Dick Kempthorn
Encyclopedia
Richard James "Dick" Kempthorn (born October 23, 1926) is a former collegiate athlete, Air Force pilot, and businessman from Canton, Ohio
, USA. He played college football on the undefeated National Champion 1947
and 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team
s and was the Most Valuable Player on the 1949 team. He later served as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross
. He turned down an opportunity to play professional football to join his father in the automobile business. Over the next 50 years, Kempthorn built a series of automobile dealerships in Canton, Ohio.
. He played high school football for Canton McKinley High School. Kempthorn was a starter at quarterback and linebacker in high school, and in two years of varsity football, his teams went 16-2-2 and won a state championship.
. Before starting at the Academy, Kempthorn attended the Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
, where he played in six football games for the Redskins under Coach Sid Gillman
.
After several weeks of training at the Merchant Marine Academy, Kempthorn was assigned to serve as an engine cadet on the crew of the cargo ship, USS Wild Hunter, which participated in the invasion of the Philippines.
's team of reserve players and ineligibles. When Kempthorn laid out two varsity players in a scrimmage, Coach Fritz Crisler
reportedly told Weber to "get that wild man out of there." Weber said, "He's the roughest young man we've had around here since the late Bill Hewitt
. He's strewn the landscape with football humanity."
Kempthorn first played with the Wolverines during 1947 spring practice. At that time, Kempthorn impressed Michigan's coaches with his drive on offense and hard tackling on defense; he was described as "rugged and beautifully proportioned but green and crude." Even before he played a regular season game, Kempthorn was tagged as "one of the finest fullbacks ever to enrol at Michigan."
that was loaded with talent returning from the war. The team went undefeated in the regular season, beat USC 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl game
, outscored its opponents 394-53 and was selected by the ESPN Big Ten College Football Encyclopedia as the best team in the history of Michigan football. The 1947 team is also remembered as the first team fully to embrace the concept of defensive and offensive specialization. Previously, most players had played their positions on both offense and defense. But in 1947, Coach Fritz Crisler
established separate offensive and defensive squads.
At the outset of the season, Kempthorn won the starting job at fullback. Kempthorn scored a touchdown on his second carry in the 1947 season opener, a 55-0 win against Michigan State. In only his third game for Michigan, against Pittsburgh, Kempthorn sustained a knee injury. Kempthorn missed three games due to the knee injury and returned to star on defense against Indiana. Kempthorn was back on the injury list after the Indiana game and later recalled that, after the knee injury, he was unable to execute the spinning movement required of a back in the single wing offense.
In the 1948 Rose Bowl, USC penetrated deep into Michigan's territory only once, and Kempthorn ended that drive with an interception on the 11-yard line.
the "defensive mainstays" of a defense that gave up only 44 points in the 1948 season. The 1948 team finished 8-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll.
After the 1949 season, the Michigan players voted to award the Most Valuable Player award to Kempthorn.
The 1950 Michiganensian Yearbook said of Kempthorn:
Kempthorn was selected to play on three College All-Star teams while playing at Michigan from 1947-1949.
as an assistant backfield coach in 1950. That fall, his pigskin gloves played a key role in the infamous "Snow Bowl" victory over Ohio State. The game was played in a blizzard that shut down both offenses, and the punting game became the key. Michigan won the game, 9-3, despite never getting a first down. The teams punted 45 times, sometimes on first down. The strategy was based on the weather in that both teams felt it better to have the ball in the hands of their opponents near the end zone and hope for a fumble of the slippery ball. In the end, Michigan won with a touchdown scored after blocking a punt.
