Sports Illustrated retroactively crowns Beattie Feathers the 1933 Heisman Trophy winner. Discover the legendary career of the “Big Chief” who dominated the gridiron before the famous award even existed.
Football Bio
August 20, 1909 – Beattie Feathers, a halfback from the University of Tennessee, was born.
Feathers entered into the confines of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. [National Football Foundation]
In an interesting article in the December 2008 edition of Sports Illustrated, they went through the list. They named who they think may have won the Heisman Trophy in seasons before the award’s inception in 1935.
Beattie “Big Chief Feathers,” who Sports Illustrated feels would have been the 1933 winner had the award existed just a few years earlier than then.
In the NFL, Feathers was good enough to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Teams of the 1930s, per Pro-Football-Reference.
Beattie Feathers blazed a trail through football history by dominating college defenses and shattering professional rushing records. The “Big Chief” set a standard of excellence that rightfully earns him retroactive Heisman recognition and cements his legacy as a true gridiron pioneer.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1955.
- First NFL 1,000-Yard Rusher: Became the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season (1,004 yards as a rookie in 1934).
- NFL Record Holder: Holds the NFL single-season record for the highest average rushing yards per carry (8.44 yards in 1934).
- Retroactive Heisman Winner: Named the hypothetical 1933 Heisman Trophy winner by Sports Illustrated in 2008.
- Consensus First-Team All-American: 1933 (University of Tennessee).
- SEC Most Valuable Player: 1933.
- First-Team All-Pro: 1934 (Chicago Bears).
