Two-Bits Homan
Henry Homan (June 7, 1898 – May 11, 1953) was a professional American football[1] player. Homan was a college stand-out at Lebanon Valley College[2] where he played quarterback and graduated in 1924. He gained his nickname of "Two Bits" due to his size. Standing at 5′5″ and weighing in at an average 150 lbs throughout his playing day, Homan was one of the smallest players ever in the National Football League.
 Henry "Two Bits" Homan, courtesy of Historical Society of Frankford | |||
| Position: | Quarterback / Safety | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | June 7, 1898 Reading, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
| Died: | May 11, 1953 (aged 54) Glens Falls, New York, United States | ||
| Height: | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
| Weight: | 145 lb (66 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Lebanon (PA) | ||
| College: | Lebanon Valley | ||
| Career history | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
Homan joined the NFL in 1925 with the Frankford Yellow Jackets[1] and played his whole career with them until 1930. Though one of the lesser known NFL players, he was one of the most popular Yellow Jacket players. The Yellow Jackets, with Homan, would go on to win the 1926 NFL Championship.
Homan also played football with the independent Millville Football & Athletic Club, a professional football team based in New Jersey in 1925. The team won the mythical "Pro Football Championship of New Jersey" that year. In January 1926, Homan and several other members of the Millville Big Blue, traveled to Florida to play a series of exhibition games. They formed a team called the Haven-Villa of Winter Haven played against Jim Thorpe and his Tampa Cardinals. The team left Florida with a 5-0-1 record.
He was elected into the Lebanon Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976.
The Touchdown Celebration Rumor
Rumors have it that Homan was the first to celebrate a touchdown. On returning a punt for a touchdown, he held onto the ball, shook his teammates' hands and the official's hand before he handed the ball to the official. However, even though he had multiple returns for touchdowns, no reliable account of this incident has been found.
Season Stats
(Record of NFL play only)
| Year | Age | Team | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 27 | Frankford | 15 |
| 1926 | 28 | Frankford | 6 |
| 1927 | 29 | Frankford | 16 |
| 1928 | 30 | Frankford | 11 |
| 1929 | 31 | Frankford | 17 |
| 1930 | 32 | Frankford | 14 |
References
- "Two-Bits Homan". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- Didinger, Ray; Lyons, Robert S. (2005). The Eagles encyclopedia ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. p. 4. ISBN 1592134491. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