Chuck Ortmann
was Michigan's punter, and his fingers were becoming numb in the freezing weather. Kempthorn had purchased a new pair of pigskin gloves for the Ohio trip and gave them to Ortmann early in the game when Ortmann complained that his hands were getting numb. Ortmann later joked that they "were not masculine gloves but dainty tight fitting little numbers." But the gloves gave Ortmann a perfect grip on the ball. Ortmann noted that even though the gloves became soaked, "the wet ball stuck to them like glue." It was Ortmann's error-free punting that won the game for the Wolverines. Kempthorn's gloves, described in may articles as formal "junior prom" gloves, were credited with having won Michigan the game and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
(by the Philadelphia Eagles
) and the second round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 1949 AAFC Secret Draft. However, Kempthorn bypassed professional football and instead opted to return to Canton, Ohio
to join his father's Dodge-Plymouth automobile dealership. One sports columnist wrote the following about Kempthorn's decision:
When the Korean War broke out, Kempthorn joined the Air Force and spent three years as a pilot. He flew more than 100 missions as a jet fighter pilot and received the Distinguished Flying Cross
for bravery. In March 1953, Kempthorn was recognized for heroism after he rescued fellow pilot, Henry Rock, from a burning fighter plane in Japan. After Rock's plane crashed on the runway, Kempthorn sprinted 200 yards to the crash scene, jumped on the wing and ripped loose the bullet-proof glass canopy. With Rock trapped by the gunsight as flames burned Rock's face and hands, Kempthorn took the gunsight in his bare hands and broke off the mounting. Shortly after Rock was freed, the plane exploded.
In June 1947, three months after Kempthorn was cited for bravery, the 1947 team held a five-year reunion. Kempthorn's former teammates and Coach Crisler all signed a football and sent it to him in Korea. Newspapers covered the long-distance gift, and one reporter wrote:
where he returned to work in his father's car dealership. Cleveland Browns Coach Paul Brown
tried to persuade Kempthorn to play professional football, but Kempthorn decided to work for his father. Kempthorn bought the business from his father in 1964 and expanded it from a Dodge-Plymouth dealership into a business called "Dick Kempthorn Car Sales" selling multiple brands of automobiles and trucks. As of 2004, the 77-year-old Kempthorn was still working at the car dealership with his three children. The business has now expanded into the Kempthorn Automall in Canton, which includes Kempthorn-owned dealerships for Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Mazda, Volkswagen, Buick, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Jaguar.
.
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, USA. He played college football on the undefeated National Champion 1947
1947 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians", represented the University of Michigan in the 1947 college football season. Coached by Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines finished undefeated and untied with a 10–0 record...
and 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team
1948 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan during the 1948 college football season. The team's head coach was Bennie Oosterbaan. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:...
s and was the Most Valuable Player on the 1949 team. He later served as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
. He turned down an opportunity to play professional football to join his father in the automobile business. Over the next 50 years, Kempthorn built a series of automobile dealerships in Canton, Ohio.
Youth
Kempthorn is a native of Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He played high school football for Canton McKinley High School. Kempthorn was a starter at quarterback and linebacker in high school, and in two years of varsity football, his teams went 16-2-2 and won a state championship.
Miami University and the Merchant Marine
After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in San Mateo, CaliforniaSan Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
. Before starting at the Academy, Kempthorn attended the Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, where he played in six football games for the Redskins under Coach Sid Gillman
Sid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
.
After several weeks of training at the Merchant Marine Academy, Kempthorn was assigned to serve as an engine cadet on the crew of the cargo ship, USS Wild Hunter, which participated in the invasion of the Philippines.
Transfer to Michigan
After the end of World War II, Kempthorn visited Michigan and decided to transfer to Michigan rather than returning to complete his studies at the Merchant Marine Academy. Unable to play in 1946 due to the transfer rule, Kempthorn played with Coach Wally WeberWally Weber
Walter J. Weber was an American football player and coach at the University of Michigan. He played halfback and fullback for the Wolverines in 1925 and 1926 on the same teams as Benny Friedman and Bennie Oosterbaan. He later became an assistant football coach at Michigan for 28 years from 1931 to...
's team of reserve players and ineligibles. When Kempthorn laid out two varsity players in a scrimmage, 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...
reportedly told Weber to "get that wild man out of there." Weber said, "He's the roughest young man we've had around here since the late Bill Hewitt
Bill Hewitt
Foster William Alfred Hewitt was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star sports journalist W. A. Hewitt.Hewitt excelled at football, track & field and hockey, while at Upper Canada College...
