J.C. Wetsel
Encyclopedia
J.C. "Iron Man" Wetsel was an American football
player for Southern Methodist University
in the 1930s. He was a consensus All-American at the guard
position in 1935.
. He attended North Dallas High School where he did not play football. He later attended the Peacock Military Academy where he played one year of football. After graduating, Wetsel enrolled at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas
. He was named an all-conference tackle while playing for Paris in 1931. Wetsel became known by the nickname "Iron Man" because of his ability to play every minute of every game. One newspaper in 1933 wrote: "You probably can guess why Wetsel got that 'Iron Man' moniker. That baby is a guard who thinks that unless he plays the whole schedule without a time out the season is a failure." In 1934, Wetsel was selected as a first-team All-Southwest Conference guard. The newspaper story announcing the honor noted, "For guards, Ironman Wetsel, of Southern Methodist, stands head and shoulders above any other ineman in this section ... Wetsel has everything a champion should have."
As a senior in 1935, Wetsel was a co-captain of the 1935 SMU Mustangs football team that played Stanford in the 1936 Rose Bowl
. At the conclusion of the 1935 college football season, Westsel was selected as a first-team All-American by the North American Newspaper Alliance (chosen by Andy Kerr
of Colgate, Dan McGugin
of Vanderbilt, James Phelan of Washington, and Gus Dorais
of Detroit), the All-America Board (a board made up of Glenn "Pop" Warner, Christy Walsh, Elmer Layden
, Howard Jones
and Frank Thomas) and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He was also named a consensus first-team All-American based on a survey of the major All-America selectors in 1935. After Wetsel made the All-American team, his junior college coach called him "the most conscientious trainer and hard worker thai I have ever coached." The former coach further noted that Wetsel "possessed all the aggressive roughness necessary for a great lineman. Sometimes I feared he would carry his work to excess. As an example he worked out with bar bells daily and in addition he would take an extra mile around the track each day as a conditioner. I think his work with bar bells accounts for his tremendous strength in wrists, arms and shoulders."
Wetsel was pulled from the 1936 Rose Bowl game due to recurrence of a knee injury. He was forced to undergo surgery the following month to remove a blood clot and adjust a ligament. After graduating, Wetsel became an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University, and later the line coach at Southern Methodist University. With the U.S. entry into World War II
, Wetsel sought to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1943. Newspapers reported the ironic twist when the 34-year-old "Iron Man" Wetsel "failed to pass his final physical examination for induction into the army."
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 for Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in the 1930s. He was a consensus All-American at the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
position in 1935.
Biography
Wetsel was raised in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. He attended North Dallas High School where he did not play football. He later attended the Peacock Military Academy where he played one year of football. After graduating, Wetsel enrolled at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas
Paris, Texas is a city located northeast of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex in Lamar County, Texas, in the United States. It is situated in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods. Physiographically, these regions are part of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. In 1900, 9,358 people lived...
. He was named an all-conference tackle while playing for Paris in 1931. Wetsel became known by the nickname "Iron Man" because of his ability to play every minute of every game. One newspaper in 1933 wrote: "You probably can guess why Wetsel got that 'Iron Man' moniker. That baby is a guard who thinks that unless he plays the whole schedule without a time out the season is a failure." In 1934, Wetsel was selected as a first-team All-Southwest Conference guard. The newspaper story announcing the honor noted, "For guards, Ironman Wetsel, of Southern Methodist, stands head and shoulders above any other ineman in this section ... Wetsel has everything a champion should have."
As a senior in 1935, Wetsel was a co-captain of the 1935 SMU Mustangs football team that played Stanford in the 1936 Rose Bowl
1936 Rose Bowl
The 1936 Rose Bowl was the 22nd Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1936 in Pasadena, California. It featured the undefeated against the , which had one loss...
. At the conclusion of the 1935 college football season, Westsel was selected as a first-team All-American by the North American Newspaper Alliance (chosen by Andy Kerr
Andrew Kerr
Andrew "Andy" Kerr IV was an American football, basketball, and track and field coach. He served as the head football coach at Stanford University , Washington & Jefferson College , Colgate University , and Lebanon Valley College , compiling a career college football record...
of Colgate, Dan McGugin
Dan McGugin
Daniel Earle McGugin was an American football player, coach, and lawyer. He served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee from 1904 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1934, compiling a record of 197–55–19. He played college football at the University...
of Vanderbilt, James Phelan of Washington, and Gus Dorais
Gus Dorais
Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Notre Dame, where he was an All-American in 1913, and then professionally with the Fort Wayne Friars and Massillon Tigers...
of Detroit), the All-America Board (a board made up of Glenn "Pop" Warner, Christy Walsh, Elmer Layden
Elmer Layden
Elmer Francis Layden was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame where he starred at fullback as a member of the legendary "Four Horsemen" backfield...
, Howard Jones
Howard Jones (football coach)
Howard Harding Jones was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Syracuse University , Yale University , Ohio State University , the University of Iowa , Duke University , and the University of Southern California , compiling a career record of...
and Frank Thomas) and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He was also named a consensus first-team All-American based on a survey of the major All-America selectors in 1935. After Wetsel made the All-American team, his junior college coach called him "the most conscientious trainer and hard worker thai I have ever coached." The former coach further noted that Wetsel "possessed all the aggressive roughness necessary for a great lineman. Sometimes I feared he would carry his work to excess. As an example he worked out with bar bells daily and in addition he would take an extra mile around the track each day as a conditioner. I think his work with bar bells accounts for his tremendous strength in wrists, arms and shoulders."
Wetsel was pulled from the 1936 Rose Bowl game due to recurrence of a knee injury. He was forced to undergo surgery the following month to remove a blood clot and adjust a ligament. After graduating, Wetsel became an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University, and later the line coach at Southern Methodist University. With the U.S. entry into World War II
World 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...
, Wetsel sought to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1943. Newspapers reported the ironic twist when the 34-year-old "Iron Man" Wetsel "failed to pass his final physical examination for induction into the army."