Hopalong Cassidy, the cowboy hero of the movies and TV, had been a longtime favorite of youngsters when another Hopalong arrived.

This one spelled his name a bit differently, and his exploits were played out on the football field.

But sportswriters of the 1950s couldn’t resist the obvious. He was invariably known as Howard (Hopalong) Cassady.

Cassady, the Ohio State running back who won the 1955 Heisman Trophy as college football’s most outstanding player, and who was a member of the Detroit Lions’ 1957 N.F.L. championship team, died on Friday in Tampa, Fla., his longtime home. He was 85.