Dan Whelchel (August 26, 1894 – March 1, 1988) was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and fruit

horticulturalist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Early years

Dan Whelchel was born in

Dawson County, Georgia Dawson County is a county located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,798 up from 22,330 in 2010. The county seat is Dawsonville. Dawson County is included in the Atlanta-S ...

on August 26, 1894 to Jordan Davis Whelchel and Amanda Jane Palmour. At the time of his enrollment at Tech he was living in

Ashburn, Georgia The city of Ashburn is the county seat of Turner County, Georgia, United States. As of 2010, the city had a population of 4,152. Ashburn's government is classified as a council/manager form of municipal government. Ashburn is noted for its peanuts ...

. Dan was a first cousin of All-Southern

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...

football player

Hugh Whelchel Hugh Calvin "Puss" Whelchel (July 20, 1900 – April 1, 1968) was an American college football player. Early years Hugh was born on July 20, 1900 in Dahlonega, Georgia to Henry Cowan Whelchel and Clara Annabel Moore. Hugh was a first cousin of G ...

Georgia Tech

Whelchel was a prominent

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for

John Heisman John William Heisman (October 23, 1869 – October 3, 1936) was a player and coach of American football, baseball, and basketball, as well as a sportswriter and actor. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College, Buchtel College ...

's Georgia Tech Golden Tornado of the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

1917

He was a member of the school's first

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

team in

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

, having to join the American effort in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before he got to celebrate.

Horticulturalist

Whelchel later was a fruit

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, specializing in

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...

s.Year: 1930; Census Place: Hornor, Phillips, Arkansas; Roll: 87; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0012; Image: 832.0; FHL microfilm: 2339822.

References

1894 births 1988 deaths American football guards Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Turner County, Georgia American horticulturists {{collegefootball-player-stub