Mel Hein

Mel Hein

Hein c. 1947
No. 7
Position:	Center Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1909-08-22)August 22, 1909 Redding, California, U.S.
Died:	January 31, 1992(1992-01-31) (aged 82) San Clemente, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Burlington (Burlington, Washington)
College:	Washington State (1928–1930)
Career history
As a player:
New York Giants (1931–1945)
As a coach:
Union (NY) (1943–1946) Head coach Los Angeles Dons (1947) Head coach & assistant coach Los Angeles Dons (1948) Assistant coach New York Yankees (1949) Assistant coach Los Angeles Rams (1950) Assistant coach USC (1951–1965) Assistant coach
Career highlights and awards
As a player 2× NFL champion (1934, 1938) NFL Most Valuable Player (1938) 8× First-team All-Pro (1933–1940) 4× NFL All-Star Game (1938–1941) NFL 1930s All-Decade Team NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team New York Giants Ring of Honor New York Giants No. 7 retired First-team All-American (1930) First-team All-PCC (1930) Washington State Cougars No. 7 retired Washington State University Hall of Fame As a coach National champion (1962)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 170 Games started: 153 Interceptions: 10 Interception yards: 78 Fumble recoveries: 1 Defensive touchdowns: 1
Head coaching record
Career:	AAFC: 2–1 (.667)
Player stats at PFR
Coaching stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992), nicknamed "Old Indestructible",^[1][2] was an American football player and coach. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center (then a position on both offense and defense) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as part of the first class of inductees. He was also named to the National Football League (NFL) 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.

Hein played college football as a center for the Washington State Cougars from 1928 to 1930, leading the 1930 team to the 1931 Rose Bowl after an undefeated regular season. He received first-team All-Pacific Coast and All-American honors.

Hein next played fifteen seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants from 1931 to 1945. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro for eight consecutive years from 1933 to 1940 and won the Joe F. Carr Trophy as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1938. He was the starting center on NFL championship teams in 1934 and 1938 and played in seven NFL championship games (1933–1935, 1938–1939, 1941, and 1944).

Hein also served as the head football coach at Union College from 1943 to 1946 and as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1948, the New York Yankees of the AAFC in 1949, the Los Angeles Rams in 1950, and the USC Trojans from 1951 to 1965. He was also the supervisor of officials for the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 to 1969 and for the American Football Conference (AFC) from 1970 to 1974.