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John William Heisman (1869-1936) was the first professional football coach at Oberlin College. In 1892, he led the Yeomen football team to a perfect 7-0 record. In those days of high-powered football, the '92 Oberlin grid squad defeated both Ohio State and Michigan and was ranked with Minnesota and Purdue as one of the three best teams west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Nearly a century later, Oberlin alumni and friends honored Heisman's memory by forming the John William Heisman Club. Created in 1978, its objective was to strengthen the entire intercollegiate athletics program. Almost one-quarter of a million dollars was raised over three years, with the initial emphasis directed at stabilizing the football program.
Through generous contributions, the members of the Heisman Club have endowed the football program for 10 years and supported the athletics program in general by endowing two coaching positions, one for a women's and one for a men's intercollegiate sport, for three years each. These positions have continued since 1981 with general college funding.
In 1985, Heisman Club members voted to transfer responsibility for the Club and its activities from the Development Office to the Department of Athletics and Physical Education, shifting its focus from just fund raising to include a wider range of services. The Heisman Club is now a permanent organization of alumni and friends interested in supporting athletics in the Oberlin tradition.
The Club is managed by an 11-member board of directors elected by the membership for rotating terms. The board acts on behalf of the Heisman Club on all matters of policy.
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