Hercules Renda
Encyclopedia
Hercules Gennaro Renda was an American football
player and coach. He played for the University of Michigan
football team from 1937 to 1939. He was an assistant football coach at Michigan under Fritz Crisler
from 1940 to 1941. He later served as a high school football and track coach in Pontiac, Michigan
for many years and was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
immigrant parents, Renda grew up in Cabin Creek
in the state's coal country. He was named after a brand of mining dynamite ("Hercules Dynamite" and "Hercules Powder") that was popular among West Virginia coal miners at the time.
Renda became was a star athlete at East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia
. During the summers, he worked as a "tippler" at the coal mine. During the school year, he played basketball and football and ran the dash and low hurdles for the track team. He was badly injured in a high school basketball game when he was "bumped while in the air with both feet off the floor and landed on his head." Renda later said that five weeks in the hospital taught him that football was the best and safest sport after all.
As a high school senior in 1935, Renda drew attention from the West Virginia press for his skill as a running back. The state's leading newspaper, the Charleston Gazette wrote in October 1935: "In Hercules Renda, East Bank will show its greatest running back of all time. Renda has scored 11 times for East Bank this year and his runs have varied from 10 to 95 yards." In November 1935, the Gazette called him "stocky Hercules Renda, a fast stepping but nevertheless rugged halfback, who has been running wild all season." (Twenty years later, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West attended East Bank High; West was nicknamed "Zeke from Cabin Creek".)
alumni, Lon Barringer and Rocco Gorman, recruited Renda and his high school teammate, Joe Savilla, to play football for the Michigan Wolverines
. Renda and Savilla both enrolled at the University of Michigan
. The Michigan Daily depicted the two West Virginia recruits as something of an odd pair—Renda was a 5 foot, 4 inch halfback
, and Savilla was a 6 foot, 4 inch tackle
. Despite his small size (5 feet 4 inches and 152 pounds), Renda played for Michigan's freshman team in 1936 and for the varsity team from 1937 to 1939. His performance on the freshman team in 1936 was summed up as follows: "On the offense he runs like a frightened deer and is deathly with his tackles while on defense."
After one of his first games in 1937, the Michigan Alumnus wrote:
Press coverage of Renda often focused on his short stature, and often referred to him as the "midget" from West Virginia. An Associated Press
story in 1937 reported that Renda was "just about the shortest first-string football player in the U.S." but noted that he "travels with the power of a tank."
Michigan coach Fritz Crisler
called Renda the "greatest football player in America for his height." During the 1938 and 1939 seasons, Renda saw limited action, as Michigan had Forest Evashevski
and Tom Harmon
in the backfield. He became principally a blocking back in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. At the time of his death in 2005, the University of Michigan issued a press release stating, "Renda may have been one of the shortest football players in U-M history, standing only 5-3, but his speed and quickness plus his 17-inch calves made him an extremely tough running back to tackle."
during the 1940 and 1941 seasons. Michigan finished with a record of 13 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie during Renda's two seasons as an assistant coach.
, Renda joined the U.S. Army and reported to Fort Custer Training Center
in December 1942. In June 1942, he was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps and sent to Miami, Florida
, for training as an officer and physical instructor.
. Renda's teams won 18 games, lost 25 and tied 2 during his five years at Pontiac High School. Renda told reporters in March 1953 that he had been fired by the school board for objecting to its "win-or-else" policy. Renda later returned to the Pontiac schools as head track coach and assistant football coach at Pontiac Northern High School until his retirement in 1982. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Renda died in October 2005 at age 88 while taking his daily walk on the track at Pontiac Northern High School. A few years after his death in 2005, a local paper wrote: "Herk spent more than five decades in Pontiac helping students as a coach, administrator and just being the ultimate good neighbor. Since his passing a couple years ago, the world hasn't quite been as good a place. Everybody who knew Herk will tell you that."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. He played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
football team from 1937 to 1939. He was an assistant football coach at Michigan under Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
from 1940 to 1941. He later served as a high school football and track coach in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
for many years and was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Early years
A native of West Virginia born to ItalianItalian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
immigrant parents, Renda grew up in Cabin Creek
Cabin Creek, West Virginia
Cabin Creek is an unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. Cabin Creek is located on the south bank of the Kanawha River, southeast of Chesapeake. It was the site of an early African-American community in the late nineteenth century. A notable resident was Adam...
in the state's coal country. He was named after a brand of mining dynamite ("Hercules Dynamite" and "Hercules Powder") that was popular among West Virginia coal miners at the time.
