Tom Harmon

Thomas Dudley Harmon (September 28, 1919 - March 15, 1990) was a star player of United States college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors.

Born in Gary, Indiana, Harmon played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938-1940, he majored in English and Speech, hoping for a future career in broadcasting, and won the Heisman Trophy his senior season. Although he made his name as a running back, he also excelled as a kicker and quarterback. Harmon rushed for 2,134 yards at Michigan, and completed 100 passes, including 16 touchdowns.

In his final game, against Ohio State Harmon led the Wolverines to a 40-0 victory, scoring three rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four extra points, intercepting three passes, and punting three times for an average of 50 yards. He led the nation in scoring in 1939 and 1940, and was elected to the College Football All-America Team both years. In 1940, he won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award both given to the outstanding college football player of the year.

While on campus, he was an active member of the Michigan Alpha Chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Years later, the national fraternity leadership established the Harmon-Rice Award in his honor (the Rice name in the award honored Grantland Rice) that is presented each year to the most outstanding Phi Delt collegiate athlete in the nation.

Harmon was taken by the Chicago Bears with the first selection in the NFL Draft, but chose not to play football professionally at that time. After graduating college he had a brief career as an actor, starring as himself in the biopic Tom Harmon of Michigan. He appeared occasionally in films throughout the forties and fifties.

During World War II Tom Harmon enlisted as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. He was twice forced to bail out after his airplane was hit with enemy fire, once walking without food and water for four days before being rescued in China. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

From 1946-1947 Harmon played football professionally with the Los Angeles Rams, but wartime injuries to his legs limited his effectiveness. He focused his professional career as planned on being a sports broadcaster on radio and television, one of the first athletes to make the transition from player to on camera talent.

Tom Harmon married actress Elyse Knox, and much of their family entered show business. He is the father of actress Kristin Nelson, who at seventeen married recording artist Ricky Nelson; his son is actor Mark Harmon who is married to actress Pam Dawber, and he is the grandfather of twins Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, who perform as the rock and country music act Nelson, and of actress Tracy Nelson.

Tom Harmon died of a heart attack on March 15, 1990 in Los Angeles, California, aged 70.

References

Pat Zacharias, Wolverines' Legendary Tom Harmon, The Detroit News