Dick Kempthorn facts for kids
Dick Kempthorn 1948
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| Position: | Fullback |
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| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 23, 1926 Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died: | February 8, 2019 (aged 92) Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Michigan |
Richard "Dick" Kempthorn (born October 23, 1926 – died February 8, 2019) was an amazing American athlete, brave Air Force pilot, and successful businessman from Canton, Ohio. He played college football for the University of Michigan. His teams were undefeated national champions in 1947 and 1948. He was even named the Most Valuable Player in 1949. Later, Dick became a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War and earned a special award called the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery. After the war, he decided not to play professional football. Instead, he joined his father's car business. Over 50 years, Kempthorn built a large group of car dealerships in Canton, Ohio.
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Early Life and High School Football
Dick Kempthorn grew up in Canton, Ohio. He played high school football for Canton McKinley High School. Dick was a starter at quarterback and linebacker. In his two years on the varsity team, his teams had a great record of 16 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. They even won a state championship!
College Football Journey
Starting at Miami University
After high school, Dick was accepted into the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Before going there, he attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He played in six football games for the Miami Redskins.
Dick then trained at the Merchant Marine Academy. He was assigned to a cargo ship called the USS Wild Hunter. This ship helped in the invasion of the Philippines during World War II.
Transferring to Michigan
After World War II ended, Kempthorn visited the University of Michigan. He decided to transfer there instead of finishing his studies at the Merchant Marine Academy. He could not play in 1946 because of transfer rules. So, he practiced with the reserve players. During one practice, he impressed coaches with his tough play. One coach said he was "the roughest young man we've had around here."
Kempthorn started playing with the Michigan Wolverines in the spring of 1947. Coaches were impressed by his strong offense and hard tackling. Even before his first regular game, people said he was "one of the finest fullbacks ever to enroll at Michigan."
The Amazing 1947 Season
Kempthorn joined the 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team. This team had many talented players returning from the war. They had an undefeated season. They beat USC 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl game. The team outscored their opponents by a huge margin: 394 to 53 points! Many people consider the 1947 team the best in Michigan football history.
This team was also famous for using separate offensive and defensive players. Before this, most players played both offense and defense. But in 1947, Coach Fritz Crisler created special offensive and defensive teams.
Dick Kempthorn became the starting fullback at the beginning of the season. He scored a touchdown on his second play in the first game of 1947. This game was a 55-0 win against Michigan State. In his third game, against Pittsburgh, Kempthorn hurt his knee. He missed three games because of the injury. He returned to play great defense against Indiana.
In the 1948 Rose Bowl, USC tried to score, but Kempthorn stopped them. He made an interception on the 11-yard line.
The Undefeated 1948 Season
Kempthorn missed the first game of the 1948 season due to a pulled muscle. He did not play much offense but was a respected linebacker on defense. In the second game, he led a strong defensive effort. The Wolverines stopped Oregon four times from inside the five-yard line. News reports called Kempthorn and Dan Dworsky the "defensive mainstays" of the team. The 1948 team finished with an 8-0 record and was ranked No. 1 in the country.
MVP in 1949
In his senior year in 1949, Kempthorn mainly played as a linebacker on defense. However, he also played a lot as a fullback on offense. After the 1949 season, the Michigan players voted Dick Kempthorn as their Most Valuable Player. He was also chosen to play on three College All-Star teams during his time at Michigan.
The "Snow Bowl" Gloves
Dick Kempthorn stayed on briefly in 1950 to help coach the team. That fall, his gloves played a big part in the famous "Snow Bowl" game against Ohio State. The game was played in a huge snowstorm. It was so bad that both teams struggled to move the ball. Punting became the most important part of the game. Michigan won 9-3, even though they never got a first down! The teams punted 45 times.
Michigan's punter, Chuck Ortmann, had numb fingers in the freezing weather. Kempthorn had bought a new pair of pigskin gloves for the trip. He gave them to Ortmann early in the game. Ortmann later joked that they were "not masculine gloves but dainty tight fitting little numbers." But the gloves helped Ortmann grip the ball perfectly. Even when they got wet, "the wet ball stuck to them like glue." Ortmann's perfect punting helped Michigan win the game. Many articles gave credit to Kempthorn's gloves for helping Michigan win and go to the Rose Bowl.
Later Years and Heroism
Turning Down Pro Football
Dick Kempthorn was picked in the 1948 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also picked by the Cleveland Browns in 1949. However, Kempthorn decided not to play professional football. Instead, he went back to Canton, Ohio, to work with his father. His father owned a Dodge-Plymouth car dealership.
Korean War Hero
When the Korean War started, Kempthorn joined the United States Air Force. He spent three years as a pilot. He flew over 100 missions as a jet fighter pilot. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for being very brave.
In March 1953, Kempthorn was recognized for his heroism. He rescued another pilot, Henry Rock, from a burning fighter plane in Japan. Rock's plane crashed on the runway. Kempthorn ran 200 yards to the crash. He jumped on the wing and pulled off the bullet-proof glass canopy. Rock was trapped, and flames were burning his face and hands. Kempthorn grabbed the gunsight with his bare hands and broke it off. Soon after Rock was free, the plane exploded.
In June 1953, three months after his brave act, his 1947 Michigan team had a reunion. His former teammates and Coach Crisler all signed a football and sent it to him in Korea.
Kempthorn Automall
In 1953, Kempthorn returned to Canton, Ohio. He went back to work at his father's car dealership. Cleveland Browns Coach Paul Brown tried to convince Kempthorn to play professional football. But Dick decided to keep working for his father.
Kempthorn bought the business from his father in 1964. He expanded it from just Dodge-Plymouth cars. It became "Dick Kempthorn Car Sales," selling many different car and truck brands. As of 2004, Dick Kempthorn was still working at the dealership with his three children. The business has now grown into the Kempthorn Auto Mall in Canton. It includes dealerships for Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Mazda, Volkswagen, and Jaguar.
Honors
In 1992, Dick Kempthorn was honored by being inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor.
See also
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
