Bob Breitenstein (offensive lineman)

Robert Corr Breitenstein (born May 8, 1943) is a former a professional American football player in the American Football League and National Football League for the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at the University of Tulsa. He is distinguished as being the first Argentine to play in the National Football League.

Bob Breitenstein
No. 76, 75, 65
Position:Tackle / Guard
Personal information
Born: (1943-05-08) May 8, 1943
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:Farmington (NM)
College:Tulsa
NFL Draft:1965 / Round: 2 / Pick: 21
(by the Washington Redskins)[1]
AFL draft:1965 / Round: 5 / Pick: 33
(Denver Broncos)[2]
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:58
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Breitenstein attended Farmington High School, where he was a teammate of future NFL player Ralph Neely.[3]

He accepted a scholarship from the University of Tulsa and was a part of the team that defeated Ole Miss, 14-7 in the 1964 Bluebonnet Bowl.

In 1994, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Breitenstein was selected in the fifth round (33rd overall) of the 1965 AFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He was also selected by the Washington Redskins in the second round (21st overall) of the 1965 NFL Draft.[4] He signed with the Broncos, although he later tried to invalidate the contract.[5]

As a rookie, he shared the starter left tackle position with Lee Bernet.[6] The next year, he became the regular starter. He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (#117-Mike Bragg).

Minnesota Vikings

On October 4, 1967, he was activated from the taxi squad and played in 11 games. On August 5, 1968, he walked out of training camp in a contract dispute and was placed on the reserve list.[7] On October 19, he was traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a draft pick.[8]

Chicago Bears

In 1968, he was declared inactive in 9 games. He was waived on September 16, 1969.[9]

Atlanta Falcons

In 1969, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons and played in 10 games. In 1970, after playing in 7 games, he was lost for the year with a knee injury.[10] An automobile accident 9 days before the 1971 training camp complicated the injury and was not able to recover. He was released on August 23.[11]

Personal information

After football, he owned and operated an insurance agency. He was a vice president of the National Football League Players Association for the state of Oklahoma. He appeared in the movie Brian's Song, when the director used actual footage, showing him helping cart running back Gale Sayers off on a stretcher.[12]

References
  1. "1965 Washington Redskins". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. "American Football League Draft - 1965". remembertheafl.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  3. "Bill Connors". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  4. "'Skins Lose First Two Choices". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 9, 1963. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  5. "Breitenstein Wants Out Of Contract". The Free Lance-Star. March 17, 1965. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  6. Rathet, Mike (August 27, 1965). "Camp-Walking Makes Denver Coach Happy". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  7. "Vikings Drop Two, Add One". The Evening Independent. August 6, 1968. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  8. "Transactions". The Arizona Republic. October 20, 1968. Retrieved April 17, 2016. (Subscription required.)
  9. "Some Veterans Players Go". The Morning Record. September 17, 1969. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  10. "Falcons Lose Vet Tackle". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 4, 1970. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  11. "Falcons Trim Roster By 4; Small, Snyder Rejoin Team". Herald-Journal. August 24, 1971. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  12. O'Kane, Dan. "Breitenstein's Induction Set". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
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