Renda became was a star athlete at East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia
East Bank, West Virginia
East Bank is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. The population was 933 at the 2000 census. East Bank was incorporated in 1889 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature. It is so named because of its location east of Coalburg and the "bank" referring...
. During the summers, he worked as a "tippler" at the coal mine. During the school year, he played basketball and football and ran the dash and low hurdles for the track team. He was badly injured in a high school basketball game when he was "bumped while in the air with both feet off the floor and landed on his head." Renda later said that five weeks in the hospital taught him that football was the best and safest sport after all.
As a high school senior in 1935, Renda drew attention from the West Virginia press for his skill as a running back. The state's leading newspaper, the Charleston Gazette wrote in October 1935: "In Hercules Renda, East Bank will show its greatest running back of all time. Renda has scored 11 times for East Bank this year and his runs have varied from 10 to 95 yards." In November 1935, the Gazette called him "stocky Hercules Renda, a fast stepping but nevertheless rugged halfback, who has been running wild all season." (Twenty years later, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West attended East Bank High; West was nicknamed "Zeke from Cabin Creek".)
University of Michigan
Two University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
alumni, Lon Barringer and Rocco Gorman, recruited Renda and his high school teammate, Joe Savilla, to play football for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
. Renda and Savilla both enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. The Michigan Daily depicted the two West Virginia recruits as something of an odd pair—Renda was a 5 foot, 4 inch halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
, and Savilla was a 6 foot, 4 inch tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
. Despite his small size (5 feet 4 inches and 152 pounds), Renda played for Michigan's freshman team in 1936 and for the varsity team from 1937 to 1939. His performance on the freshman team in 1936 was summed up as follows: "On the offense he runs like a frightened deer and is deathly with his tackles while on defense."
After one of his first games in 1937, the Michigan Alumnus wrote:
"And once more Michigan has a colorful football hero. Little Hercules Renda, five feet four inches 'tall' and 152 pounds of relentless energy, ran, squirmed and tackled his way into the hearts of thousands on thousands of Wolverine rooters whose frenzied cheers welcomed his first great touchdown catch and plunge, and warmed excitedly to his never-ceasing battling. Renda never stopped. ... Michigan took little Hercules Renda to its heart last Saturday and, unless all signs are wrong, this midget from the hills of West Virginia will write his name high in the Wolverine athletic annals."
Press coverage of Renda often focused on his short stature, and often referred to him as the "midget" from West Virginia. An Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
story in 1937 reported that Renda was "just about the shortest first-string football player in the U.S." but noted that he "travels with the power of a tank."
Michigan coach Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
called Renda the "greatest football player in America for his height." During the 1938 and 1939 seasons, Renda saw limited action, as Michigan had Forest Evashevski
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks in 1942...
and Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
in the backfield. He became principally a blocking back in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. At the time of his death in 2005, the University of Michigan issued a press release stating, "Renda may have been one of the shortest football players in U-M history, standing only 5-3, but his speed and quickness plus his 17-inch calves made him an extremely tough running back to tackle."
Assistant coach under Crisler
After graduating from Michigan, Renda was hired as an assistant football coach at Michigan. He served as an assistant coach under Fritz CrislerFritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
during the 1940 and 1941 seasons. Michigan finished with a record of 13 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie during Renda's two seasons as an assistant coach.
World War II
With the entry of the United States into World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Renda joined the U.S. Army and reported to Fort Custer Training Center
Fort Custer Training Center
Fort Custer Training Center, often known simply as Fort Custer, is a federally-owned and state-operated Michigan Army National Guard training facility, but is also used by other branches of the armed forces and armed forces from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio...
in December 1942. In June 1942, he was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps and sent to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, for training as an officer and physical instructor.
High school coaching career
After the war, Renda had a long career as a high school football coach. He coached at Flint Central High School. From 1948 to 1951, he was the head football coach at Pontiac High School in Pontiac, MichiganPontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
. Renda's teams won 18 games, lost 25 and tied 2 during his five years at Pontiac High School. Renda told reporters in March 1953 that he had been fired by the school board for objecting to its "win-or-else" policy. Renda later returned to the Pontiac schools as head track coach and assistant football coach at Pontiac Northern High School until his retirement in 1982. He was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Renda died in October 2005 at age 88 while taking his daily walk on the track at Pontiac Northern High School. A few years after his death in 2005, a local paper wrote: "Herk spent more than five decades in Pontiac helping students as a coach, administrator and just being the ultimate good neighbor. Since his passing a couple years ago, the world hasn't quite been as good a place. Everybody who knew Herk will tell you that."