Don Heap

Donald Eugene Heap (September 28, 1912 – March 21, 2016) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He was twice selected as an All-American football player while playing for the Northwestern Wildcats football team.

Early years Heap was born in 1912 in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Frank Heap and Rosella (Van Geem) Heap. He attended Evanston Township High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball, and graduated in 1930.

Northwestern Heap subsequently enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, where he played football and basketball, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He played at the halfback position for the Northwestern Wildcats football team from 1936 to 1938. As a sophomore, he was selected by the Central Press Association as a first-team halfback on the 1936 College Football All-America Team. As a senior, he served as the captain of Northwestern's football team, was named its most valuable player and was selected by Paramount News to the 1938 College Football All-America Team. In his three years at Northwestern, Heap was a triple-threat player, handling kicking, passing and rushing responsibilities and calling signals for the team. He averaged more than five yards per carry. Northwestern coach Pappy Waldorf said that Heap had one of the best football minds he had encountered. In 1947, Heap became head baseball coach at Northwestern and continued his position with the football team. Heap served two seasons as head baseball coach, compiling a 21–25–1 record from 1947 to 1948.

Head coaching record Football