Paul Hornung dies at 84

[CTOkie]

Fluke winner of the 1956 Heisman at Notre Dame.
Compare Hornung's 1956 season to that of Tommy McDonald:
McDonald rushed for 853 yds, was 8 of 12 passing for 183 yds and 3 touchdowns and one interception, had 12 catches for 282 yds, with 4 touchdowns.....on an unbeaten national championship Oklahoma team.
Hornung rushed for 420 yds, was 59 of 11 passing for 917 yds, for 3 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, had 3 catches for 26 yds with no touchdowns....on a 2-8 Notre Dame team.
Hornung was a key member of the great Lombardi Packers teams as a pro and is in both the CFB and NFL Hall of Fame.
However great he was or wasn't, I never rooted for any team he played for.

 

[CTOkie]

Paul Benien, former Sooner in 1959-61 died on Wednesday at 80.
He was one of many OU players poisoned in Chicago in 1959 the day before OU played Northwestern, a game OU lost 45-13.
Benien served in Vietnam from 1967-70 and earned the Bronze Star while serving in the US Army Medical Corps.
His brother John, who also played for OU, was killed in Vietnam

 

[JConXtsy]

917 passing yards and >50% completions was probably spectacular in 1956.

 

[DallasSooner73]

Fluke winner of the 1956 Heisman at Notre Dame.
Compare Hornung's 1956 season to that of Tommy McDonald:
McDonald rushed for 853 yds, was 8 of 12 passing for 183 yds and 3 touchdowns and one interception, had 12 catches for 282 yds, with 4 touchdowns.....on an unbeaten national championship Oklahoma team.
Hornung rushed for 420 yds, was 59 of 11 passing for 917 yds, for 3 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, had 3 catches for 26 yds with no touchdowns....on a 2-8 Notre Dame team.
Hornung was a key member of the great Lombardi Packers teams as a pro and is in both the CFB and NFL Hall of Fame.
However great he was or wasn't, I never rooted for any team he played for.

Dick Schapp refused to cast a Heisman vote for more than 30 years, in protest of Jim Brown not winning the award in '56. But he was a Syracuse homer.

 

[CTOkie]

917 passing yards and >50% completions was probably spectacular in 1956.

Or at least good enough to win a Heisman Trophy on a two-win team.

 

[owenfieldreams]

T-Mac and Tubbs split the vote in '56 or Hornung would not have won. Johnny Majors came in 2nd as I recall. If all of Tubbs' votes had gone to T-Mac he would have won. The Benien brothers were friends of mine. We graduated from Cascia Hall. Paul was a senior when I was junior and Johnny was a sophomore. Both were great guys. Paul was the end who came in motion calling "check signal" on our trick play vs Army.

 

[CTOkie]

T-Mac and Tubbs split the vote in '56 or Hornung would not have won. Johnny Majors came in 2nd as I recall. If all of Tubbs' votes had gone to T-Mac he would have won. The Benien brothers were friends of mine. We graduated from Cascia Hall. Paul was a senior when I was junior and Johnny was a sophomore. Both were great guys. Paul was the end who came in motion calling "check signal" on our trick play vs Army.

I attending the 1961 Army-OU game and saw Mike McClellan run 75 yards on the "quicky" play. OU's coaches were aware of Army's defensive unit huddling after almost every play. So OU ran a short running play off right tackle.....Army went into its huddle....OU lined up quickly.....and the OU QB, who I believe was Carpenter, underhanded a long lateral out to McClellan....who took it down the sidelines. This happened right in front of where I sat with my family in the upper deck at about the 35-40 yard lines. OU 14, Army 8.