![]() A cast bronze statue of Kazmaier, by Timothy Maslin, 2008, outside Jadwin Gymnasium on the campus of Princeton University
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Princeton Tigers No. 42 | |
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Position | Halfback |
Class | Graduate |
Career history | |
College |
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High school | Maumee |
Personal information | |
Date of birth | November 23, 1930 |
Place of birth | Maumee, Ohio |
Date of death | August 1, 2013 | (aged 82)
Place of death | Boston, Massachusetts |
Career highlights and awards | |
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College Football Hall of Fame (1966) |
Richard William Kazmaier Jr. (November 23, 1930 – August 1, 2013) was an American football player for Princeton University from 1949 through 1951 and winner of the 1951 Heisman Trophy.
Kazmaier was born November 23, 1930, in Toledo, Ohio, the only child of Richard and Marian Kazmaier. He 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. He was recruited by 23 colleges, most offering full scholarships.
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.
Kazmaier was named an All-American and won the Maxwell Award and the Heisman Trophy in 1951 after his senior season. (John McGillicuddy was Kazmaier's fellow football player and roommate at Princeton.) Kazmaier was named Ivy League Football Player of the Decade in 1960 and Time Magazine ran his picture on its cover. He was the last Heisman Trophy winner to play for an Ivy League institution. The Chicago Bears drafted him in the 1952 draft, but he declined to play pro football, instead going to Harvard Business School. After spending three years in the Navy (1955–1957) and attaining the rank of lieutenant, he founded Kazmaier Associated Inc, an investment firm in Concord, Massachusetts.