Sinkwich family is smelling roses once again

There’s a picture hanging on the wall of Frank Sinkwich IV’s bedroom.

In it, Frank Sinkwich Sr. extends his right leg in the air. He wears a Detroit Lions uniform and the No. 21. Both arms are raised above his head. His left calf flexes as he supports himself on his toes. The black-and-white photo was taken in 1944, a year after Sinkwich helped Georgia win the Rose Bowl.

Sinkwich IV proudly displays the picture. He also owns his great-grandfather’s original contract with the Lions and a certificate recognizing Sinkwich as an All-American. These are interspersed with awards for Sinkwich IV’s own achievements. Sinkwich IV doesn’t see these items every day.

He’s not living at home anymore. Instead, he’s with Georgia’s team as a walk-on fullback. As the Bulldogs prepare for Oklahoma, Sinkwich IV impersonates the Sooners on the scout team. He loves it. And on Jan. 1, Sinkwich IV will walk into the Rose Bowl — the same stadium his great-grandfather played in almost 75 years ago.

Sinkwich IV never knew his great-grandfather, but he heard stories. How Sinkwich, playing with an oversized chinstrap to protect a broken jaw, scored four touchdowns and accounted for 382 yards in the 1942 Orange Bowl. How Sinkwich became the first player from the SEC to win the Heisman Trophy. How Sinkwich played on two sprained ankles in the 1943 Rose Bowl victory over UCLA.

As a first grader at Athens Academy, Sinkwich IV went with his class on a field trip to Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall, Georgia’s athletic office that doubles as a museum. Prominently displayed inside are Sinkwich’s jersey and a copy of his Heisman Trophy. (The Sinkwich family owns the original).

Lacy Sinkwich, Sinkwich IV’s mom, remembers the day vividly. When her son came home from school, Lacy recalls him saying, "Why didn't y'all tell me?" As the years passed, Sinkwich IV’s fandom grew. Not just for his namesake, but for Georgia football as well. He dreamed of playing for the Bulldogs. He worked out constantly in high school.

He also knew how difficult earning a spot on the team would be, and he wasn’t a heralded recruit as a 5-foot-11 guard and H-back from a GHSA Class A private school. One day, in December of Sinkwich IV’s senior year at Athens Academy, Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman visited the school. Sinkwich IV spoke briefly with Pittman. He had to take an exam.

Sinkwich IV later contacted Pittman. In early January, Sinkwich IV received a call. He was being offered a spot on the team as a walk-on.

"Of course no one was home at the time," Lacy Sinkwich said. "He was by himself. He called us and said, ou got to come home. I got to tell you something."

Sinkwich IV’s parents were in disbelief, so much so they worried the call was a prank. It wasn’t. Sinkwich IV joined the team in the summer. At his signing ceremony, two jerseys were draped on either side of a table. One was Sinkwich IV’s white-and-green Athens Academy jersey. The other was his great-grandfather’s Georgia jersey.

The Rose Bowl has received hundreds of millions of dollars in renovations in the almost 75 years since Georgia last played in it, but much — the mountains in the distance, the location, the structure itself — will be the same as when Sinkwich played there. When the game kicks off, at least 14 members of the Sinkwich family will be in the stands.

Another will be with his team, wearing No. 46.

"None of this is lost on us," Frank Sinkwich III said. "Every day we thank our stars and look at each other. How can this be? Life doesn't always give you these roses. So you have to celebrate them while you can."

This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Sinkwich family is smelling roses once again."