John Brennan (American football)
Guard | |
NFL draft: | 1939 / Round: 19 / Pick: 179 |
---|---|
Career history | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
Career NFL statistics | |
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
John Carter Brennan (September 28, 1913 – March 1982) was an
Biography
Early years
Brennan was born in
University of Michigan
Brennan enrolled at the
As a sophomore in 1936, Brennan was a starter for Harry Kipke's football team that finished the season with a record of 1–6.[2] At the end of the 1936 season, Brennan sparked a controversy when the Associated Press reported that he responded to a questionnaire about women students by saying that "four out of five co-eds are beautiful, and the fifth one comes to Michigan."[5][6] The comment led one female Michigan student to reply with a slap at the football team, stating that, "Four out of five men are football players, and the fifth one comes to Michigan."[5]
After the poor showing in 1936, Brennan was one of the players who helped turn the program around in 1938 under new head coach Fritz Crisler. Brennan and All-American Ralph Heikkinen started every game at the two guard positions for the 1938 team—a team that finished with a 6–1–1 record and featured All-Americans Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski in the backfield.[4]
The controversy over Brennan's comments about Michigan's female students followed him into his senior year. In January 1939, he was voted the "queen" of the university's ice festival. The Associated Press picked up the story, which was printed in newspapers across the United States under headlines such as "Campus Beauty Weighs 201 Pounds and Are Coeds Piqued" and "Step Up and Take a Bow Miss Brennan".[7][8][9][10] The AP story reported on the vote as follows:
"Lantern-jawed John Brennan, 201-pound varsity football player and wrestler, was chosen 'queen' of the University of Michigan ice carnival in a campus outbreak of monkey-shining today. ... Brennan himself started a campus battle two years ago by observing that 'four out of five women are pretty, and the fifth comes to Michigan.' Campus aesthetes described Brennan a clipped blond of the type known as statuesque (reinforced concrete, chiseled with a blow torch)."[7]
Sports columnist, Henry J. McCormick, also picked up the story and wrote that the selection of the football player and heavyweight wrestler as queen of the ice carnival was the result of "skulduggery" in the balloting, which was traced to Brennan's earlier "direct slap at the pulchritude of Michigan's co-eds," a slap that spawned a campus squabble and "made for some very fine reading in the campus newspaper."[11]
Professional football
Brennan was selected by the
Later years
Brennan died in 1982 at age 62 while living in
References
- ^ Drew Middleton (1938-12-29). "Sport Roundup". Ellensburg Daily Record.
- ^ a b "1936 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "1937 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ a b "1938 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ a b "Football, Co-Ed Battle Grows Hot: Remark as to Beauty of Michigan Students Draws Replies". Lundington Daily News (AP wire story). 1936-12-05.
- ^ "4 Out of 5 are Grid Players, 5th at U. M.: That's Jibe Sent at Brennan by Co-Ed After Wise-Crack About Beauty". The Evening News (Sault Ste. Marie, MI). 1936-12-05.
- ^ a b "Michigan University Boys Name Man Carnival Queen". The Evening Independent (AP story). 1939-01-13.
- ^ "201-Pound Fullback 'Queen' of Carnival". Sarasota Herald-Tribune (AP story). 1939-01-12.
- ^ "Michigan Queen Of Ice Carnival Statuesque Blond: Campus Beauty Weighs 201 Pounds and Are Coeds Piqued". The Hartford Courant. 1939-01-13.
- ^ "Step Up and Take a Bow Miss Brennan". San Antonio Light. 1939-01-12.
- ^ Henry J. McCormick (1939-01-19). "No Foolin'!". Wisconsin State Journal.
- ^ "1939 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "'QUEEN' OF MICHIGAN SIGNED BY GREEN BAY". San Antonio Express (AP story). 1939-02-26.
- ^ "Gantenbein Stars In Packer Drill". La Crosse Tribune And Leader-Press. 1939-08-18.
- ^ "John Brennan profile". pro-football-reference.com.
- ^ "PACKERS SCORE EASY 31-0 WIN OVER GUNNERS". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. 1939-10-16.
- ^ "PACKERS STEM CARDS' RALLY TO WIN, 27-20". Stevens Point Daily Journal. 1939-10-09.
- ^ "packers Take to Air and Humble Detroit's Lions". Appleton Post-Crescent. 1939-10-23.
- ^ "KENOSHA CARDINALS ADD THREE PLAYERS: Play League Game With Louisville Sunday". Ironwood Daily Globe. 1939-10-28.
- ^ "Kenosha Plays Dayton Sunday". Sheboygan Press. 1939-11-11.
- ^ "Social Security Death Index". Roots Web.