Addendum to Sunday, 9/28/2014 post about Bob Richards (AKA Ricciotti), Roman Catholic High School, Univ. of Iowa Hawkeye Football & Nile Kinnick

Missed posting this article from Autograph Magazine as forgot where I had the link and printout until now. Same signed photo of Kinnick. Click the link below or scroll down for the related blog spot. 

Sunday, September 28, 2014, Bob & John Richards (AKA Ricciotti), Football & Nile Kinnick

Heisman Trophy Winner Autographs By Jay R. Neill: Autograph Magazine January 2010.

Signed images of Nile Kinnick are rare and sell
upwards of $10,000. Image courtesy PSA/DNA.

Nile Kinnick: 1939, Iowa

University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger won the first Heisman in 1936, but it’s Nile Kinnick whose signature is the rarest. Berwanger died in 2002 and genuine autographs are easy to find through reputable dealers in the $50-$100 range. But for a Nile Kinnick, expect to pay over $4,000 for even a cut signature or a signed index card.

Kinnick was an All-American halfback from the University of Iowa. Prior to the 1939 season, Kinnick wrote, “For three years, nay for 15 years, I have been preparing for this last year of football. I anticipate becoming the roughest, toughest all-around back yet to hit this conference.” His prediction proved true: he was responsible for 16 of the 19 touchdowns (11 passing, 5 rushing) that Iowa scored. Kinnick played 402 out of a possible 420 minutes that season, and all told he set 14 school records, six of which stand today. Nile Kinnick was more than an exceptional football player; he was an exceptional young man. His Heisman acceptance speech was so moving that he received a standing ovation, prompting Bill Cunningham of the Boston Post to write, “This country’s okay as long as it produces Nile Kinnicks. The football part is incidental.”

After graduation he chose to attend law school rather than pursue a lucrative career in the NFL, but left school a year later to enlist in the Naval Air Reserve, reporting for duty just three days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. On June 2, 1943, he died during a training flight while serving as a U.S. Navy airplane pilot in World War II. Rescue boats arrived at the scene of the crash off the coast of Venezuela a mere eight minutes later, but they found only an oil slick. At 24, Nile Kinnick was the first Heisman Trophy winner to die.

Kinnick’s signature is toughest of all Heisman winners in any form. A simple signed index card realized over $7,000 in 2006 and signed photos can bring well over $10,000. A boon to any sports historian, the Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa holds the papers of Nile C. Kinnick, donated by his parents.

($7-10k!! That's a lot of Steunenberg, Orchard, Siringo, Meldrum and Idaho related cards & collectibles. Or maybe a 1895 Savage Rifle like the governors or a Colt SAA like Orchards. Of course the real things would be better). 

Since we are back on Kinnick, I might as well throw in a little more of my Uncle Bob Richards & his football exploits during the same period as Kinnick. Maybe not worth $10k but a keeper nonetheless.

Family photo from 12/3/1939 RCHS vs St. Joseph's Prep. Bob Richards on the right. Connell McGill identified on the left (right of Bob). ©JTR

From the Varsity Football page in the 1939 Roman Catholic HS Yearbook. Courtesy RCHS Library.

Names on the back of the photo, including Bob Richards, Coach Dougherty, Butch McMahan, Al Skavictus and the rest of the offensive team. ©JTR

Not sure what year but looks to still be RCHS 1937-39 and that is Bob at center. ©JTR

1939 RCHS Varsity Football Team (courtesy of the RCHS Library).

    F4F Wildcat

On June 2, 1943, an F4F Wildcat is lost while on a training flight off of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. While flying over the Gulf of Paria,Venezuela, the aircraft develops a severe oil leak and the pilot, former Heisman Trophy winner (1939) Nile Kinnick ditches the aircraft near the aircraft carrier. Sadly, his plane sinks before he can exit the cockpit and he perishes. Note that Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa is named in his honor.

Status: Never found, ditched in good condition, recoverable. Note that the US Navy does not relinquish rights to the aircraft. The body of the pilot should be recovered in accordance with US Military policy, as he was never properly buried with the military honors he deserves and remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA).  From Historic Wings

Bob & John Richards (AKA Ricciotti), Football & Nile Kinnick

If you are receiving this as an automatic email, it will probably be rather disjointed. You may want to try coming to the blog for better viewing. Formatting was giving me fits today and I finally threw in the towel.

