(1867-12-20)December 20, 1867 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died:
April 2, 1954(1954-04-02) (aged 86) Blessing, Texas, U.S.
Height:
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:
195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College:
Yale (1888–1891)
Position:
Guard
Career history
As a player:
Chicago Athletic Association (1892)
Allegheny Athletic Association (1892)
As a coach:
California (1893; HC)
Lehigh (1894; HC)
Minnesota (1895; HC)
Career highlights and awards
3× Consensus All-American (1889–1891)
Camp All-time All-America team
FWAA College Football All-Time team (1869–1919)
W. Pennsylvania Circuit champion (1892)
First recognized professional football player
Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame
Head coaching record
Career:
17–13–1 (.565)
College Football Hall of Fame
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William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger (December 20, 1867 – April 2, 1954), also spelled Hafelfinger, was an American football player and coach. He is considered the first athlete to play American football professionally, having been paid to play in 1892 for the Allegheny Athletic Association.[1]
Heffelfinger played college football from 1888 to 1891 at Yale University, where he was a three-time consensus All-American as a guard. He served as the head football coach at the University of California in 1893, Lehigh University in 1894, and the University of Minnesota in 1895, compiling a career coaching record of 17–13–1. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as player with the inaugural class of 1951.
^"Nov 12 Birth of Pro Football". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
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William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger (December 20, 1867 – April 2, 1954), also spelled Hafelfinger, was an American football player and coach. He is considered...
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catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, PudgeHeffelfinger was paid $500 (equivalent to $16,956 in 2023) to play a game for the...
Club team, and added Yale halfback star PudgeHeffelfinger to the line-up. The 1893 team featured Heffelfinger, Yale, Laurie Bliss, and five players from...
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Year Image Name School Position 1889 Amos Alonzo Stagg Yale E 1890 PudgeHeffelfinger Yale G 1891 Lee McClung Yale HB 1892 Marshall Newell Harvard T 1893...
origin of professional football can be traced back to 1892, with PudgeHeffelfinger's $500 contract to play in a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association...
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since it was the first known game to feature a professional player, PudgeHeffelfinger, who was paid $500 by Allegheny to play in the game. Aull died of...
fielded the first two professional football players on record, paying PudgeHeffelfinger $500 for a game on November 12 and Sport Donnelly $250 for the following...
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Frank Hinkey (Yale), tackle Marshall Newell (Harvard), and guard PudgeHeffelfinger (Yale). The consensus All-America team included: Player scoring most...
games cancelled (1889) No coach (1890–1892 spring) Lee McClung (1892) PudgeHeffelfinger (1893) Charles O. Gill (1894) Frank Butterworth (1895–1896) Charles...
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