Hall of Fame
Football, Basketball, Track & Field (1930-33)
Jack Hill was one of the most versatile athletes in Nevada history. He won four Block N letters in both football and basketball and two in track and later played professional baseball in the New York Yankees system. Even within these sports, he was versatile. No specialist was Jack Hill, who played quarterback, halfback, and fullback in football and was a safety man running back kicks. In track, the short, stocky “Bowser” Hill was a sprinter and broad jumper, and despite his lack of size, a shot-putter. He was born in Tonopah in a family which included four athletic boys. They moved to Reno in the late 1920’s, and he wound up at Sparks High School where Proctor Hug, another Tonopah product, was coaching. After earning all-state honors, he entered the University of Nevada. Some fans still remember the dazzling 80-yard run by Hill to beat Pacific in the 1932 Homecoming game. One of his most spectacular football plays was a 77-yard run in San Francisco to help beat a highly-rated USF team. Hill was called Nevada’s best broken-field runner since the famed James “Rabbit” Bradshaw. He was also the team’s top passer and punter. He received honorable mention Pop Warner’s All-America honors and was picked for the all-conference teams. He received a special award from Alpha Phi Gamma, the national journalistic fraternity, in recognition of his ability and sportsmanship. Hill graduated from Nevada in 1934 with a degree in business administration. He was a member of Block N, Blue Key and Sigma Nu. He was signed to a baseball contract by the New York Yankees, while several major league clubs were scouting the young catcher in semi-pro play. He went first to the Oakland Oaks and later was with Binghamton, New York, Akron, Ohio and Joplin, Missouri. Aggravation of an old football injury cut short his baseball career, and he returned to Nevada to become a teacher and coach at Virginia City High School. He died February 13, 1938, after a two-day illness.
