Don Kindt

Donald John Kindt, Sr. (July 2, 1925 – May 5, 2000) was an American defensive back and halfback who played nine seasons from 1947 to 1955 for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL). Kindt played college football for the University of Wisconsin Badgers primarily as a halfback from 1943 to 1946, missing the 1944 and half of the 1945 season because of World War II. He was the starting halfback for the Badgers for most of his college career.

Kindt decided to forgo his senior season at Wisconsin in order to be eligible for the 1947 NFL draft. He was selected with the last pick of the first round (11th overall) by the Bears despite having an history with injuries, and recovering from an off-season knee surgery he suffered while playing a basketball game at Wisconsin. After playing dual positions in his first few seasons with the Bears, Kindt was used primarily on defense for his last six seasons in the league. Considered to be a defensive standout during his playing career, Kindt was selected to participate in one Pro Bowl, and led the team in interceptions several times.

His son Don Kindt, Jr. also played in the National Football League, as a tight end for the Bears during the 1987 season.

Early career Kindt was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He played football for Washington High School in Milwaukee where he named to the All-City squad. He also played guard for Washington's high school basketball team.

1943 season After graduating from high school, Kindt received a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. He became the starter at right halfback in his first year, while fellow freshman Clarence Self started at left halfback. In the season opener against Camp Grant, Kindt scored his first career touchdown on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter, which tied the game 7–7. In his third game, Kindt became a "hero of the game" for his playing tactics against the Iowa Hawkeyes. He scored the only touchdown of the game, a two-yard run, and managed to force the Hawkeyes to score a safety with time expiring when he did a quarterback kneel, and purposely fell down in the end zone, getting an Iowa defender to touch him for the safety. It prevented the Hawkeyes from potentially scoring a game-winning score as the Badgers won the game 7–5. He returned for the homecoming game against Northwestern University, where he played a "couple of minutes" as he was still recovering from his injury. He came back to full form against the University of Michigan.

World War II and 1945 season Kindt was drafted into the United States Army in 1943 while at Wisconsin, in the midst of World War II. He reported to active duty on February 1, 1944, receiving basic training at Fort Wolters, Texas. In his return, Kindt shared the halfback position with Ben Bendrick, and Jerry Thompson. The Badgers finished the season with a 3–4–2 record.

1946 season Prior to the 1946 season, Kindt was involved in a skiing accident when he fell down a flight of stairs, hurting his leg. He regained his job as the primary starter at the halfback position in time for the season opener. Kindt battled injuries with his ankle, leg and thigh throughout the season, which hampered his play at times. The next game, a 27–21 loss against the University of Illinois, Kindt suffered a left knee injury after getting "kicked in the shins" during the fourth quarter and left the game, not playing on a regular basis afterwards. He rushed only for 21 yards on five carries in a 21–7 loss against Iowa on November 9. After the season, Kindt injured his right knee while playing a game of intramural basketball, requiring surgery at a time in which knee surgery wasn't as technologically advanced as today.

NFL career

Kindt forfeited his last year of eligibility at Wisconsin after the 1946 season to play in the National Football League. It was reported that the Chicago Bears had Kindt as its top player in their draft wish list. He soon signed a three-year contract at a reported $25,000 to play for head coach George Halas.

During his rookie season, Kindt joined a backfield which contained quarterback Sid Luckman and George McAfee, the primary starter at halfback. That season Kindt rushed for 266 yards and two touchdowns on 61 carries. The next season Kindt rushed for 189 yards on 54 carries and two touchdowns, as the Bears acquired former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lujack and Bobby Layne to join Kindt, Luckman and McAfee in the backfield. After running for 118 yards on 41 carries, an average of 2.9 yards per carry during the 1949 season, Kindt contributions to the offense were limited despite Layne getting traded to the New York Yanks, Lujack being injured and both McAfee and Luckman retiring. He later blamed Halas for the loss stating "poor defensive strategy". They had a similar incident during a game against the Green Bay Packers after Kindt miscalculated a play which led to touchdown and Halas kicked him in his knees. Kindt later claimed that Halas apologized for the incidents.

In his career, Kindt appeared in 108 games with the Bears, intercepting 21 passes with 10 forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown. As a running back, Kindt had 172 carries for 586 yards and four touchdowns while as a receiver, he had 43 receptions for 506 yards and two touchdowns. Again he was named as a coach for the College All-Stars in 1957. Kindt was the person in charge of the University of Wisconsin alumni varsity football game in 1958. He was married for over 50 years, and had three children, one of whom, Don Kindt, Jr. also played for the Chicago Bears in 1987.