book of records - Kansas State University

7.22 Book of Records
Intramurals are a very important of fraternity life and of Delta Theta tradition. In the 1930s, the chapter did real
well. To demonstrate this, the chapter won the basketball crown in 1936, 1937 and 1939; the track crown in 1938; and
the baseball crown in 1932.
A man who deserves special recognition is Hank Cronkite. AHi Henry@, as he was sometimes called by sports
writers, came to Kansas State in the fall of 1928, at the age of seventeen, at a height of 652 and weighing about 195
pounds. Hank wanted to play basketball, but reported for football until basketball season started.
Coach ABo@ McMillen saw great possibilities in him as an end and so made sure he reported for practice the
next fall. In his sophomore year, he got the reputation of being hard to tackle when the ball was passed to him. On
defense, it was impossible to run around his end. At the end of the 1929 season, Hank was given an end position on the
All-Kansas selection and mentioned on several Big Six mythical teams.
In 1930, he weighed about 206 pounds. His surprise tackles and his ability to catch impossible passes soon had
every opponent worried. Throughout the season, he was in on almost every play and if the play didn=t come his way, he
went to it and spilled almost as many plays on the other end of the line as he did on his own. He was gifted with almost
super-human sense of where the ball was going.
When Hank completed a seemingly impossible pass and raced for a touchdown to beat Nebraska, the Huskers
first loss to the Wildcats, he was elected captain for the 1931 season. He was only nineteen, the youngest man then to
ever captain a Wildcat team. In 1930, he was placed on every Big Six team and given honorable mention on the
mythical All-American team which was picked by The New York Sun.
In 1931, looking for new laurels, he literally tore the opposing lines to pieces. One writer said of him Athis
throw-back to Neanderthal man can take out a defensive tackle unaided.@ He was a good-natured, likeable fellow and
had the admiration and respect of not only his teammates but the student body as well.
Hank was always called upon when a few points were needed to win a game. He could run from a backfield
position as a surprise maneuver or, when a place-kick was in order, he would invariably come through. This was shown
in the game with West Virginia in 1931, when he kicked two field goals from ranges of 40 and 46 yards, with the field
muddy and the ball coated with slime.
In 1931, all the selections for the Big Six teams placed him on right end and gave him captaincy as well. The
following are some of the All-American teams he was placed on: New York Sun, New York Times, New York World-
Telegram, Chicago Tribune, United Press and NEA New Service. Walt Trumbull (noted sports columnist), The
Associated Press and the International News gave him berths on their second teams. He also was unanimously placed on
the All-Kansas selection. All of this entitled Hank to the distinction of being Kansas State=s first All-American. Some
of the leading sports writers in America stated that Henry Cronkite is a combination of the Michigan great Benny
Oasterbaan and Ned Glass, the All-American super-man of the 1902 Yale team.
Along with his football prowess, Hank excelled in two other sports. He put the shot on the track team in no
mean manner and played center on the basketball team, consistently out-jumping all comers. He usually left the court at
the end of the game with high-point honors of the team.
Another unusual thing about Hank=s record is that his exceptional scoring ability extended to the field of
scholarship, in which he accumulated sufficient points to be graduated Acum laude@ in the spring of 1932. With all of
his athletics and studies, Hank still had time to give to the chapter. He did his part with the same zeal as when he was
playing football. In his senior year, he was Worthy Master of the chapter and did much to aid its success that year.
There are so few men with all these qualities that it is too bad that Alpha Tau Omega had not yet created the Thomas
Arkle Clark Award for Henry Oliver Cronkite deserved it.
In 1966, Belle Plaine, Kansas, Hank Cronkite=s home town, had a memorial scoreboard in his honor placed at
the high school football field. It was paid for by donations. Delta Theta Chapter was one of the donors.