Charles Henry Widman (June 17, 1879 – December 19, 1944) was an American football player and businessman.
 Portrait of Widman from the Chicago Daily Tribune, Nov. 25, 1898 | |
| Born: | June 17, 1879 Rochester, New York |
|---|---|
| Died: | December 19, 1944 (aged 65) Detroit, Michigan |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) |
| Weight | 162 lb (73 kg) |
| College | Michigan |
| High school | Central High School (Detroit, MI) |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1898 | Michigan |
Early years
editWidman was born in Rochester, New York in either 1878 or 1879.[1][2] He was the son of John C. Widman and Lena Keifhaber Widman. The family moved to Detroit when Charles was two years old.[1]
University of Michigan
edit
Widman attended Detroit High School and enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1898 as a freshman in the law school. He was the starting left halfback on the undefeated 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team that won the school's first Western Conference championship. He scored both of Michigan's touchdowns in the 1898 championship game against the University of Chicago. His 65-yard touchdown run against Chicago was described as follows in The Michigan Alumnus in December 1898:
Widman's now famous run of sixty-five yards through Chicago's territory for a touchdown clinched the victory which Michigan was bound to win and was perhaps the feature of the game. As the result of his dash down the field with the whole Chicago team after him Michigan has a new football hero and the history of western football is enriched by the story of a run as thrilling as was ever made on any gridiron."[3]
Louis Elbel, a University of Michigan student, was so inspired by Widman's sixty-five yard run and the subsequent outcome of the game that he went to his sister's house that afternoon immediately following the game and composed "The Victors," which is the University of Michigan's well-known fight song.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
After the game, the Chicago Daily Tribune published a story on Widman in which it opined that he "promises to become one of the greatest football stars Michigan has ever produced."[10] He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity at Michigan.[11]
During the fall of 1898, a Detroit newspaper published an article suggesting that Widman had not graduated from high school and was only in Ann Arbor to play football and that he had no intention to remain after the football season concluded. The Michigan Alumnus in November 1898 defended Widman: "There is no more promising or prominent candidate for football honors than Charlie Widman, the plucky little half back who has been making such a good record."[12] The charges were investigated at a meeting of faculty members. Professor Albert Pattengill announced the faculty's decision finding that Widman was "taking the full amount of course work laid out for him by the dean of the law department" and concluding there was no foundation for the charges that Widman did not intend to return to college after the Christmas vacation.[12]
Later years and family
editWidman did not return to Michigan in the fall of 1899 and subsequently played football for the Detroit Athletic Club. In 1900, Widman along with his father and brother formed J.C. Widman and Sons Furniture Company in Detroit.[1] On October 15, 1902, he was married to Eleanor Cecilia Frees at Detroit.[13] He served as vice president of the family furniture business.[14][15] During World War I, the family business began manufacturing wood airplane parts. After the war, the company began building automobile bodies.[1][16] In 1926, the Widman company merged with J. W. Murray Manufacturing Co. to form Murray Corp. of America, a major producer of automobile coachworks.[17] Widman was Murray Corp.'s vice president in charge of sales and a director of the Murray Corp. of America from the tie of the merger until 1942.[1][18][19]
Widman died at Harper Hospital in Detroit after suffering a heart attack in 1944.[1][20][21]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Death Takes C.H. Widman". Detroit Ties. December 23, 1944. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ His draft registration card completed in 1918 lists his date of birth as June 17, 1879. The 1900 U.S. Census indicates he was born in June 1878.
- ^ "The Thanksgiving Day Game". The Michigan Alumnus. December 1898. p. 115.
- ^ John Kryk (September 1994). Natural Enemies:The Michigan Notre Dame Football Feud (PDF). Andrews Mcmeel Pub.
- ^ "Hail to the Victors" (PDF). Michigan Alumnus. October 1979.
- ^ "Michigan's 900 Wins and the Traditions Born - MGOBLUE.COM - University of Michigan Official Athletic Site". www.mgoblue.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012.
- ^ "The Perfect Season". Michigan Today. Fall 1998. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
- ^ "Michigan Fight Song". Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
- ^ "T-minus 24…Inspiration for The Victors : Hokeamaniac.com – May the Hoke be with you!". hokeamaniac.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Sketch of Young Widman: Wolverine, to Whom Ann Arbor Largely Owes Its Victory, in His Freshman Year". Chicago Daily Tribune. November 25, 1898. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ 1899 Michiganensian, Sigma Chi, approximately page 225 (pages not numbered).
- ^ a b "Charges Against Widman". The Michigan Alumnus. November 1898. p. 62.
- ^ "Widman-Frees". Detroit Free Press. October 16, 1902. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ Draft registration card for Charles Henry Widman dated September 6, 1918. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Registration Location: Wayne County, Michigan; Roll: 2024031; Draft Board: 7.
- ^ Census entry for Charles H. Widman (age 50, born in New York) and Ellenore Widman. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1930; Census Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: 1043; Page: 5A; Image: 1094.0; Family History Library Film: 2340778.
- ^ "J.C. Widman & Co., John Charles Widman, Detroit, Franklin, Jewett, Chalmers, Earl, Murray Corp". CoachBuilt.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Murray Body Corp., Murray Corp. of America, J.W. Murray Mfg. Co., Murray-bodied Ford, Woody". CoachBuilt.com. September 14, 1919. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Murray Corp. at a High". Wall Street Journal. May 4, 1934.
- ^ "Murray Corp. of America". Wall Street Journal. November 29, 1940.
- ^ "Charles H. Widman Dies In Detroit". Detroit Free Press. December 20, 1944. p. 1.
- ^ "Charles H. Widman obituary". Detroit Free Press. December 21, 1944. p. 14.