Hein, Melvin J.
Football
b. Aug. 22, 1909, Redding, CA
d. Jan. 31, 1992
On Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941, Mel Hein of the New York Giants was taken to a hospital in an ambulance after suffering a broken nose and a concussion in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the only time he was permanently removed from a game because of injury in fifteen seasons of professional football.
Hein played all three interior line positions at Washington State from 1928 through 1930 and was named an All-American at all three by various selectors in 1930, when he captained the team.
There was no NFL draft of college players at that time, and Hein signed a contract with the Providence Steamroller for $135 a game. Then the Giants offered him $150. Hein immediately sent a telegram to the Providence postmaster, asking that the envelope containing his contract be returned to him. It was, and he joined the Giants.
The 6-foot 2, 225-pound Hein settled in as a center in New York. He was named a second-team All-Pro his first two seasons and was a first-team All-Pro the next eight years in a row, 1933 through 1940. When the Giants won the NFL championship in 1938, Hein won the Joe Carr Trophy as the league's most valuable player.
Remarkably fast for his size, Hein excelled as a linebacker both against the run and the pass. He once had a 50-yard interception return against the Green Bay Packers.
He announced his retirement after the 1941 season to coach at Union College in Schenectady, but the Giants persuaded him to keep playing because of the World War II manpower shortage. For the last four years of his career, Hein coached in Schenectady during the week, then played for the Giants on Sunday without practicing. He retired for good after the 1945 season, when the war was over.
Hein had 19 career interceptions, which he returned for 78 yards and 1 touchdown.