Stars consisted of the best professional players from western Pennsylvania at the time, it can be said that Shiring was considered the best at his position, center, in the region. However Shring is best known for playing for the Massillon Tigers from 1903 until 1907. He finally served from 1907 to 1909 as a player-coach for the Pittsburgh Lyceum, Pittsburgh's last championship professional football team, until the 1970s.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">E. Pratt King</span> American football player and coach

    Ernest Pratt King was an American college football head coach who was Delaware football program's sixth head coach. He led them to an 0–5–1 overall record in 1907—his only season.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton L. Hare</span> American football manager, organizer, and coach, lawyer, grocer

    Clinton Larue Hare was a manager, organizer, and coach of American football, and a lawyer and grocer. He served as the head football coach at Butler University for three seasons, at Purdue University for one season in 1890, and at DePauw University for one season in 1891, compiling a career college football coaching record of 14–4–1.

    Edwin Kimmell Wood was an early professional football player for the Latrobe Athletic Association, the Franklin Athletic Club and finally for the Canton Bulldogs of the "Ohio League". He also played on Dave Berry's Western Pennsylvania All-Star team, a collection of early football star players, that was designed to compete with the star-heavy Duquesne Country and Athletic Club on December 3, 1898 at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh. In 1902 he played in the first National Football League for the Philadelphia Phillies. He also played for Franklin when it won the 1903 World Series of Football over the Watertown Red & Black at Madison Square Garden. Wood later became one of the first professional players to catch forward passes when they became legal in 1906.

    Sherburne Henry Wightman was a professional American football player-coach in the "Ohio League", which was the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League (NFL). He is best remembered for coaching the Massillon Tigers to an Ohio League title in 1906, over the Canton Bulldogs, which led to accusations of a betting scandal. In 1907, he coached a version of the Massillon Tigers called the "All-Massillons" to another Ohio League title. Prior to his professional career, Wightman played at the college level for the Chicago Maroons, under Amos Alonzo Stagg, and Swarthmore College.

    Clark A. Schrontz was a professional American football player. In 1902 he won a championship in the first National Football League (NFL) with the Pittsburgh Stars. A year later he was a member of the Franklin Athletic Club football team that was considered the "best in the world". He also won the 1903 World Series of Football, held at Madison Square Garden, with the Franklin Athletic Club.

    John Lang was a professional American football player. In 1902 he won a championship in the first National Football League with the Pittsburgh Stars. A year later he was a member of the Franklin Athletic Club football team that was considered the "best in the world". He also won the 1903 World Series of Football, held at Madison Square Garden, with the Franklin Athletic Club.

    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 the American Professional Football Association, from 1920 to 1923, and again from 1925 to 1926. The Bulldogs won the 1916, 1917, and 1919 Ohio League championships. They were the NFL champions in 1922 and 1923. In 1921–1923, the Bulldogs played 25 straight games without a defeat. This remains an NFL record.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1895 Chicago Athletic Association football team</span> American football team season

    The 1895 Chicago Athletic Association football team represented the Chicago Athletic Association (CAA) during the 1895 college football season. Under the management of Harry Cornish, the AAs athletic manager since the 1893 season, the CAA compiled a 10–3–1 record, including an exhibition game with the Swift & Co Stock Yarders. The CAA outscored its opponents by a total of 214 to 52 and achieved an undefeated record at home. The athletic association played its home games at CAA Field, located on the corner of 35th Street and Wentworth Avenue in Chicago.

    References