Victor H. Halligan (November 22, 1892 – March 10, 1973) was an
American football player. He played for the
University of Nebraska from 1912 to 1914 and was the first All-American football player to be selected from the
Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.
Biography
Early years
Halligan was born in
Omaha, Nebraska, the son of John J. Halligan and Carrie (Swenson) Halligan.
He graduated from
North Platte High School before enrolling at the
University of Nebraska.
[
]
University of Nebraska
At the University of Nebraska, Halligan played at the left tackle and fullback back positions for the University of Nebraska football team from 1912 to 1914. He was also a member of the Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...
fraternity. As a sophomore in 1912, he played at the fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to:
Sports
* A position in various kinds of football, including:
** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position
** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...
position and helped lead Nebraska to a 7–1 record. As a junior, Halligan was moved to the left tackle position and was one of the stars of Jumbo Stiehm
Ewald O. "Jumbo" Stiehm (April 9, 1886 – August 18, 1923) was an American football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin (1910) ...
's 1913 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1913 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the 1913 college football season. The team was coached by third-year head coach Ewald O. Stiehm and pl ...
that won the Missouri Valley Conference championship and defeated the University of Minnesota to cap an undefeated 8–0 season. At the end of the 1913 season, Halligan was chosen as the captain of Nebraska's 1914 team. As a senior, Halligan again played at the left tackle position and led the 1914 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1914 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1914 college football season. The team was coached by fourth-year head coach Ewald O. Stiehm
Ewald O. "Jumbo" Stiehm (April 9, 1886 – August 18, 1923) ...
to its second consecutive undefeated season with a record of 7–0–1. In Halligan's three seasons at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers put together a 14-game win streak and compiled a three-year record of 22–1–1. At the conclusion of the 1914 football season, Halligan became Nebraska's first All-American football player.[ He was selected as a first-team All-American by ]Frank G. Menke
Frank Grant Menke (October 10, 1885 – May 13, 1954) was an American newspaper reporter, author, and sports historian. He wrote for the Hearst Newspapers from 1912 to 1932 and his articles appeared daily in 300 newspapers across the country. He ...
, sporting editor of the International News Service, the ''Pittsburgh Gazette-Times'',[Spalding's Official Football Guide 1915] and '' The Michigan Daily'',[ a second-team All-American by Walter Eckersall of the '' Chicago Tribune'' and a third-team All-American by Walter Camp for '' Collier's Weekly''. The University of Nebraska yearbook for the Class of 1915 noted Halligan's contributions to the football team: "The premier punter of the West, A master of the forward pass, A tackler equal to the best."
In 1915, Walter Camp again selected Halligan as a third-team All-American, though Halligan had already graduated and become a coach by the fall of 1915. Camp's error in choosing Halligan in 1915 was fodder for Western critics who complained that Camp made his selections without knowing the Western teams and players. ''The Milwaukee Journal'' in December 1915 wrote:]"This season, ... Camp picked Halligan of Nebraska for a tackle position on his third team. One would naturally think, then, that Halligan had been a bearcat -- some football player. But, it happens that Halligan graduated last June. ... He was a coach this season. Pretty good joke on Walter, eh, picking a coach as one of the star players of the country? Also, do you wonder why some folk don't put much stock in all-America teams?"
Halligan was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Legal career and military service
Halligan graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1915 and a law degree in 1917.[ During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army field artillery.][ After the war, Halligan returned to North Platte, Nebraska, where he began a law practice. From 1919 to 1937, he practiced with the firm of Halligan, Beatty & Halligan. He became senior partner of law firm of McIntosh & Halligan in 1937 and retired in 1965.][
]
Philanthropy and community activities
Halligan was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and served as the local organization's exalted ruler. He was also active in the American Legion
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
and represented the State of Nebraska as a delegate to the American Legion convention in St. Louis. In his later years, he donated land on the north side of Interstate 80 east of Highway 83 that was used in the formation o
Mid-Plains Community College
His hobbies included golf, hunting, and football.[
]
Family and death
He married Louise Ottenstein in May 1920 at North Platte, Nebraska. The couple had two daughters, Marcia Ann and Jean Lucile.[ He died in Arizona in 1973 at age 80 and was buried at the North Platte Cemetery.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halligan, Vic
1892 births
1973 deaths
American football fullbacks
American football tackles
Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
United States Army personnel of World War I
Players of American football from Omaha, Nebraska
People from North Platte, Nebraska