Kinard, "Bruiser" (Frank)
Football
b. Oct. 23, 1914, Pelahatchie, MS
d. Sept. 7, 1985
Though he weighed only 190 pounds, Kinard was an iron man at tackle at the University of Mississippi, averaging 55 minutes a game in 34 games as a starter. In 1936, he played 562 consecutive minutes and 708 out of a possible 720 minutes for the season.
Kinard captained the team in 1937, when he was named an All-American by some selectors. He also played guard on the basketball team and ran the 440-yard dash and threw weights on the track team.
He demonstrated his speed in a game against Ouachita College that year. Kinard kicked off into the end zone, raced down the field, and beat the Ouachita return man to it, recovering the ball for a touchdown.
He joined the NFL's Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938 and his weight eventually went to 215 pounds--still light for a tackle, but he retained his iron-man reputation, often playing 60 minutes a game. During his nine-year professional career, he missed just one game, when a hand infection turned into gangrene and doctors refused to let him play.
Kinard played for the Dodgers through 1944, spent a year in the navy, and then joined the New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference for two seasons before retiring. He was named an All-Pro in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1944.