CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Don Bosseler, an All-American fullback who led Miami to the No. 6 ranking in The Associated Press poll in 1956 and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, has died, his family and the National Football Foundation announced Thursday.
He was 88. Bosseler, who played eight years in the NFL, died Wednesday in Atlanta. “Don Bosseler’s talents helped the Miami football program achieve national prominence in the 1950s,” National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning said in a release.
“An All-American, he epitomized toughness, earning the nickname ‘Bull,’ and you can still find his name in the records books at the ‘U’ nearly 70 years later.” Bosseler was a first-round selection by Washington in 1957, drafted ninth overall that year, and rushed for 3,112 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight NFL seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 1959.
Among those taken ahead of Bosseler in that 1957 draft: No. 1 pick Paul Hornung and No. 6 pick Jim Brown.
Bosseler called them both after the draft to ask what they signed for, then secured a $10,000 contract with a $500 signing bonus from Washington. “And in typical Don Bosseler fashion, he came home with that $500 and spent it all with his University of Miami teammate friends in one night,” his son, Greg Bosseler, said Thursday. “I think they had a good time.
” Don Bosseler played his high school football in Batavia, New York, near Buffalo, and was heavily recruited. He chose Miami, but .
