Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990) was a star player in United States
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors. As a player, he won the
Heisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , named after the former college football coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player in collegiate football...
and is considered by some to be the greatest football player in
Michigan WolverinesThe Michigan Wolverines comprise 24 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo,...
history.
Harmon was born in the Harmon's family home at 118 South Weston Street in
Rensselaer, IndianaRensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Rensselaer is home to Saint Joseph's College of Indiana....
, in
Jasper CountyJasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 30,043. The county seat is Rensselaer.- History :...
. This house stood one block East of the Jasper County Courthouse, and was torn down in 1965.
Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 – March 15, 1990) was a star player in United States
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors. As a player, he won the
Heisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , named after the former college football coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player in collegiate football...
and is considered by some to be the greatest football player in
Michigan WolverinesThe Michigan Wolverines comprise 24 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo,...
history.
Early life
Harmon was born in the Harmon's family home at 118 South Weston Street in
Rensselaer, IndianaRensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Rensselaer is home to Saint Joseph's College of Indiana....
, in
Jasper CountyJasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2000, the population was 30,043. The county seat is Rensselaer.- History :...
. This house stood one block East of the Jasper County Courthouse, and was torn down in 1965. He was the youngest child of Louis A. and Rose Marie (Quinn) Harmon, who first moved to
Rensselaer, IndianaRensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Rensselaer is home to Saint Joseph's College of Indiana....
from
Livingston County, IllinoisLivingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of 2000, the population was 39,678. Its county seat is Pontiac, Illinois.The Pontiac Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Livingston County.- History :...
around 1900. In 1924, when Harmon was about 5 years old, his family moved to
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city...
, but he still kept up connections with friends in
Rensselaer, IndianaRensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Rensselaer is home to Saint Joseph's College of Indiana....
for many years.
Harmon attended Horace Mann High School in
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city...
, graduating in 1937. While at Horace Mann High School, Harmon was already an outstanding athlete. In addition to 14 varsity letters, he was twice named All-State quarterback, Captain of the basketball team, and as a senior, won the 100 yard dash and the 200 yard low hurdles at the State Finals in
Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. The United States Census estimated the city's population, excluding the included towns, at 798,382 in 2008...
.
Harmon played
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
at the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world...
from 1938-1940, he majored in English and Speech, hoping for a future career in broadcasting, and won the
Heisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , named after the former college football coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player in collegiate football...
his senior season. Although he made his name as a
running backA running back is the position of a player on an American or Canadian football team who usually lines up in the offensive backfield...
, he also excelled as a
kickerPlacekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points, and, in many cases, kickoffs....
and
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
. Harmon rushed for 2,134 yards during his career at Michigan, completed 100 passes for 1,304 yards and 16
touchdownA touchdown is the term for scoring American and Canadian football.-Description:To score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. This can be done by rushing, in which the ball carrier carries the football forward into the end zone. It can also be done by passing,...
s, and scored 237 points. During his career he played all 60 minutes 8 times. He also was a member of the varsity basketball team for two years.
In his final football game, against
Ohio StateOhio State University is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the largest single-campus university in the United States. Ohio State is currently ranked by U.S...
Harmon led the Wolverines to a 40-0 victory, scoring three rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four
extra pointExtra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
s, intercepting three passes, and
puntingA punt in some codes of football, especially American football, rugby league and rugby union, is performed when the ball is kicked without letting it hit the ground first — in contrast to a drop kick...
three times for an average of 50 yards. In an unprecedented display of sportsmanship and appreciation, the Ohio State fans in Columbus gave Harmon a standing ovation at game's end. No Wolverine player has been so honored since.
He led the nation in scoring in 1939 and 1940 (a feat that remains unmatched), and was elected to the
College Football All-America TeamThe College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
both years. In 1940, he won the
Heisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , named after the former college football coach John Heisman, is awarded annually by the Heisman Trophy Trust to the most outstanding player in collegiate football...
and the
Maxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named...
both given to the outstanding college football player of the year.
While on campus, he was an active member of the Michigan Alpha Chapter of the
Phi Delta ThetaPhi Delta Theta is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 160 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces and...
fraternity. Years later, the national fraternity leadership established the Harmon-Rice Award in his honor (the Rice name in the award honored
Grantland RiceGrantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
) that is presented each year to the most outstanding Phi Delt collegiate athlete in the nation. In 2007, Harmon was ranked #16 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.
