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Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (2x All-American, National Champion, Heisman Winner, NFL Champion, R.I.P.)

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Wikipedia Link

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady (March 2, 1934- ) was college and professional American football player in the 1950s and '60s.

Cassady played for the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1952-55. In his first game as a freshman he came off the bench to score three touchdowns in a win over Indiana University. During his college career, he scored 37 touchdowns in 36 games. He also played defensive back; a pass was never completed on him in his four years at the universtiy. He was twice selected as a consensus All-American, in 1954 and '55. In 1955, Cassady won the Heisman Trophy (by the largest margin at the time), the Maxwell Award, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. Cassady also played baseball for Ohio State.

Cassady played nine seasons in the National Football League: seven for the Detroit Lions, and one each for the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. After retiring from football, Cassady worked primarily as an entrepreneur; he formed his own company, manufacturing concrete pipe. Most recently, he's served as a scout for the New York Yankees baseball team, and as the first base coach for their AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers.

Hopalong earned his nickname during his first game for Ohio State. Columbus sportswriters who saw him play said he "hopped all over the field like the performing cowboy," a reference to the fictional character Hopalong Cassidy.
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Heisman Link

1955 - 21st Award
Howard Cassady
Ohio State Back


"Hop along" was one of Ohio State's best ever, scoring 37 touchdowns in 36 games for 222 points. He gained 2,466 yards rushing for an average of 5.6 per try. A player's player, his 964 yards with a total of 15 TDs was his greatest ever. Overlooked were his sparkling defensive plays; he never had a pass completed over him in four years of Big Ten competition. He held the Buckeyes' yardage-gained record for many years. He was voted All-American during the '54 and '55 seasons. Cassady also played baseball for Ohio State for four years. In 1955, the Associated Press also named Cassady “Athlete of the Year”. He played 8 years with the Detroit Lions, one year with the Philadelphia Eagles, and one year with the Cleveland Browns, and then formed his own company, which manufactured concrete pipe. That company was sold in 1968 when he moved into selling steel with Hop along Cassady Associates. Howard later worked for American Shipbuilding in Tampa and is currently a scout and coach for the New York Yankees. He and his wife Barbara reside in Tampa, FL. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Howard was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1979.


The Voting
Place Name School Class Position Points
1 Howard Cassidy Ohio State Sr. HB 2,219
2 Jim Swink Texas Christian Jr. HB 742
3 George Welsh Navy Sr. QB 383
4 Earl Morrall Michigan State Sr. QB 323
5 Paul Hornung Notre Dame Jr. QB 321
6 Bob Pellegrini Maryland Sr. C-NG 294
7 Ron Beagle Navy Sr. E 212
8 Ron Kramer Michigan Jr. E 192
9 Bo Bolinger Oklahoma Sr. G 148
10 Calvin Jones Iowa Sr. G 138

Howard "Hopalong" Cassady was the first Heisman winner to exceed 2,000 total points and his 1,477-point edge over Jim Swink of TCU was the biggest victory margin to that time. Swink won the Southwest but Cassady won all the other regions, compiling a 594-128 edge in first place votes in voting by 1,324 members of the media.
No. of registered electors: 1,324
Date of announcement: </B>November 29, 1955
Date of dinner: </B>December 8, 1955
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College Football HOF

Position: Halfback
School: Ohio State
High School: Columbus, OH (Central HS)
Years: 1952-1955
Inducted: 1979
Place of Birth: Columbus, OH
Date of Birth: 3/2/1934
Jersey Number: 40
Height: 5-10
Weight: 172

In the fall of 1952 Woody Hayes sent Howard Cassady into his first collegiate game where "Hopalong" scored three touchdowns and began one of the most spectacular careers in Ohio State history. By the end of that career Cassady had rushed for a total of 2374 yards and had scored 37 touchdowns. His senior season of 1955 was a red letter year for Cassady. He was named a unanimous All-America for the second time, won the Heisman Trophy, was chosen Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press and received the Chicago Tribune Trophy as the most Valuable Player in the Big Ten conference. Hayes once said Cassady "was the most inspirational player I have ever seen". He played offense and defense and in 1955 had four 60-minute games. In 1954 he made his greatest run, an 88-yard, dodging, twisting return of an intercepted pass against Wisconsin. His son Craig Cassady, lettered at Ohio State in 1973-1975.​
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Little late on this but yesterday they held an autograph session for Hopalong at "Cardboard Heroes" in City Center Mall @ 6PM. I dont think anyone knew about it because not too many people showed up at all. Matter of fact, the line was depleated by 6:20. Otherwise, he looked to be in great health and it was awesome to shake a legends hand, not to mention having an autographed football by him.
 
