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Frank Hinkey

End

Inducted 1951

Date of Birth

12/23/1871

Birthplace

Tonawanda, NY

School

Yale University (1891-1894)

Bio

Frank Hinkey was a loner, a young man with few friends. They called him "Silent Frank" and his fellow students and teammates at Yale very likely could not understand him. Shy and moody off the field, Frank became a fiendishly aggressive player once a game began. Hinkey was All-America end four years 1891-94, was Yale captain two years. In his time Yale had a 52-1 record, out-scoring opponents 1,730 to 25. He was named an all-time All-America end by Walter Camp in 1910, Pop Warner in 1930, Parke Davis in 1934, the Football Writers Association in 1969. He was small, standing 5-9, weighing 150, but fierce. Pop Warner called him "pound for pound, the best football player ever." He suffered from a lung ailment and played football against his doctor's orders. Hinkey coached Yale 1914-15 (record: 11-7) and coached a pro team, the Dayton Triangles, in 1921 (record: 4-4-1). He was born December 23, 1871, in Tonawanda, New York. He entered a tuberculosis sanatorium at Southern Pines, North Carolina, in 1922 and died there December 30, 1925.