NFL draft
Harmon was taken by the
Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
with the first selection in the
NFL DraftThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
. Instead he opted to play with the
New York AmericansThe New York Yankees of the third American Football League was the third professional American football team competing under that name. It is unrelated to the Yankees of the first AFL , the Yankees of the second AFL, and the Yankees of the All America Football Conference...
of the rival American Football League. After graduating from college he had a brief career as an actor, starring as himself in the biopic
Harmon of Michigan. He appeared occasionally in films throughout the forties and fifties.
World War II
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Tom Harmon enlisted as a
pilotAn aviator is a person who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887 as a variation of the French 'aviation', from the latin 'avis', coined 1863 by G. de la Landelle in "Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne"...
in the
Army Air CorpsThe United States Army Air Corps was the predecessor of the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1926-41, which in turn was the forerunner of today's U.S. Air Force , established in 1947...
on November 8, 1941. Early in 1943, Harmon parachuted into the South American Jungle when his plane flew into a tropical storm. None of the other crewmen bailed out or survived. He was the object of a massive regional search operation once his plane was reported missing. Four days later he stumbled into a clearing in Dutch Guiana. He transferred to single seat fighters.
He was awarded the
Purple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
and the
Silver StarThe Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is also the third highest award given for valor ....
for his actions with the 449th Fighter Squadron. These included having his plane shot down over Japanese occupied China. He saved his silk parachute and it was later used as the material for his wife's wedding dress.
Pro football career
From 1946-1947 Harmon played football professionally with the
Los Angeles RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team has won three NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl.The Rams began...
, but wartime injuries to his legs limited his effectiveness. He focused his professional career as planned on being a sports broadcaster on radio and television, one of the first athletes to make the transition from player to on-camera talent. In 1954, Harmon was enshrined in the
College Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend, Indiana, USA, is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. It is situated in the renovated downtown district, near convention centers and not far from the campus of Notre Dame...
.
After football
Tom Harmon married actress
Elyse KnoxElyse Knox is an American actress.-Early life:Born Elsie Lillian Kornbrath to Frederick and Elizabeth Kornbrath in Hartford, Connecticut, she is not the daughter of U.S. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, despite many modern sources suggesting she is...
, and much of their family entered show business. He is the father of actress
Kristin NelsonKristin Nelson is an American primitive painter and author. She is the daughter of American football legend Tom Harmon and actress Elyse Knox. Actor Mark Harmon is her brother, and actress Kelly Harmon is her sister.-Marriage:...
, who at seventeen married recording artist
Ricky NelsonEric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, later known as Rick Nelson , was an American singer, musician and actor. He placed 53 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including 19 top-ten hits...
, and of actress Kelly Harmon. His son is actor and former
UCLAThe UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-10 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation...
quarterback
Mark HarmonMark Harmon is an American actor who has been starring in U.S. television programs and films since the mid-1970s. Since 2003, Harmon has starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the popular CBS series NCIS.-Early life:...
, who is married to actress
Pam DawberPam Dawber is an American actress, best known for her title roles as Mindy McConnell in the 1978–82 sitcom Mork & Mindy and as Samantha Russell in My Sister Sam . Dawber has a four-octave soprano voice.-Biography:...
, and he is the grandfather of twins
Matthew NelsonMatthew Gray Nelson is an American singer/songwriter/musician and international multi-platinum recording artist. He is the son of actress Kristin Harmon and the late teen idol Ricky Nelson....
and
Gunnar NelsonGunnar Eric Nelson is an American musician, singer, and songwriter and international multi-platinum recording artist.- Family :...
, who perform as the
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
and country music act
NelsonNelson is a glam metal band founded by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson . They had a No. 1 hit in the United States with " Love and Affection" during the week of September 29 1990...
, and actress
Tracy Nelson-Early life:Tracy Nelson was born on October 25, 1963, in Santa Monica, California. Raised in a predominately show business family, Nelson's parents were musician Ricky Nelson and actress and artist Kristin Nelson . The oldest of four children, her siblings include Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson,...
.
Tom Harmon's 10-minute broadcasts were a staple of the ABC and (later) American Information radio networks.
Tom Harmon died of a heart attack on March 15, 1990 in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, aged 70.
See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978 by the University of Michigan's "M" Club, recognizes athletes, coaches and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
- The Late Great 98 by Fredric Alan Maxwell. Michigan Today 9/17/08 http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2008/09/harmon.php