Listing At No. 8 Not Heinous Act Cougars Apparently Retired Wrong Jersey When They Set Aside No. 7 To Honor Center

Only two football jerseys have been retired at Washington State - Jack Thompson’s No. 14 and Mel Hein’s No. 7.

So why, in our number-by-number listing on pages 6-7, is Hein ranked as the best player to have ever worn No. 8?

Because, to the best of our knowledge, WSU retired the wrong number.

Well, not the wrong number, exactly. Hein wore No. 7 for 15 National Football League seasons with the New York Giants - a career that saw him become the league’s first most valuable player in 1938 and a Hall of Famer.

But a search of files at both WSU and the Spokesman-Review revealed that anytime Hein was a pictured as a Cougar, he was wearing No. 8. In addition, in WSU’s own football media guide he’s listed on the roster for the 1930 Rose Bowl as wearing No. 8. A fellow named Walter Camp - no, not the Walter Camp - had No. 7.

“I thought he always wore No. 7,” said Hein’s widow, Florence, who grew up in Pullman and met Hein at WSU. “But you know, No. 8 does ring a bell.”

Teammate Carl “Tuffy” Ellingsen of Spokane doesn’t have a clear recollection, either. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if it turned up No. 8,” he said.

When WSU decided to retire Hein’s number after his final professional season, Giants owner John Mara was only too happy to help.

“Sometime within the next few weeks we shall forward to you Mel Hein’s No. 7 jersey,” Mara wrote to WSU in January 1946. “At the present all of our equipment is stored away for the winter and it will take us a little time to get it.”

Of course, it could be that Hein wore both numbers. It’s hardly uncommon for WSU players to switch jerseys. Bryant Thomas, a sophomore receiver on this year’s team, is already working on his third different number.

Hugh Campbell, the most prolific receiver in WSU history also had multiple numbers - 42 as a sophomore, 86 as a junior and senior. He was listed as No. 40 in the WSU media guide his junior year, as well, but never wore that number.

“My sophomore year, George Reed and I were both wearing No. 42 - which was not a very good sign for me,” Campbell recalled. “I had the goal of just making the travel squad, but if a guy like George was wearing the same number they obviously didn’t have the same plan. But then George broke his leg so they let me wear 42.

“When George came back the next year, he wanted 42. So I told Pete Ingram (the equipment manager) I wanted 84 because my idol was Billy Wilson of the 49ers. Somebody already had that, so Pete handed me 86 instead and told me to make a name for myself with it.”

, DataTimes