papathawki
Well-Known Member
I'm hoping some of you are aware of Nile Kinnick's Huisman speech. I can only paraphrase it somewhat. Essentially, what he said was that he was thankful that the battles young men had faced while he was in college had been fought on the gridirons of America rather than the battlefields of Europe. I had the honor of speaking at our high school basketball banquet about 3 years ago and told the following story which I hope you will find interesting:
I’d like to tell you a personal story that happened to me here in Hawarden when I was 8 years
old. The year was 1940 and speaker that year at our athletic banquet was the greatest athlete in
the history of Iowa Hawkeye sports. His name was Nile Kinnick. The only Iowan to ever win the
Heisman Trophy. Captain of the 1939 college All American Football team. Iowa plays football
where? Kinnick Stadium.
After his speech, my Dad took me up front and introduced me to Nile Kinnick. He asked me if I
liked sports & I said yeah, I like sports a lot. He asked me how I was doing in my school work
& I said OK. He asked if I studied as hard as I played & I kind of stammered out something like
“Well, not quite as hardâ€. I couldn’t lie to Nile Kinnick!!
I’m going to read this next part, because I don’t want to leave out a single word.
He said, sports are fun, and sports can teach you to do your best, which is
great, if you just apply that to your education and your life as well as the games
you play.
I cried when my hero, Nile Kinnick died on June 3, 1943. The plane he was flying as a Navy pilot
in World War 2 had an engine malfunction on takeoff from a Navy Aircraft Carrier and crashed
into the sea. I’ve never forgotten the lesson Nile Kinnick was trying to teach a little 8 year old kid
at a sports banquet in Hawarden, Iowa, in 1940. And now, it’s been passed on to you.
In conclusion,thanks to the basketball team from the geriatric set. You never quit, came from
behind for several wins, had a winning season, and brought us lots of enjoyment and we’re proud
of you. And based on your 3.4 team cumulative grade point average mentioned by your coach, I’m
pretty sure Nile Kinnick somewhere up there is also proud of you.
I’d like to tell you a personal story that happened to me here in Hawarden when I was 8 years
old. The year was 1940 and speaker that year at our athletic banquet was the greatest athlete in
the history of Iowa Hawkeye sports. His name was Nile Kinnick. The only Iowan to ever win the
Heisman Trophy. Captain of the 1939 college All American Football team. Iowa plays football
where? Kinnick Stadium.
After his speech, my Dad took me up front and introduced me to Nile Kinnick. He asked me if I
liked sports & I said yeah, I like sports a lot. He asked me how I was doing in my school work
& I said OK. He asked if I studied as hard as I played & I kind of stammered out something like
“Well, not quite as hardâ€. I couldn’t lie to Nile Kinnick!!
I’m going to read this next part, because I don’t want to leave out a single word.
He said, sports are fun, and sports can teach you to do your best, which is
great, if you just apply that to your education and your life as well as the games
you play.
I cried when my hero, Nile Kinnick died on June 3, 1943. The plane he was flying as a Navy pilot
in World War 2 had an engine malfunction on takeoff from a Navy Aircraft Carrier and crashed
into the sea. I’ve never forgotten the lesson Nile Kinnick was trying to teach a little 8 year old kid
at a sports banquet in Hawarden, Iowa, in 1940. And now, it’s been passed on to you.
In conclusion,thanks to the basketball team from the geriatric set. You never quit, came from
behind for several wins, had a winning season, and brought us lots of enjoyment and we’re proud
of you. And based on your 3.4 team cumulative grade point average mentioned by your coach, I’m
pretty sure Nile Kinnick somewhere up there is also proud of you.