I hope my Idaho friends will forgive me if I venture off in another direction. There is certainly a never ending amount of Steunenberg, Idaho, labor, mining, Haywood trial and other Western related history, much of it with threads that can be traced in some way to our family. However, on the Richards' side the pickings are more limited. I have thought about starting another blog but I am going to stay put for now. After all, Richards and Steunenberg are forever linked no matter where we have lived in this world.

Here's a story that is purely from the Richards' (Ricciotti if you want to go with our original and legal Italian name at the time) side. No Steunenberg connection yet but it would be coming just a few years later. I don't have nearly the volume of information on my dad's side as we do with the Steunenberg's. No governors, no murders (not that I have found yet anyway), and in fact much remains shrouded in mystery, but this is an interesting football related story nonetheless.

©JTR

Mary Richards

It was the late 1930's-40's, the Richards' family, consisting of grandma Mary Costello Richards, an immigrant from County Mayo Ireland, and grandpa Robert
Joseph Richards (AKA Gabriel Ricciotti), a first generation Italian American, and their two boys, the oldest Robert 'Bob'  and the youngest John Thomas Richards (my father), were living in Philadelphia, PA. Sometimes referred to as North Philly, the area had a booming industrial base, warehouse and manufacturing buildings were prevalent along with tightly packet row houses with the many Irish and Italian immigrants of the day. They lived at 3108 N. Marston St.  It's still there but not looking very good after a fire and all these years later. I have photo's of Bob and my dad playing around and on those steps. Grandpa Richards worked for the Railway Express Agency, driving a delivery truck in Philly for some 30+ years before the family uprooted in the early 1950's and headed for California. The photo to the left comes from an article in Southwestern Trucker & Shipper, 1/1950, regarding safety awards for Railway Express drivers.

Robert Richards 1939 (©JTR)

Courtesy of RCHS Library.

My Uncle Bob attended Roman Catholic High School (RCHS). From what I can tell, he was a pretty good student but an even better football player. He graduated from RCHS in 1939.

Bob 3rd from right or left. ©JTR

©JTR

After high school, Bob went on to play sandlot/semi-pro football. The small, tattered, heavily taped article to the right says the following (as best I can read it):  
"Bob Richards Zephyr A.C. ace center and former Roman Catholic High School star received the greatest award that any High School, Collegiate and Sandlot star could ever receive.  On Monday November 24th (maybe & guessing 1941 as no year date on the article), Bob Richards and (could be several or four, five, etc) other High School and College stars at a banquet held in their honor received the Maxwell Trophy for being the outstanding stars of the season. Bob has also received the honor of being the only sandlot star to ever win such an award. To him all take off their hats and wish him and his team the best of luck in the future."

I have not been able to locate much information on a Zephyr A.C. sandlot football team from that time period.If you are aware of information in that regards please let me know.

From: The History of Maxwell Football Club:

"In 1935 when the Club was founded, weekly meetings consisted of informal sessions with football officials, coaches and the public to talk about the previous weekend’s games. At these meetings local high school and college players were honored. The end of the 1937 football season was highlighted by the presentation of the First Maxwell Award for the Outstanding College Player of the Year to Clint Frank of Yale." "Throughout the ensuing years, weekly awards to local high school and college players became an integral part of the Club’s activities." 

With the Pearl Harbor attack and start of WWII on 12/7/1941, sandlot football, quite popular at the time, was suspended until after the war. Pretty obvious why, as young men like Bob were heading off to war and postponing football or other careers. Hence, Bob got in a year or two of sandlot before enlisting in the U.S.Marine's July 1942, his dream of perhaps professional football probably over.

John T. Richards Sr. (age 12?)

John T. Richards Sr Age 16.

My dad attended only one year of high school and, probably in an attempt to keep up with his brother, would falsify his birth record and join the Marines soon thereafter (Nov. 1942). Unfortunately, doing so was a mistake, as he was a troubled 16 year old kid and emotionally unprepared for military life. Bob went on to serve in the war and to have an honorable military career. His little brother did not and the Marine Corp. gave John T. the boot. I guess I should give him some credit for trying.

