Date of birth March 8, 1917 Role American football center Education Duke University | College Duke Position Center Name Dan Hill Nominations Heisman Trophy | |
Place of birth Asheville, North Carolina Date of death August 24, 1989 (age 72) NFL draft 1939 / Round: 8 / Pick 65
(By the Brooklyn Dodgers) Died August 24, 1989, Durham, North Carolina, United States | ||
Place of death Durham, North Carolina | ||
Dan "Tiger" Hill (March 8, 1917 - August 24, 1989) was a former football player. Born in Asheville, North Carolina, he played center and linebacker for the 1936-1938 Duke Blue Devils football teams. He was All-Southern Conference in 1936 and 1938, and All-American in 1938. He was co-captain of the 1938 "Iron Dukes", which did not allow a point during the regular season and lost the 1939 Rose Bowl 7-3. That season, he finished 10th in the Heisman voting and was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962, and into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1972. In 2014, ESPN named Hill's 1938 season the best individual season by a Duke football player.
After playing, he served as assistant athletic director at Duke until 1953. The school awards a "Dan 'Tiger' Hill Award" to the school's top offensive lineman.