John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger (March 19, 1914 – June 26, 2002) was an American college football player and referee.

[3] Berwanger was also nicknamed "the Flying Dutchman", although his ancestry was actually German, and the "Man in the Iron Mask", because he wore a special face guard to protect his twice-broken nose.

[5] Berwanger was also awarded the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference and earned unanimous All-America honors.

[2] Berwanger also competed in track and field for Chicago, setting a school decathlon record in 1936 that stood until 2007.

[13] Berwanger initially chose not to sign with the Bears in part to preserve his amateur status so that he could compete for a spot on the U.S. team for the 1936 Summer Olympics in the decathlon.

Berwanger died after a lengthy battle with lung cancer at his home in Oak Brook, Illinois, on June 26, 2002, at the age of 88.