Hercules Renda

A native of West Virginia born to Italian immigrant parents, Renda grew up in Cabin Creek in the state's coal country. He was named after a brand of mining dynamite ("Hercules Dynamite" and "Hercules Powder") that was popular among West Virginia coal miners at the time. Renda became a star athlete at East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia. During the summers, he worked as a "tippler" at the coal mine. In November 1935, the Gazette called him "stocky Hercules Renda, a fast stepping but nevertheless rugged halfback, who has been running wild all season." (Twenty years later, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West attended East Bank High; West was nicknamed "Zeke from Cabin Creek".) ==University of Michigan==

Two University of Michigan alumni, Lon Barringer and Rocco Gorman, recruited Renda and his high school teammate, Joe Savilla, to play football for the Michigan Wolverines. Renda and Savilla both enrolled at the University of Michigan. The Michigan Daily depicted the two West Virginia recruits as something of an odd pair—Renda was a 5-foot, 4 inch halfback, and Savilla was a 6-foot, 4 inch tackle. Despite his small size (5 feet 4 inches and 152 pounds), Renda played for Michigan's freshman team in 1936 and for the varsity team from 1937 to 1939. His performance on the freshman team in 1936 was summed up as follows: "On the offense he runs like a frightened deer and is deathly with his tackles while on defense." Press coverage of Renda often focused on his short stature, and often referred to him as the "midget" from West Virginia. An Associated Press story in 1937 reported that Renda was "just about the shortest first-string football player in the U.S." but noted that he "travels with the power of a tank." Michigan coach Fritz Crisler called Renda the "greatest football player in America for his height." During the 1938 and 1939 seasons, Renda saw limited action, as Michigan had Forest Evashevski and Tom Harmon in the backfield. He became principally a blocking back in the 1938 and 1939 seasons. At the time of his death in 2005, the University of Michigan issued a press release stating, "Renda may have been one of the shortest football players in U-M history, standing only 5-3, but his speed and quickness plus his 17-inch calves made him an extremely tough running back to tackle." ==Assistant coach under Crisler==

After graduating from Michigan, Renda was hired as an assistant football coach at Michigan. He served as an assistant coach under Fritz Crisler during the 1940 and 1941 seasons. Michigan finished with a record of 13 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie during Renda's two seasons as an assistant coach. ==World War II==

With the entry of the United States into World War II, Renda joined the U.S. Army and reported to Fort Custer Training Center in December 1942. In June 1942, he was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps and sent to Miami, Florida, for training as an officer and physical instructor. ==High school coaching career==

After the war, Renda had a long career as a high school football coach. He coached at Flint Central High School. From 1948 to 1951, he was the head football coach at Pontiac High School in Pontiac, Michigan. Renda's teams won 18 games, lost 25 and tied 2 during his five years at Pontiac High School. Renda told reporters in March 1953 that he had been fired by the school board for objecting to its "win-or-else" policy. Renda later returned to the Pontiac schools as head track coach and assistant football coach at Pontiac Northern High School until his retirement in 1982. A few years after his death in 2005, a local paper wrote: "Herk spent more than five decades in Pontiac helping students as a coach, administrator and just being the ultimate good neighbor. Since his passing a couple years ago, the world hasn't quite been as good a place. Everybody who knew Herk will tell you that." ==References==