Our child's namesake

Extracted from an article by Bob Wolfley, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 1/28/04.

Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch had great gifts as an athlete which helped make him a Hall of Fame player in college football and in the National Football League.

He also was given a gift whose power probably was underestimated and whose impact definitely was underappreciated.

Hirsch had a Hall of Fame nickname...

Hirsch's nickname was the product of his physique, running style and the imagination of Chicago sportswriter Francis Powers.

One of Hirsch's feet angled out more than the other, which made him appear to be busy and unbalanced as he ran.

Powers was covering the University of Wisconsin's game against the Great Lakes Naval Station at Soldier Field in 1942. UW won, 13-7.

"Hirsch ran like a demented duck," Powers wrote in his Chicago Daily News game story. "His crazy legs were gyrating in six different directions all at the same time during a 61-yard touchdown run that solidified the win."

How different would Hirsch's life and his legacy have been if he was nicknamed "Demented Duck"?

I hearby promise to never refer to our child as "Demented Duck".

Also, ESPN.com’s Page 2 recently listed the best nicknames in football history.
Number 1? Crazy Legs. It even beat out “Broadway Joe”.

Plus, I just think it's a cool name, boy or girl. And much more fun to say than "the baby"...