Athletics Hall of Fame
Blair Heaton was the star end on offense and defense for the undefeated 1940 football team. Named Little All-American and Captain of the 1941 football team. In the 1940s, 1950s and even early 1960s, referees penalized teams 15 yards if coaches called plays from the sideline, or sent in substitutes to call plays. The QB nearly always called plays, but Blair’s brilliant mind and football knowledge so impressed his SU coaches and teammates that they asked Blair to call the plays from his position on the end of the line.
He became one of SU’s greatest athletes by constantly practicing his skills. He averaged 20 points per Track & Field meet in sprints, shot put, discus, long jump and especially high jump, clearing 6 ft., 3 and 5/8 inches, an Olympic level height. However, the 1940 Olympics were cancelled due to WWII in Europe. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions but joined the Army Air Corps, and after serving in WWII, returned to campus, graduating in May 1946. He played pro football for the Wilkes-Barre Bullets of the American Football Association. He taught and coached sports at Selinsgrove H.S. prior to returning to SU in the late 1950s. At SU he taught Math, was Head Coach in Track & Field, and assistant in Football and Basketball. He often practiced with players half his age in each sport to teach them his valuable skills. After his untimely passing, he was remembered in the 1961 Lanthorn with a quote from William Mathews, “A great deal of the joy of life consists in doing perfectly, or at least to the best of one’s ability, everything which he attempts to do. There is a sense of satisfaction, a pride in surveying such a work…a work which is rounded, full, exact, complete in all its parts…It is this conscientious completeness which turns work into art.” The Lanthorn also stated, “In the short time he was among us, Blair Heaton quietly displayed the essential qualities of manhood. His life was characterized by his dedication to his chosen profession, boundless love for his family, and thrill for sports. He gave his talents unsparingly to his alma mater. The influence of Blair Heaton’s life will not pass but linger on in its memory.” The Blair Heaton Award is still presented annually to the SU senior male student athlete who best exemplifies his devotion to scholarship and athletics, as well as self-discipline and character.
