Bill Hewitt (American football)

Bill Hewitt

No. 56, 82
Position:	Defensive end End
Personal information
Born:	(1909-10-08)October 8, 1909 Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Died:	January 14, 1947(1947-01-14) (aged 37) Sellersville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Central (Bay City, Michigan)
College:	Michigan (1929–1931)
Career history
Chicago Bears (1932–1936) Philadelphia Eagles (1937–1939) Steagles (1943)
Career highlights and awards
2× NFL champion (1932, 1933) 4× First-team All-Pro (1933-1934, 1936, 1938) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1932, 1937) NFL receiving touchdowns leader (1934) NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1930s All-Decade Team Chicago Bears No. 56 retired 100 greatest Bears of All-Time Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame Third-team All-American (1931) Second-team All-Big Ten (1931)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 101 Starts: 89 Receptions: 103 Receiving yards: 1,638 Touchdowns: 24 Stats at Pro Football Reference
Pro Football Hall of Fame

William Ernest Hewitt (October 8, 1909 – January 14, 1947) was an American professional football defensive end and end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played five seasons for the Chicago Bears (1932–1936), three for the Philadelphia Eagles (1937–1939), and one for the Phil-Pitt Steagles (1943). He is remembered for his refusal to wear a helmet as one of the last NFL players not to wear one.^[1]

Hewitt played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was named team's most valuable player and second-team All-Big Ten his senior season. In nine NFL seasons, he was named an All-Pro six times, won two NFL championships, and in 1934 led the league in touchdown receptions. His jersey number 56 is retired by the Bears and he is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame. Hewitt was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.