Nile Kinnick Signed 8 x 10 Photograph

Auction: June 2005

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Nile Kinnick Signed 8 x 10 Photograph

This Nile Kinnick signed photo is one of the hardest to find football signed photos in the world -- you don't even need a full hand to count the number of these that exist -- and surely the toughest Heisman signature of all, due to his tragic early demise. Kinnick, Iowa's great quarterback-kicker of the late '30s, spearheaded Iowa's surprise 6-1-1 season on '39 when he copped both the Heisman and AP athlete of the year honors. His most memorable game was against unbeaten Notre Dame, when he punted 16 times for an average of 46 yards to keep the contest close, then ran for the only TD of the game and kicked the extra point for a stunning 7-6 victory. During that incredible season, he accounted for 998 yards of total offense, a record for an 8-game schedule, and was involved in 107 of the Hawkeyes' 130 points. With his college career over, Kinnick chose to go to law school and join the Naval Air Corps Reserve. In 1943, his fighter plane went down in the Caribbean sea on a training flight. Forty years later, the University he put on the map changed the name of Iowa Stadium to Kinnick Stadium. An unassuming man, Kinnick rarely signed autographs, and his premature death branded his signature as a "forget about it." This signed photo features that very signature -- and a killer one at that, clear and bold in blue ink across the top of his white football pants, grading an elite 9/10. Photo itself is VG-EX with some creases but o/a a beautiful vintage portrait. On the back is a pencil-written "Nile Kinnick, 1939." No need any longer to forget about having a complete Heisman collection.