. He's strewn the landscape with football humanity."
Kempthorn first played with the Wolverines during 1947 spring practice. At that time, Kempthorn impressed Michigan's coaches with his drive on offense and hard tackling on defense; he was described as "rugged and beautifully proportioned but green and crude." Even before he played a regular season game, Kempthorn was tagged as "one of the finest fullbacks ever to enrol at Michigan."
1947 season
Kempthorn joined a 1947 Michigan football team1947 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians", represented the University of Michigan in the 1947 college football season. Coached by Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines finished undefeated and untied with a 10–0 record...
that was loaded with talent returning from the war. The team went undefeated in the regular season, beat USC 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl game
1948 Rose Bowl
The 1948 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1948. It was the 34th Rose Bowl Game, and the second since the Big Nine Conference and the Pacific Coast Conference reached an exclusive agreement to match their champions in the game each year. In the game, the Michigan...
, outscored its opponents 394-53 and was selected by the ESPN Big Ten College Football Encyclopedia as the best team in the history of Michigan football. The 1947 team is also remembered as the first team fully to embrace the concept of defensive and offensive specialization. Previously, most players had played their positions on both offense and defense. But in 1947, 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...
established separate offensive and defensive squads.
At the outset of the season, Kempthorn won the starting job at fullback. Kempthorn scored a touchdown on his second carry in the 1947 season opener, a 55-0 win against Michigan State. In only his third game for Michigan, against Pittsburgh, Kempthorn sustained a knee injury. Kempthorn missed three games due to the knee injury and returned to star on defense against Indiana. Kempthorn was back on the injury list after the Indiana game and later recalled that, after the knee injury, he was unable to execute the spinning movement required of a back in the single wing offense.
In the 1948 Rose Bowl, USC penetrated deep into Michigan's territory only once, and Kempthorn ended that drive with an interception on the 11-yard line.
1948 season
After missing the opening game of the 1948 season with a pulled muscle, Kempthorn did not see much action on offense but won respect for his play at linebacker with the defensive unit. In the second game of the season, Kempthorn stood out on defense, leading a defensive stand in which the Wolverines stopped the Oregon on four straight plays from inside the five-yard line. The United Press called linebackers Kempthorn and Dan DworskyDan Dworsky
Daniel Leonard Dworsky has been a leading Southern California architect since the early 1950s. He is a longstanding member of the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. Among other works, Dworsky designed Crisler Arena, the basketball arena at the University of Michigan named for...
the "defensive mainstays" of a defense that gave up only 44 points in the 1948 season. The 1948 team finished 8-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll.
1949 season
During his senior season in 1949, Kempthorn was used chiefly as a linebacker on the defensive squad, although he also saw considerable offensive duty as a fullback. After a victory of Minnesota, the Associated Press published a profile of Kempthorn describing him as follows:"Dick Kempthorn, Michigan's touch blond fullback, is good at both offense and defense. That's on the record book and none can dispute it. But he'll go down in the fan's book as a line backer deluxe, a role he played with magnificent effect as Michigan went unbeaten in 1947-48. ... His vicious tackling was the keynote of the inspired Michigan line that made a shambles of a Minnesota team that was rated one of the best in years."
After the 1949 season, the Michigan players voted to award the Most Valuable Player award to Kempthorn.
The 1950 Michiganensian Yearbook said of Kempthorn:
"Dick Kempthorn - Destined to go down in football history as one of the finest line backers ever to come from the Mid-West, Dick Kempthorn wound up his grid career with a re- sounding pat on the back from his teammates who voted him the well-deserved honor of 'Most Valuable Player.' Seeing only limited offensive action 'the Killer' was gen- erally overlooked by Ail-American selectors, an omission disputed by those who had witnessed explosive Kempthorn tackles on play after play of every Wolverine contest."
Kempthorn was selected to play on three College All-Star teams while playing at Michigan from 1947-1949.
