Mike Enich (September 20, 1918 – January 9, 1978) was an American

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 for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. He was a member of Iowa's 1939 "Ironmen" team and a first team All-American in 1940.

Playing career

Of Serbian parentage, "Iron" Mike Enich graduated from Boone High School in 1936. He played fullback in high school, but Coach Eddie Anderson moved him to the tackle position before the 1939 season. The 1939 Hawkeyes were nicknamed the "Ironmen", because several players were forced to play all 60 minutes of many games. As a junior in 1939, Enich played six complete 60-minute games for the Hawkeyes. He was a third team All-American in 1939, as the Hawkeyes finished the year with a 6-1-1 record and ranked ninth in the country. As a senior in 1940, Enich was named team captain and MVP of the football team. He earned first team All-American honors that year and played in the

East-West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

in 1941. Following his graduation, he was accepted in officers' school in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. For the next five years, he served with distinction in the South Pacific theater. He received severe chest wounds at the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

in 1945, for which he was awarded the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

Legal career and honors

Enich returned to the University of Iowa where he attended law school, receiving his juris doctor degree in 1948. In 1963, he was elected Poweshiek County attorney. He was appointed to the district court bench in November 1971 by Governor

Robert D. Ray Robert Dolph Ray (September 26, 1928 – July 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served as the 38th governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983. During his tenure as governor, Ray served as chair of t ...

.State of Iowa Hall of Fame bio
Enich was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the

University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located in the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in October 200 ...

in 1990. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Mike Enich was selected as an offensive tackle.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enich, Mike 1918 births 1978 deaths American football tackles Iowa Hawkeyes football players Iowa lawyers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps officers People from Boone, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American people of Serbian descent 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Iowa