CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Don Vosseler, the All-American fullback who led Miami to a sixth-place finish in the Associated Press poll in 1956 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, has died, along with his family and the National Football Association. He passed away. The foundation announced Thursday.
He was 88 years old.
Vosseler, who played eight years in the NFL, died Wednesday in Atlanta.
“Don Vosseler's talents helped bring the Miami football program to national prominence in the 1950s,” National Football Foundation President Archie Manning said in a release. “The All-American was the epitome of toughness, earning him the nickname 'Bull.' Nearly 70 years later, you can still find his name in the 'U' record books.”
Vosseler was a first-round pick by Washington in 1957 and ninth overall in that year's draft, and rushed for 3,112 yards and 22 touchdowns in eight NFL seasons.
He made the Pro Bowl in 1959.
Players taken before Vosseler in the 1957 draft included No. 1 pick Paul Hornung and No. 6 pick Jim Brown. Vosseler called both players after the draft to ask about their contracts and secured a $10,000 contract from Washington with a $500 signing bonus.
“And in typical Don Bosseler fashion, he went home with that $500 and spent it all in one night with his friends, his teammates at the University of Miami,” his son Greg Bosseler said Thursday. spoke. “I think they had a good time.”
Don Vosseler played high school football in Batavia, New York, near Buffalo, where he was heavily scouted. He chose Miami, but homesickness nearly caused him to leave after a few weeks. He packed his bags and headed to the station.
His roommate, fellow running back Don Dorsimer, called Miami coach Andy Gustafsson with a message. “Bosseler is on the run,” Dorsimer said. Gustafsson ran out of the house, arrived at the train station, found Vosseler, and begged him to come back for just one more day.
“And the rest is history,” Greg Vosseler said.
The bag has been unpacked. Vosseler led the team in rushing as a junior and senior and was named a first-team AP All-American in 1956, was named Florida State's Most Outstanding Player, and was named MVP of the Senior Bowl.
One of his best games was against the Florida Gators in 1956, when he led Miami to a 20-7 victory.
“The Bulldozer from Batavia, New York rushed for 148 yards on the ground, 23 more than the entire Gator team, had two touchdowns, intercepted one pass, recovered one fumble, was impenetrable defensively, and made one quick kick for 47 yards. earned,” Fort Lauderdale News sports editor Joe Kolb wrote that day. “Is it All-American or not?”
Greg Vosseler went to Florida and played football for the Gators. Don Vosseler respected the decision, and father and son shared a laugh about the decision over the years.
“I wasn't as talented as my dad,” Greg Bosselaer said.
After football, Don Vosseler made Miami his home until his later years when he moved to Atlanta. He was a successful stockbroker and was inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
His name is also part of the Hurricanes' Circle of Honor.
“It's definitely a valuable gift to all of us at this time that people still recognize the name even though it's been so long,” Greg Bosselaer said. “My father was my hero.”