Kempthorn's gloves in the 1950 "Snow Bowl"
Kempthorn stayed on briefly to help Bennie OosterbaanBennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
as an assistant backfield coach in 1950. That fall, his pigskin gloves played a key role in the infamous "Snow Bowl" victory over Ohio State. The game was played in a blizzard that shut down both offenses, and the punting game became the key. Michigan won the game, 9-3, despite never getting a first down. The teams punted 45 times, sometimes on first down. The strategy was based on the weather in that both teams felt it better to have the ball in the hands of their opponents near the end zone and hope for a fumble of the slippery ball. In the end, Michigan won with a touchdown scored after blocking a punt.
Chuck Ortmann
Chuck Ortmann
Charles H. Ortmann is a former American football player who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1948 to 1950 and in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1951 and the Dallas Texans in 1952....
was Michigan's punter, and his fingers were becoming numb in the freezing weather. Kempthorn had purchased a new pair of pigskin gloves for the Ohio trip and gave them to Ortmann early in the game when Ortmann complained that his hands were getting numb. Ortmann later joked that they "were not masculine gloves but dainty tight fitting little numbers." But the gloves gave Ortmann a perfect grip on the ball. Ortmann noted that even though the gloves became soaked, "the wet ball stuck to them like glue." It was Ortmann's error-free punting that won the game for the Wolverines. Kempthorn's gloves, described in may articles as formal "junior prom" gloves, were credited with having won Michigan the game and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Rejection of professional football
Kempthorn was the 123rd pick in the 1948 NFL Draft1948 NFL Draft
The 1948 National Football League Draft was held on December 19, 1947 at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:...
(by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
) and the second round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 1949 AAFC Secret Draft. However, Kempthorn bypassed professional football and instead opted to return to Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to join his father's Dodge-Plymouth automobile dealership. One sports columnist wrote the following about Kempthorn's decision:
"Dick Kempthorn, Michigan's great linebacker who could name his own price in pro football, says he wants no part of pro ball. He'll work for his father, who is in the automotive business in Canton, Ohio, after graduation. Draft rights for Kempthorn, rated the deadliest tackler Michigan has produced in almost three decades, are held by the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles."
Heroism in the Korean War
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for bravery. In March 1953, Kempthorn was recognized for heroism after he rescued fellow pilot, Henry Rock, from a burning fighter plane in Japan. After Rock's plane crashed on the runway, Kempthorn sprinted 200 yards to the crash scene, jumped on the wing and ripped loose the bullet-proof glass canopy. With Rock trapped by the gunsight as flames burned Rock's face and hands, Kempthorn took the gunsight in his bare hands and broke off the mounting. Shortly after Rock was freed, the plane exploded.
In June 1947, three months after Kempthorn was cited for bravery, the 1947 team held a five-year reunion. Kempthorn's former teammates and Coach Crisler all signed a football and sent it to him in Korea. Newspapers covered the long-distance gift, and one reporter wrote:
"Lt. Richard Kempthorn, jet fighter pilot with the army airforce in Korea, doesn't know it yet but he's about to receive a present that he'll undoubtedly cherish the rest of his life. Mighty Dick, one of the great linebackers in football history, was one of the line-wrecking crew of Michigan's championship 1947-48 teams, and now he's doing an even finer job as a fighter pilot with more than 60 missions behind him in Korea."
Kempthorn Automall in Canton
In 1953, Kempthorn returned to Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
where he returned to work in his father's car dealership. Cleveland Browns Coach Paul Brown
Paul Brown
Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
tried to persuade Kempthorn to play professional football, but Kempthorn decided to work for his father. Kempthorn bought the business from his father in 1964 and expanded it from a Dodge-Plymouth dealership into a business called "Dick Kempthorn Car Sales" selling multiple brands of automobiles and trucks. As of 2004, the 77-year-old Kempthorn was still working at the car dealership with his three children. The business has now expanded into the Kempthorn Automall in Canton, which includes Kempthorn-owned dealerships for Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Mazda, Volkswagen, Buick, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Jaguar.
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
In 1992, Kempthorn was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
.
See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...