So where does Nile Kinnick come in on this? I am not really sure except for an autographed photo postcard of Kinnick sent to Bob's younger brother, my dad John T. Richards, from Iowa City, IA in 1940. Now I have to admit I knew very little about Kinnick and had not given him much thought when my dad gave me some photos of Bob along with with the signed postcard below. My dad didn't know much about it either and Nile was tossed into a box where he stayed for a few years without any particular archival protection.

Nile Kinnick, University of Iowa. ©JTR Collection

You can look up and study Kinnick online as quite a lot of information is available. I will list a few resources at the end of this post. To summarize briefly, in 1939 he had led the University of Iowa football team back to prominence and was a consensus All-American, Walter Camp, Heisman, Maxwell, etc., award winner. Kinnick enlisted in the U.S. Naval Air Corps in September 1941. In Hawkeye territory you had better know who he is! He too postponed a professional football and/or political career but died on 6/2/1943 in the service of his country—a promising lifetime ahead cut terribly and tragically short.

Reverse side of the autographed photo of Nile Kinnick to John T. Richards. ©JTR Collection.

 I had to add a Kinnick TOPPS card. ©JTR Collection.

So why the postcard to my dad? I'm pretty sure dad didn't send for it and he wasn't ever much of a football fan. I think more plausible, but up to now difficult to prove, is the common link of football and military service between Bob and Nile. However, their military careers did not start until long after this postcard was sent. Kinnick, having excelled at Iowa, was certainly a more big time player than Bob but I can't help but think in the short window of time between 1938 -1941, the two met up at a football function and Bob maybe said, "can you send one of those photos to my kid brother"?  We know too they both won Maxwell Awards, Kinnick in 1939 and Bob probably in 1940. However, Kinnick's was the national Maxwell Trophy that had been initiated a couple years earlier in 1937. Interestingly, Kinnick accepted his Maxwell on 1/10/1940 from the Maxwell Club in Philadelphia, PA. Less than a month later he signed and sent that photo postcard to my dad.

©JTR Collection

Bob's award was not the national Maxwell, but most likely a local award from the Maxwell Club to PA area players, much like today's Mini-Max. Unfortunately, when I contacted them, the Maxwell Club could not shed any information on the local awards from that time period. Maybe those local award winners, including Bob, attended the presentation to Nile and/or met him in Philadelphia at the time.   

Regardless how it might have happened, Nile Kinnick, in the form of an originally autographed photo postcard, addressed to John T. Richards and postmarked 1940 from Iowa City, found his way to the Richards' household in Philadelphia. I have received a few offers for the card (feel free to make more!) but with the sports connection, especially what I have learned about Nile, and my dad's name right there too, parting with it remains difficult but I'll keep thinking about it. I guess everything has its price. Feel free to take a run at it Hawkeye fans!

Other items related to Bob Richards, military, football and the Kinnick name pops up again too:

©JTR Collection. Bob right square in the middle, 4th from right or left middle row. A.R.M, R-8, SEC-D, NATTC, Memphis, 48

 On the back it looks like Bob got all his unit members to sign.

©JTR Collection

©JTR Collection

During the occupation of Japan there was still time for some football. I have this program from the New Years Day game, 1/1/1950. Air Force versus Army All Stars.

Bob is front row second from the left. Anyone else you know? Why Air Force? As far as I know Bob was still a Marine but can't say for sure. Perhaps some mixing and matching went on among the branches to come up with teams. I would love to hear from any service men, women, family's that were in occupied Japan during that period. BTW, Air Force won, 18 to 14. Beat Army!

Bob (left) with fellow startiing tackle Cecil Evans (written on back and also front row in the team picture and listed and pictured in the program). Looks like they are just getting ready to load the buses to the game.

We know Bob remained stationed in occupied Japan until at least 1950 as evidenced by this program confirming he played on New Year's Day that year in Tokyo. Interestingly, he found himself playing in what the allies had renamed—Nile Kinnick stadium.

