Ralph Heikkinen
| No. 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | May 14, 1917 Hancock, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | January 11, 1990 (aged 72) Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1939: 12th round, 105th pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Ralph Isaac "Hike" Heikkinen (May 14, 1917 – January 12, 1990) was an American college football player who was a guard for the Michigan Wolverines from 1936 to 1938. He was a unanimous All-American in 1938, the first player from the Gogebic Range area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula to win the honor. His exploits were widely reported in the Upper Peninsula press, where he became a local hero. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939.
From 1940 to 1944, he was the line coach for the Virginia Cavaliers football team while attending the University of Virginia School of Law at the same time. After practicing law in New York for a time, he spent a year as a line coach and law professor at Marquette University in 1947. After leaving Marquette, Heikkinen worked as executive secretary and attorney for Studebaker-Packard Corporation. He later joined the legal staff at General Motors (GM), retiring in 1978 after 20 years of service in GM's legal department. Heikkinen also helped initiate and implement a corporation-wide alcohol treatment and education program at General Motors.