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92_SR0473
LRB9217418BHbh
1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3 to learn of the death of Jay Berwanger of Oak Brook, who
4 passed away June 26, 2002, at the age of 88; and
5 WHEREAS, Mr. Berwanger was born March 19, 1914, in
6 Dubuque, Iowa; in high school, he excelled at wrestling,
7 track, and football, winning renown as an all-state
8 half-back; after graduation, he was recruited by Iowa,
9 Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue universities, but he opted
10 for the University of Chicago, where he graduated with a
11 business management degree in 1936; and
12 WHEREAS, Mr. Berwanger won the first Heisman Trophy in
13 1935; he gained 1,839 yards on 439 carries and completed 50
14 passes in 146 attempts for 921 yards for the University of
15 Chicago from 1933 to 1935; he scored 22 touchdowns and kicked
16 22 extra points; and
17 WHEREAS, During his senior year, Mr. Berwanger tallied
18 577 rushing yards, 405 passing yards, and 359 yards on
19 kickoff returns, while scoring six touchdowns and kicking
20 five extra points; he also played defense; and
21 WHEREAS, Mr. Berwanger led the University of Chicago to a
22 7-6 victory over the University of Illinois in his final game
23 on November 23, 1935, in Champaign; he returned a punt 49
24 yards to Illinois' 1-yard line by shaking off 5 tacklers to
25 set up his own third-down touchdown and extra-point kick in
26 the third quarter that erased a 6-0 deficit; and
27 WHEREAS, Mr. Berwanger was the first pick of the first
28 NFL draft in 1936; the Chicago Bears then earned his rights,
29 but Berwanger opted to start a successful business career in
30 manufacturing plastic and rubber strips for vehicles and
31 machinery; and
-2- LRB9217418BHbh
1 WHEREAS, In 1954, Mr. Berwanger was inducted into the
2 College Football Hall of Fame and remained active in Heisman
3 voting; in his spare time, he wrote a sports column for the
4 Chicago Daily News, refereed college football games, and from
5 1936 to 1939, coached football at the University of Chicago;
6 he had a bit part playing himself in the 1936 movie "The Big
7 Game"; Mr. Berwanger was also the only Heisman recipient who
8 was ever tackled by a future president of the United States,
9 Gerald Ford; and
10 WHEREAS, During World War II, Mr. Berwanger enrolled in
11 the Navy's flight training program and became a naval
12 officer; after the war he set up his own business, Jay
13 Berwanger Inc., in Downers Grove; the firm manufactured
14 plastic and sponge rubber strips for car doors and trunks and
15 for farm machinery; he retired in January, 2002; and
16 WHEREAS, Mr. Berwanger will be deeply missed by all those
17 who knew him and loved him, especially his children, John Jay
18 (Pat), Cuyler (Jackie), Helen (John) Tierney, Barbara Fewkes,
19 Joseph "Marsh" Temple, and Marianne Gerwing; his many
20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and his sisters, Betty
21 Lungwitz and Eleanor Von Pein; he was preceded in death by
22 his first and second wives, Philomela and Jane; his brother,
23 Paul; and his sister, Dorothy; therefore, be it
24 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SECOND GENERAL
25 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing
26 of Jay Berwanger of Oak Brook; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
28 presented to the family of Jay Berwanger with our sincere
29 condolences.