©JTR Collection. Game Day, 1/1/1950 Nile Kinnick Stadium, Tokyo

If you have information, corrections, something to add to any of the above, please click below on "Post a Comment" or email me directly at:  john.t.richards@sbcglobal.net

A few other Kinnick related websites below. There are many more if you do a search.

Nile C; Kinnick Jr.

Nile Kinnick (Wikipedia)

A Hero Perished (A decent read for information on Kinnick).

Papers of Nile C. Kinnick, University of Iowa

Nile Kinnick Digital Collection

Iowa Gridiron Collectables (Mark has helped me out with info on Kinnick and of course remains hot on the trail of anything Hawkeye football related).

And oh yes, there was another football player in the family.

John circa 1969

Old #74 and he was also a tackle. Maybe not as long ago as Bob or Nile but long enough!

Thousand Oaks High School class of 1969.

The Des Moines Register - Old Time Photo: Nile Kinnick

From The Des Moines Register. Nile Kinnick, Iowa Hawkeye.

Click here: The Des Moines Register 4/19/2015

See blog post links below for the Nile Kinnick connection. If you have more information about the Maxwell Club awards to local Philadelphia area high school, college and sandlot players in the late 1930's/early 1940's I would love to hear from you. My uncle Bob Richards played football at Roman Catholic High School, graduated in 1939, went on to sandlot football with the Zephyr A.C. (probably Athletic Club but looking for more information) circa 1940/41 and won a local Philadelphia area Maxwell Award. Kinnick won the national Maxwell Trophy in 1939. Still in search for a possible crossing of paths of Nile and Bob Richards, resulting in the signed photo postcard from Nile to my dad John Richards. See below.

Sunday, September 28, 2014
Bob & John Richards (AKA Ricciotti), Football & Nile Kinnick

Sunday, October 19, 2014
Addendum to Sunday, 9/28/2014 post about Bob Richards (AKA Ricciotti), Roman Catholic High School, Univ. of Iowa Hawkeye Football & Nile Kinnick

JTR Collection

JTR Collection

More Nile Kinnick photos from The Des Moines Register 
(Photos # 30 & 44 taken in Philadelphia, PA 1/9/1940)
 

Iowa Hawkeyes defeat Mississippi State 27-22 in Outback Bowl

We have posted some of this before but here is a flashback in light of today's Iowa Hawkeye bowl victory.

Of Course Frank Steunenberg attended the OTHER Iowa College in its early days as the Iowa Agricultural College in Ames. It later became Iowa State University (the Cyclones).  However, we always give a tip of the hat to the University of Iowa (Hawkeyes), our other Steunenberg and Keppel kinfolk living in that state, and of course to Nile Kinnick. In particular, we are doing so on this New Years Day (1/1/2019) after a victory over Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl. 

Iowa Farm Boy a few years before Idaho.

Cyclones ready for the big game against the Hawkeyes.

 

The all-time Iowa Hawkeye and WWII hero whose promising future was cut so short by the war. Nile Kinnick autographed this photo post card mailed from Iowa City in 1940 to my father (about age 14 at the time) in Philadelphia. PA.

My father's brother, my Uncle Bob, was an exceptional football player in his own right. Nile had been in Philadelphia to accept his Maxwell Trophy from the Maxwell Club where Bob, along with other local players, were awarded what are similar to today's Mini-Maxwell's. He met Nile (documented in news articles) at the awards banquet and I have a hunch (not documented) that he ask Nile to send his kid brother a signed photo.

Bob in the center (after all that was his position) 3rd from R or L. About 18 years old receiving his local area Maxwell award.

Bob (incorrectly written as Frank) Richards is listed in the final paragraph as a winner of the Maxwell Club luncheon award and "also were introduced to Kinnick." You will see that the article goes on to say Bob was "a member of the Zephyr team in the Pop Warner Conference." We know he was the only winner that was still high school at the time and not yet on a college team. He would later consider Villinova but WWII would intervene as it did with Kinnick. 

Here is an enlargement of that last paragraph.

Bob joined the U.S. Marine Corp. and served in the Pacific. After his 4 year commitment and the war ended, he would re-enlist and serve about 5 years with the U.S. Army in occupied Japan. Kind of brings us full circle as he would play football for Army in in the Rice Bowl on Jan 1st, 1950 against Airforce. Meiji Jingu Gaien Stadium had been renamed by the occupying forces as...yep....Kinnick Stadium. 

