Dick Kazmaier

Dick Kazmaier

Richard Kazmaier (born November 23, 1930) was an American football player for Princeton University from 1949 through 1951 and winner of the 1951 Heisman Trophy. As a halfback, kicker and quarterback, he ended his career third all time in Princeton history with over 4000 yards of offense and 55 touchdowns. His career was capped in 1951 as he was named an All American as well as winning the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy. The Chicago Bears drafted him in the 1952 draft, but he declined to play pro football, instead going to Harvard Business School. After spending several years in the Navy he founded Kazmaier Associated Inc, an investment firm.

Kazmaier graduated from Maumee High School in Ohio in 1948. He played football (four years), basketball (four years), track and field (four years), baseball (four years) and golf (one year) earning a letter each year in each sport.

In 2007, during a Maumee football game versus Perrysburg, Richard Kazmaier was honored by having his jersey number (#21) retired. He also donated his Heisman Trophy to Maumee High School, where it sits inside a glass case in the main hallway. The stadium at Maumee High School is named in his honor. His daughter, the late Patty Kazmaier-Sandt, was an All-Ivy member of the Princeton women's ice hockey team who died in 1990 at the age of 28 from a rare blood disease. The Patty Kazmaier Award, which was established by Dick Kazmaier to memorialize his daughter, is given to the top woman college ice hockey player in the United States at the annual Women's Frozen Four NCAA championship.