Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch (June 17, 1923 – January 28, 2004) was an American football running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style.

Early life

Hirsch was born in Wausau, Wisconsin. He developed his running style running cross legged over four square cement sidewalk blocks in his home town.

Hirsch played his first college season with the University of Wisconsin Badgers in 1942. His nickname was permanently affixed to him by Chicago Daily News sportswriter Francis Powers who, upon witnessing him play for the Badgers against the Great Lakes Naval Station in 1942, wrote "His crazy legs were gyrating in six different directions, all at the same time; he looked like a demented duck."

His commitment to the United States Navy V-12 program in United States Marine Corps required him to transfer to the University of Michigan. He played two intercollegiate football seasons for the Michigan Wolverines where during the 1943-44 year he earned the distinction of being the only athlete at the school to letter in four sports (football, basketball, track and baseball) in a single year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

Professional Football career

Hirsch was drafted by the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference, where he played from 1946 to 1948, in three injury-prone seasons. After the Rockets and the AAFC merged with the NFL, he joined the Los Angeles Rams through 1957, where he gained his fame. Coach Clark Shaughnessy made Hirsch the first full-time "flanker" in NFL history, splitting the talented receiver outside from his previous halfback position. Additionally, he was one of the first to sport the molded plastic helmet that is the industry standard today in the NFL, which Coach Shaughnessy fitted for him as a precaution, as he was injured when first joining the Rams. When playing for Chicago in an All-America game against the Cleveland Browns, Hirsch was tackled so badly that his right knee ligaments were torn. He also suffered a fractured skull above his right ear. He was key to the Rams victory in the 1951 NFL championship with a NFL record 1,495 yards receiving, a record that stood for 19 years. He also had 66 catches, and 17 touchdowns that same year. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968 with a career 387 receptions, 7,029 yards, and 60 touchdowns.

Later years

He served as the Director of Athletics for the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1969 to 1987. Within four years, he had raised home attendance at football games from 43,000 to 70,000. During his tenure as athletic director, the number of sports offered by the UW athletics department doubled and the Badgers won national titles in hockey, men's, and women's crew, and men's and women's cross country.

Hirsch died of natural causes at an assisted living home in Madison, Wisconsin on January 28, 2004. An annual run, the "Crazylegs Classic", is held in Madison in his honor, with proceeds benefiting the UW Athletics Department.

Honors

• The UW has retired his number 40; it was added to the facade of Camp Randall Stadium on October 28, 2006.
• In 1999, he was ranked number 89 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
• He was named to the NFL all-time all-star team.
• Since 1981, the Crazylegs Classic, an 8-kilometer race leading through downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, has been held in his honor each spring.

In popular culture

He starred in the eponymous film of his life in 1953, Crazylegs. He also starred in the movies Unchained and Zero Hour!, a 1957 airline disaster movie.

See also

• University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor

References

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame member profile
• Elroy Hirsch tribute at UWBadgers.com
• New York Times obit