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Hank Ketcham

Sport: Football

Born: June 17, 1891

Died: November, 1986

Town: Englewood

Henry Holman Ketcham Jr. was born June 17, 1891 in Englewood. Hank was the son of a successful attorney and attended Hotchkiss boarding school in Connecticut, where he starred for the football and track teams. A swift, strong six-footer, he went on to Yale University, where he joined a squad full of All-Americans, including Arthur Howe and Harry LeGore.

Hank played the lone for the Elis. He was an All-American in 1911 and 1912 as a center, helping Yale become one of the nation’s top-ranked teams. He was named captain in 1913, which made him a de facto coach. But Hank had other ideas. He believed the school needed a full-time professional coach in order to keep up with arch-rival Harvard. This led to the hiring of Howard Jones, Yale’s first salaried coach.

Hank earned All-American recognition again in 1913, as a guard.

Hank was at his best on defense, where he was an interior lineman. He was a good run-stopper up the middle, but also had the speed to move outside and pull down backs trying to turn the corner. On many occasions he also ran down opponents who had broken into the secondary. The Elis were 19–5–5 during his three varsity seasons.

In 1917, Hank enlisted in the Army and was sent to France, where he joined an artillery unit as a first lieutenant. He saw action at Verdun, where he was the victim of a gas attack. After the war, he moved to the west coast, where he started a successful lumber company. In 1968, Hank was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He passed away in Seattle at the age of 95.

 

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