1936 Yale Heisman winner sells trophy

The Yale Daily News NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- (U-WIRE) When Yale legend Larry Kelley received the Heisman Trophy in 1936, he was overjoyed. Last Friday, when he was informed that his prize had fetched $328,110 at a Leland's auction in New York, he was pleasantly surprised. "I was astounded at the price," Kelley said. "I'm still in a state of shock." An All-American end, Kelley's three-year varsity career at Yale lasted from 1934 through 1936. At 84, Kelley is in failing health -- having suffered a stroke in May. His wife, Ruth, also has medical problems. He expressed a desire to leave an inheritance to his six nieces and nephews. "I've been relying on my nieces and nephews," Kelley said. "I wanted to add to my estate and be good to them." While the former Yale football star cherishes the trophy, Kelley saw little use for it in the future. "It has tremendous sentimental value," he said. "But what else am I going to do with it?" The trophy was not the first Heisman put on the auction block. O.J. Simpson sold his 1968 award in February to help pay for his murder defense and wrongful death judgment. His Heisman closed out at only $230,000. After a 15 percent auction house commission, Kelley is taking home $278,893 for the trophy, before taxes. Kelley's Heisman -- the second awarded and the first to bear the name of John W. Heisman -- was purchased by Joe Walsh, a businessman and memorabilia collector. He will display the trophy in his sports-theme restaurant, The Stadium, in Garrison, N.J. Yale University participated in the auction, managing to secure seven other Kelley items up for sale -- including jerseys and game balls -- and bidding on the Heisman as well. However, the trophy became too expensive as the auction progressed. "The price wound up too high, especially considering the fact that we already have a great replica," Yale sports archivist Geoffrey Gonder said. An exact replica of Kelley's Heisman is on display in a trophy case near football coach Jack Siedlecki's office. Other famous figures in Yale football history were saddened upon learning of Kelley's sale. "I had hoped it would stay in the family, but it's understandable," longtime Yale football coach Carm Cozza said. Of the other Kelley memorabilia at the auction, a jersey garnered $10,684, while two footballs used in the championship game against Princeton in 1936 brought in $6,017. Larry Kelley's reputation as an athlete is virtually unparalleled at Yale. "He is definitely one of the legends of Yale athletics," Gonder said. "He was everything." Kelley was not only captain of the football and baseball teams, but was also elected basketball captain. He declined because of time constraints. He was a member of Skull and Bones, Delta Kappa Epsilon and made the Dean's List all four years at Yale. Kelley led Yale to victory in the 1936 Princeton game with the game's only touchdown. The 7-0 Yale victory snapped the 15-game winning streak of a powerful Princeton team. Upon graduation from Yale, Kelley was drafted by the Detroit Lions for football and the St. Louis Cardinals for baseball. Instead of pursuing either sport, he chose to go into teaching. "Professional football was a backyard thing in those days," Kelley said. Kelley was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1969.