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John M. Hinkle (October 31, 1917 – November 17, 2006) was an
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
player and coach. He played professionally in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) with the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
,
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and the "
Steagles The Steagles, officially known as the Phil-Pitt Combine, was the team created by the temporary merger of Pennsylvania's two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season. The tw ...
". Hinkle later became a football coach, and was head coach at Drexel.


Syracuse

Prior to his professional career, Hinkle was standout for
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
's football team in the late 1930s. During his time at Syracuse, he rarely carried the ball. However, he was still a three-time lettermen at Syracuse in 1937, 1938 and 1939.


Professional career

Prior to joining the New York Giants, Hinkle played for the Giants' American Association team, the
Jersey City Giants {{Infobox Minor League Baseball , name = Jersey City Giants , founded = 1937 , city = Jersey City, New Jersey , misc = , logo = , uniformlogo = , class level = , past ...
. Upon joining the New York Giants, Hinkle was cut from the team after just three games due to an argument with Giants coach Steve Owen. When asked what the argument was about, Hinkle said "something asinine". He later signed with the
New York Americans The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
of the
third American Football League The American Football League, also known retrospectively as the AFL III to distinguish it from earlier organizations of that name, was a professional American football league that operated from 1940 to 1941. It was created when three teams, the ...
in 1941. The Americans' 1941 season ended just in time for Hinkle to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles for their last game of the season, against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
. That final game (in which Hinkle's only play was a five-yard kickoff return) was held on December 7, 1941, the day
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
was attacked by
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, thrusting the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
into
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After a brief stint in the
army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
in 1942, Hinkle was re-signed by the Eagles by coach
Greasy Neale Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale (November 5, 1891 – November 2, 1973) was an American football and baseball player and coach. Early life Neale was born on November 5, 1891, in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although writers eventually assumed that ...
. Hinkle enjoyed his best season though in 1943, when a league-wide manning shortage, brought on by World War II, caused the Eagles to temporarily merge with the cross-state
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
. The merged team was called the "
Steagles The Steagles, officially known as the Phil-Pitt Combine, was the team created by the temporary merger of Pennsylvania's two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, during the 1943 season. The tw ...
" by the media. With the Steagles, Hinkle rushed for a team-leading 571 yards and three
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...
s, while also intercepting four passes as a
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
. He lost the 1943 NFL rushing title to the Giants'
Bill Paschal William Avner Paschal Jr. (May 28, 1921 – May 25, 2003) was an American football fullback in the National Football League for the New York Giants and the Boston Yanks. Early life Paschal was born in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Tech H ...
by one yard. However, it was in a game against the Giants that Hinkle was not given credit for a 37-yard run -- due to a mix-up by official statistician Ross Kaufman, that run was credited to teammate
John Butler John Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American banjo performer; may have been used by a number of performers * John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist * John Butler (author) (born 1937), ...
. Hinkle did not complain about not winning the NFL rushing crown, however. He finished his NFL career in 1947 with 1,067 yards, five touchdowns and nine interceptions.


Military service

Outside of football, Hinkle's name is located on the World War II honor roll located at the
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
in
Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...
. The NFL honor roll is a listing of the over 1,000 NFL personnel who served in the military during the war. He spent the 1942 season in the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
. However, he was later discharged from the service after a year due to
stomach ulcers Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...
.


Coaching career

In 1944, Hinkle was head coach at
Simon Gratz High School Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter, formerly Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school in Philadelphia. Its name honors Simon Gratz (1840-1925), a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Originally a public high school operated ...
while continuing playing for the Eagles. In the 1950s, Hinkle served as an assistant coach for Drexel in positions including scouting, end, and backfield coach. On February 6, 1958, Drexel announced that Hinkle was promoted to head coach, taking the position of former coach Eddie Allen. Hinkle's tenure was not a success, as the Dragons won only two games in three years (2-20-1); he was let go after the 1960 season.


Family and death

In 1944, Jack married Joane Haggerty. During his time with the Steagles, Joane would cheer on Jack by loudly shouting "Let's Go Honey". This caused the other players on the team to give Jack the nickname "Honey". He was also a cousin of
Clarke Hinkle William Clarke Hinkle (April 10, 1909 – November 9, 1988) was an American professional football fullback and linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), also playing occasionally as a placekicker and punter. ...
a Hall of Fame fullback with the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. Hinkle died at his home in
Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located ...
from natural causes on November 17, 2006, at the age of 89. He was survived by his wife, his children and grandchildren.


Head coaching record


College


References


Additional sources

* *
Pro Football Hall of Fame: Honor Roll

Steagles: When the Steelers and Eagles were One in the Same
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinkle, Jack 1917 births 2006 deaths American football halfbacks Drexel Dragons football coaches New York Giants players Philadelphia Eagles players Steagles players and personnel Syracuse Orange football players United States Army personnel of World War II High school football coaches in Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American Association (American football) players