About Mel Hein
Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992), nicknamed "Old Indestructible", was an American professional football player. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center (then a position on both offense and defense) and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as part of the first class of inductees. He was also named to the National Football League (NFL) 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams. Hein played college football as a center for the Washington State Cougars from 1928 to 1930, leading the 1930 team to the 1931 Rose Bowl after an undefeated regular season. He received first-team All-Pacific Coast and All-American honors. Hein next played fifteen seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants from 1931 to 1945. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro for eight consecutive years from 1933 to 1940 and won the Joe F. Carr Trophy as the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1938. He was the starting center on NFL championship teams in 1934 and 1938 and played in seven NFL championship games (1933–1935, 1938–1939, 1941, and 1944). Hein also served as the head football coach at Union College from 1943 to 1946 and as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1947 to 1948, the New York Yankees of the AAFC in 1949, the Los Angeles Rams in 1950, and the USC Trojans from 1951 to 1965. He was also the supervisor of officials for the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 to 1969 and for the American Football Conference (AFC) from 1970 to 1974. With Hein as the starting center, the Cougars compiled a 10–2 record in 1929 and 9–1 in 1930. At the end of his senior year, Hein was selected by the Associated Press and United Press as the first-team center on the All-Pacific Coast team.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.