UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia history to wear that particular jersey number.
We select Frank Sinkwich as the best Georgia player to wear jersey No. 21.
#21 FRANK SINKWICH
Position: Halfback/Fullback
Hometown (High School): Youngstown, Ohio (Chaney HS)
Height/Weight: 5-10, 180
Lettered: 1940-1942
Stats: 2,271 rushing yards on 447 carries (5.1 avg.) and 30 touchdowns; 157 of 325 passing (48.3 comp. %) for 2,331 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in three seasons.
Career: From Youngstown, Ohio, Frank Sinkwich arrived at UGA in 1939 and was soon the star dual-threat halfback of the undefeated “Point-A-Minute Bullpups” freshman team. After leading the varsity Bulldogs in touchdowns scored (5) and touchdown passes (6) as a sophomore, “Flatfoot Frankie” or “Fireball” emerged as one of the nation’s top football players as a junior. In 1941, while playing most of the season with a broken jaw, he led the nation in rushing with 1,103 yards, passed for nearly 800 yards, and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. In 1942 while playing both halfback and fullback positions, Sinkwich led the nation in total offense (2,187 yards), was fourth in passing (1,392 yards), eighth in rushing (795 yards), and was tied for second in scoring (96 points). After earning consensus first-team All-American status the year before, he was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American as a senior. In 1942, Sinkwich became the first of only two Georgia players to date to receive the Heisman Trophy. A tremendous postseason player who scored the lone touchdown of the 1943 Rose Bowl, Sinkwich totaled 382 yards of total offense—139 rushing yards, 243 passing yards—and was responsible for four touchdowns in the Orange Bowl the year before. Drafted by the Detroit Lions, he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1943 NFL Draft. Shortly after his college career ended, Sinkwich’s jersey No. 21 became the first jersey retired by UGA. In 1954, he along with Bob McWhorter became the first two Georgia players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The 60 career touchdowns (30 rushing + 30 passing) Sinkwich was responsible for was a school record for more than 50 years, and remain ranked sixth in program history.
#21 Honorable Mention: RB/P- Harry Stevens (1936, 1938)