Happy New Year 2019!

  Bob right square in the center of the center row.

Nile Kinnick isn't the only one from Iowa

From Martyr of Idaho. No football but I
like the footwear, hat & casual look.

This post will probably continue to be refined and added to over the next week or so but hitting the publish button now to get it out there in cyberspace.

Nile Kinnick sure has been getting a lot of hits since last weeks blog post. No doubt a lot of Iowan's, particularity Hawkeye fans, and I thank you all for visiting.

If you are family, you already know the Steunenberg's/Keppel's settled in Iowa and many, including Frank and most of his brothers and sisters, were born there. We have Iowa in our blood, historical roots in the state and kinfolk still living there today.  Hence, there is definitely an Idaho/Iowa connection in our family.

Nile Kinnick has family history there too. An interesting parallel is that he was the son of Nile Clark Kinnick, Sr., and Francis Clarke. His maternal grandfather, George W. Clarke, graduated from the University of Iowa in 1878 and served two two-year terms as the Governor of Iowa from 1912 to 1916.

JTR Collection

As for my great grandfather Frank, he was born in Keokuk, raised in Knoxville, and was the fourth of ten children of Bernardus and Cornelia (Keppel) Steunenberg. We know Frank attended a couple years (sophomore in 1883) at that other Iowa school, Iowa Agricultural College (later State College and then Iowa State University) at Ames, and then went on to become a printer's apprentice and publisher. Around i881 he was hired by none other than the Des Moines Register. You will notice that the photograph on the left was taken at a studio in Des Moines (image below). Nope, it doesn't demand the price of a Kinnick but priceless nonetheless.

Frank later published a newspaper in Knoxville until 1886, when he joined other members of the clan who had moved west and settled in Caldwell, in what was still Idaho Territory. Along with his younger brother AK (Albert K. Steunenberg 1863–1907) he took over the Caldwell Tribune for six years. He then seriously entered politics and when Idaho became a state in 1890, Frank was elected to the first state legislature that fall at the age of 29. As they say, the rest is history and you can read about it on this blog and endless other sources.

JTR Collection. Studio of W.C. Edinger*

Related blog posts where you will see these photos and more about Iowa/Idaho connections.

Monday, May 12, 2008
A Teenage Future Governor

Sunday, November 22, 2009
1880 Census - Knoxville, Iowa-Steunenberg Family

Monday, February 14, 2011
COI Archives Spotlight #2 - 1/12/1890 original letter - Frank Steunenberg to family in Iowa 

Monday, February 14, 2011
Transcribed version of letter from Frank Steunenberg to his family.

Friday, January 1, 2010
Albert Keppel "AK" Steunenberg, born 9/11/1863 and died 3/16/1907

Sunday, November 22, 2009
1880 Census - Knoxville, Iowa-Steunenberg Family 

Monday, January 26, 2009
Newly Found Photo of a Young Frank Steunenberg circa 1880 taken in Des Moines

*"The photographer is W. C. Edinger of Des Moines, Iowa. Edinger was an accomplished photographer. His work appeared in the Photo Beacon Magazine (1897) and he is mentioned in Photo-Miniature Magazine (1901). Edinger was also the Secretary of the Photographers Association of Iowa."  From The Cabinet Card Gallery

Addendums

A couple of pages copied from the original old family bible belonging to Bernardus and Cornelia Keppel Steunenberg. I don't see my usual notes but believe these came to me courtesy of Cousin Bill Crookam.  Straighten me out if I got that wrong.

 

As we can see, Bernardus and Cornelia made a pretty good contribution to the population of Iowa. 

Bernardus (JTR Collection)

Cornelia (JTR Collection)

Happen to run across this web page and can't resist a good railway, trolley, interurban, or in this case...Dinkey.  I would bet Frank rode it a few times around Ames and the college. Click on the link below the photo.

Ames & College Railway Dinkey

"Following the demise of the Ames & College Railway, the college terminus Hub served many purposes, including post office, bookstore, snack concession, and ticket office." 

BEAT IOWA!