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osugrad21;1238790; said:
Scout$--All-Time Greatest No. 4: Hopalong Cassady

Two time All-American, two time tOSU MVP, Big Ten MVP, 1955 AP Athlete of the Year, Heisman Trophy winner, won a National Championship, 3 year letterwinner and Big Ten title with the baseball team, elected to College Football HOF, and has his jersey number retired by tOSU.
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[sarcasm] Eh... he was ok. [/sarcasm]

:oh:
 
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Dispatch

OSU history: Cassady's pick vs. Badgers a harbinger of success

Saturday, October 4, 2008 3:12 AM
By Rob Oller


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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The 88 yards might as well have been the 88 keys on a piano, so splendidly did they tickle the ivory tower that is the New York City Athletic Club while simultaneously changing the tune of the 1954 season for Ohio State.
When Howard "Hopalong" Cassady intercepted a Wisconsin pass and went 88 yards the other way for a touchdown, he positioned himself to become a future Heisman Trophy winner while also positioning the Buckeyes to win their second national championship, perhaps saving coach Woody Hayes' job in the process.
The interception return in Ohio Stadium became a seminal moment in program history, and not just because it resembled a Bolshoi ballet along the Ohio State sideline.

Continued............
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Cassady hopped over competition
The Lantern continues to reveal its choices for the Ohio State Football Players of the Decade
By Michael Willis
[email protected]
Published: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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As soon as Howard ?Hopalong? Cassady stepped onto the field, he was a difference-maker.

?He was the guy that could make the big play when you needed it the most,? said Jack Park, author of The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia.

That is exactly what the running back did in his first game at Ohio State, as he recorded three touchdowns in a win over Indiana.

Cassady played for OSU from 1952-55, which was unusual at the time because most players only played three seasons then.

Cassady also played for the baseball team. He led the team in home runs in 1955 and in stolen bases in 1956.

He graduated from Central High School in Columbus.

When he came to OSU, he played offense and defense for under legendary coach Woody Hayes.

Cassady won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award in 1955 in his senior season. To top it off, he was named the Associated Press ?Male Athlete of the Year? in 1955, beating out boxer Rocky Marciano and quarterback Otto Graham of the Cleveland Browns.

This was monumental, considering a pair of Hall of Fame center fielders ? Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle ? won it in 1954 and 1956, respectively.
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The Lantern - Cassady hopped over competition
 
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Hop's had a trophy life
By DAVE SCHEIBER
Published March 31, 2005

Heisman great and former Lion "Hopalong" Cassady found a career beyond football with pal George Steinbrenner's Yankees.

hop3450.jpg

[Times photo: Stefanie Boyar]
In their Davis Islands home, former Ohio State star Hopalong Cassady and his wife, Barbara, display the Heisman Trophy, awarded after his senior season, 1955.

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[Cassady family photo]
At the 1955 Rose Bowl, Cassady posed with mid 20th-century cowboy star William Boyd, known as Hopalong Cassidy.

hops1.jpg

[Times photo: Stefanie Boyar]
Howard "Hopalong" Cassady sports Heisman and Yankees championship rings along with his treasured figurine, earned 50 years ago.

TAMPA - It was just about 20 years ago that a trash collector in Columbus, Ohio, made a startling discovery: a small, bronze hand and arm protruding from a garbage bin.

Talk about a clutch stiff-arm move.

The famous limb, you see, was attached to a Heisman Trophy statue: the one that had been awarded in 1955 to legendary Ohio State running back Howard "Hopalong" Cassady.

And if it hadn't reached toward daylight from the garbage - dumped there by a thief who had made off with an array of Cassady's awards - the figurine likely would have vanished forever.

But the Heisman heist had a happy ending.

Apparently, the guy who took the trophy from its showcase didn't think it measured up to Cassady's collection of sterling-silver honors. So the crook kept the silver and dumped the 25-pound, 131/2-inch tall bronze football man. Fortunately, Cassady had been on the road and learned his Heisman was stolen only when police called to tell him it had been recovered.

"The price of silver was way up and they just didn't realize the value of the Heisman," said Cassady, 71, eyeing the trophy on a recent morning in the foyer of his South Tampa home.

Rescued from the refuse, the statue soon was reunited with Cassady in Tampa. And now, the two have reached a milestone together this year: the 50th anniversary of Cassady's Heisman award.

"It's something how time passes," said Cassady, who has spent 30 years as a coach in the New York Yankees organization. "You start out up there on the podium. And each year, people pass away and you move a little closer to the end of the bench."

"I'm getting a little too close to the end of the bench now," he adds with a chuckle.
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Sports: Hop's had a trophy life
 
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