Hall of Fame
Jack Haddock '43 was a multi-sport athlete who lettered in football, basketball, track, and baseball. However, it was as a halfback for the football team that he achieved his greatest distinction. In those days, Centre was still playing a major college schedule. Jack and his teammates were the last of the Colonels to play against the likes of Army, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Cincinnati. As a starting halfback in his sophomore season, Jack helped lead Centre to a win over Louisville, Centre’s last victory over a major university. Following Jack’s senior season, in which he was elected captain of the team, the Colonels suspended football due to World War II, and when they resumed, they played only other small colleges. A good sense of Jack’s athletic prowess can be gleaned from this quote by his coach, Quinn Decker, after Jack’s first season at Centre as captain of the freshman team (in those days, Centre had separate freshman squads for football and basketball). Decker observed, “That boy Jack Haddock is the best freshman product I ever saw. He can throw that ball 50 yards as easy as he can pick it up.”
