Tom Harmon: Michigan Wolverines Legend & Heisman Winner

Tom Harmon dominated the gridiron for the Michigan Wolverines, dazzling fans with his explosive playmaking ability before claiming the 1940 Heisman Trophy and serving heroically in World War II.

Football Bio

September 28, 1919 – Tom Harmon was a former University of Michigan halfback who played for the Wolverines from 1938 through the 1940 season.

According to footballfoundation.org, Harmon was a playmaker for Michigan, and they were big plays at that.

In the 1939 season alone, Tom picked off an Iowa pass for a 95-yard return, had touchdown runs of 65 yards and 35 yards against Penn, and scored all of the Wolverines’ points in a 27-7 shellacking of Yale!

During the 1940 season, Harmon celebrated his 21st birthday by frustrating the University of California with scoring runs of 94, 86, 70, and 65 yards!

Tom Harmon may have saved his best collegiate game for last, though. In the final game of that season against rival Ohio State, he threw two TD passes, scored three other times, returned three kicks for 81 yards, punted three times with a 50-yard average, kicked four extra points, and intercepted three passes.

The home Ohio State crowd was so in awe of his performance that they gave their worthy opponent a standing ovation at the end of the 40-0 blanking of the Buckeyes. That’s great sportsmanship we could all learn from in this era!

Tom Harmon easily led the nation in scoring in 1939 and 1940 and won the Heisman Trophy in 1940.

After college, he became a World War II pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was shot down twice, receiving both a Purple Heart and the Silver Star for his brave service.

After the war, Tom played for the LA Rams for a couple of seasons in the NFL and then transitioned into broadcasting football games. The National Football Foundation accepted Tom Harmon into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.[National Football Foundation]

Tom Harmon cemented his legacy as one of the most versatile and electrifying players in college football history. He transitioned his success from the gridiron to the skies as a highly decorated World War II hero, and he later brought his deep knowledge of the game to millions as a celebrated sports broadcaster.

Accolades and Football Accomplishments

• Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
• Won the Heisman Trophy in 1940.
• Captured the Maxwell Award in 1940 as the nation’s outstanding college football player.
• Named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 1940.
• Earned Consensus All-American honors twice (1939, 1940).
• Led the NCAA in scoring in back-to-back seasons (1939, 1940).
• Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1941 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
• Played professional football for the Los Angeles Rams (1946–1947).
• Honored by the University of Michigan, who retired his iconic No. 98 jersey.

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