Elroy Hirsch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elroy Hirsch
Date of birth	June 17, 1923
Place of birth	Wausau, Wisconsin
Date of death	January 28, 2004
Position(s)	Running Back, Wide Receiver
College	Wisconsin, Michigan
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	3
Honors	NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1946-1948 1949-1957	Chicago Rockets Los Angeles Rams
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1968

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (June 17, 1923 – January 28, 2004) was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.

Hirsch was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, where he started his football career with Wausau High School under legendary high school football coach Win Brockmeyer.

Hirsch played his first college season with the Wisconsin Badgers in 1942. His nickname was permanently affixed to him by Chicago Daily News sportswriter Francis Powers who, upon witnessing him play for the Badgers against the Great Lakes Naval Station in 1942, wrote "His crazy legs were gyrating in six different directions, all at the same time; he looked like a demented duck."

His commitment to the United States Navy V-12 program in United States Marine Corps required him to transfer to the University of Michigan. He played two intercollegiate seasons at the Michigan Wolverines where he has the distinction of being the only athlete at the school to letter in four sports (football, basketball, track and baseball) in a single year.

Hirsch was drafted by Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference, where he played from 1946 to 1948, in three injury-prone seasons. After the Rockets and the AAFC merged with the NFL, he joined the Los Angeles Rams through 1957, where he gained his fame and notoriety. Coach Clark Shaughnessy made Hirsch the first full-time "flanker" in NFL history, splitting the talented receiver outside from his previous halfback position. He was key to the Rams victory in the 1951 NFL championship with NFL record 1,495 yards receiving, which stood for 19 years. He also had 66 catches, and 17 touchdowns that same year. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1968 with a career 387 receptions, 7,029 yards, and 60 touchdowns. He was named to the NFL all-time all-star team.

He starred in the eponymous movie of his life in 1953, Crazylegs All American. He also starred in the movies Unchained, a 1955 prison movie now best remembered for its signature song, and Zero Hour!, a 1957 airline disaster movie.

He served as the Director of Athletics for the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1969 to 1987.

He died of natural causes at an assisted living home in Madison, Wisconsin on January 28, 2004.

The UW has retired his number 40; it was added to the facade of Camp Randall Stadium on 28 October 2006.

Since 1981, the Crazylegs Classic, an 8-kilometer race leading through downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, has been held in his honor each spring.

In 1999, he was ranked number 89 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.