This 2000 ADA News memorial article, “Mouthguard crusader Dr. William Heintz dies”, celebrates Dr. William Heintz, an athlete, philanthropist, veteran, and inventor of the modern athletic mouthguard.

After competing for a 1936 Olympic spot Dr. Heintz accompanied fellow Ohio State alum Jesse Owens to Berlin, where he served as the track legend’s translator because of his German fluency.

• “He helped Jesse [Owens] in all aspects...They became lifelong friends after the Olympics.”

After this adventure Dr. Heintz went on to invent the mouthguard and persuaded coaches to protect their players with the device.

• "Dr. Heintz touted the benefits of the mouthpiece in a short lecture to [OSU Coach Woody Hayes] and his staff. When he finished addressing his skeptics, Dr. Heintz removed his rubber invention from his mouth. They’d understood every word."

Article appears on page 16. To skip to this page, type 16 in the black page number box at the top of the PDF.