Fait Vernon "Chief" Elkins (August 16, 1899 – August 9, 1966) was an American football player and decathlete.
 Elkins in 1928 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | August 16, 1899 Utica, New York |
| Died: | August 10, 1966 (aged 67) Philadelphia |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Haskell (KS) |
| College: | Haskell, Southeastern State Teachers (Durant, Oklahoma), Dallas University, Nebraska |
| Position: | Back |
| Career history | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Elkins was born in Utica, New York, in 1899. He enrolled at the Haskell Indian School at age 15.[1] He played college football at Haskell (1921–1923), Southeastern State Teachers College, Dallas University, and Nebraska (1926–1927).[1][2] He held the national decathlon record in 1928 while attending Nebraska.[3][4] He pulled a tendon that prevented him from competing in the 1928 Summer Olympics.[1][5]
Elkins also played professional football the National Football League (NFL) as a back for the Frankford Yellow Jackets (1928–1929), Chicago Cardinals (1929), and Cincinnati Reds (1933). He appeared in 20 NFL games, 10 as a starter.[6]
Elkins died in Philadelphia in 1966.[6][7]
He was posthumously profiled by Sports Illustrated in 1991 as "among the greatest athletes ever seen in this country — a golden sportsman during sport's golden age."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Bob Gilbert (October 16, 1991). "The Twists of Fait". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Packers Expect Stiff Opposition From Cardinals". The Post-Crescent. October 3, 1929 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lo! Another Indian Hope". Fort Worth Record-Telegram. June 14, 1928.
- ^ "Decathlon Star Plans Hard Work: 'Chief' Elkins Quits College To Train For Olympics; Now In New York". News and Observer. February 19, 1928 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elkins Probably Lost to U.S. Olympic Squad". The Lincoln Star. July 3, 1928. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Chief Elkins". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ "Fait Elkins obituary". The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 12, 1966.
External links
edit
Media related to Chief Elkins at Wikimedia Commons
