William Clarke Hinkle was an American professional football player for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.
40 Facts About Clarke Hinkle
2.
Clarke Hinkle played on offense as a fullback, defense as a linebacker, and special teams as a kicker and punter.
3.
Clarke Hinkle was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its second class of inductees in 1964.
4.
Clarke Hinkle led the NFL in touchdowns in 1937, in points scored in 1938, and in field goals made and field goal percentage in both 1940 and 1941.
5.
Clarke Hinkle was selected as a first- or second-team All-Pro in each of his 10 NFL seasons and helped lead the Packers to three NFL championship games and NFL championships in 1936 and 1939.
6.
Clarke Hinkle's playing career was cut short in 1942 by military service.
7.
Clarke Hinkle scored 50 points in a single game as a sophomore and led Bucknell to an undefeated season in 1931.
8.
Clarke Hinkle was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
9.
William Clarke Hinkle was born in Toronto, Ohio, located on the Ohio River approximately 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, in 1909.
10.
Clarke Hinkle was the son of Charles Hinkle and Lillian Ault Clark, both Ohio natives.
11.
Clarke Hinkle's father was an engineer and later a forger at a steel mill.
12.
Clarke Hinkle played college football for Bucknell University, where he set several records for the Bucknell Bison football team as a fullback playing offense and defense.
13.
Clarke Hinkle scored eight touchdowns and scored 50 points in a game against Dickinson on Thanksgiving Day 1929.
14.
Clarke Hinkle finished the 1929 season with 21 touchdowns and 128 points scored.
15.
Clarke Hinkle had 37 touchdowns over his career at Bucknell from 1929 to 1931.
16.
Clarke Hinkle played for the East team in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco on New Year's Day 1932.
17.
Clarke Hinkle played for the Packers for his entire ten-year NFL career, was selected as a first- or second-team All-Pro every year, and helped lead the Packers to NFL championships in 1936 and 1939.
18.
Clarke Hinkle quickly developed a reputation not only for his two-way play on both offense and defense, but as the best punter in the NFL.
19.
Clarke Hinkle presented a rare combination of power, speed, and accurate kicking.
20.
Clarke Hinkle led the NFL in field goals and field goal percentage in both 1940 and 1941.
21.
Clarke Hinkle continued to excel as a punter, ranking second in the NFL in punting yards in 1939 and averaging 44.5 yards per punt in 1941.
22.
Clarke Hinkle's playing career was cut short after the 1941 season by wartime military service.
23.
Clarke Hinkle began his NFL career in 1932 at a salary of $5,000 and had his salary cut during the Great Depression, then restored to $5,000 in the late 1930s.
24.
Clarke Hinkle held out for and received $10,000 in his final season.
25.
Clarke Hinkle finished his career with 3,860 rushing yards, 537 receiving yards, 316 passing yards, and 379 points scored on 44 touchdowns, 28 field goals, and 31 extra points.
26.
On November 2,1941, in his final game against the Chicago Bears, Clarke Hinkle had his leg torn open by an opponent's spike but returned late in the game to kick a game-winning field goal from the 44-yard line.
27.
When Clarke Hinkle's playing career ended, he held NFL career records with 3,860 rushing yards and 1,171 carries.
28.
Clarke Hinkle surpassed the old record of 3,511 rushing yards held by Cliff Battles.
29.
Clarke Hinkle's rushing yardage record stood until 1949 when it was broken by Steve Van Buren.
30.
Clarke Hinkle received multiple honors and awards arising out of his accomplishments as a football player, including the following:.
31.
In December 1936, Clarke Hinkle was married in New York to Emilie Cobden.
32.
In May 1942, following the United States entry into World War II, Clarke Hinkle enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and received the rank of lieutenant.
33.
Clarke Hinkle played five games for New London's professional Electric Boat Diesel football team.
34.
Clarke Hinkle later served on convoy duty in the North African Campaign and as an air-sea rescuer off Newfoundland.
35.
Clarke Hinkle was discharged from the Coast Guard in 1946 and began working for Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin.
36.
Clarke Hinkle later lived in Steubenville, Ohio, working as a sales representative for an industrial supply company.
37.
Clarke Hinkle worked in the late 1960s as a sports desk anchor for an Ohio television station.
38.
Clarke Hinkle was the head coach for the Toronto Tigers, a semi-professional football team, in 1962.
39.
Clarke Hinkle died in Steubenville in 1988 at age 79 following a long illness.
40.
Clarke Hinkle was buried at Toronto Union Cemetery in Toronto, Ohio.