Robert Corr Breitenstein (May 8, 1943 – March 13, 2023) was a professional American football player in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) 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 NFL.
| No. 76, 75, 65 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle, Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | May 8, 1943 Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||
| Died: | March 13, 2023 (aged 79) | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Farmington (Farmington, New Mexico) | ||||||
| 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 | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early years
editBreitenstein attended Farmington High School, where he was a teammate of future NFL player Ralph Neely.[3]
Breitenstein accepted a football scholarship from the University of Tulsa. He played as an offensive tackle.
As a senior in 1964, he contributed to the team leading the nation in average yards (461.8 yards) and in scoring average per game (38.4 points). He also was a part of the team that defeated Ole Miss, 14-7 in the 1964 Bluebonnet Bowl.[4]
In 1994, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame.
Professional career
editDenver Broncos
editBreitenstein was selected in the fifth round (33rd overall) of the 1965 AFL draft by the Denver Broncos.[5] He was also selected by the Washington Redskins in the second round (21st overall) of the 1965 NFL draft.[6] He signed with the Broncos, although he later tried to invalidate the contract.[7]
As a rookie, he started in 7 games, while sharing the left tackle position with Lee Bernet.[8] In 1966, he started all 14 games.
On July 1, 1967, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (#117-Mike Bragg).
Minnesota Vikings
editOn October 5, 1967, he was activated from the taxi squad and played in 11 games.[9] On August 5, 1968, he walked out of training camp in a contract dispute and was placed on the reserve list.[10] On October 19, 1968, he was traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a draft pick.[11]
Chicago Bears
editIn 1968, he was declared inactive in 9 games. He was waived on September 16, 1969.[12]
Atlanta Falcons
editIn 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.[13] An automobile accident 9 days before the 1971 training camp complicated the injury and he was not able to recover. He was released on August 23.[14]
Personal life
editAfter 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.[15]
Breitenstein died on March 13, 2023, at the age of 79.[16]
References
edit- ^ "1965 Washington Redskins". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Robert (2004). "American Football League Draft - 1965". remembertheafl.com. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Bill Connors". Tulsa World. May 30, 1991. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Roster". University of Tulsa. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Football Pros Open Battle for Player Talent". Albuquerque Journal. November 29, 1964. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "'Skins Lose First Two Choices". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 9, 1963. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Breitenstein Wants Out Of Contract". The Free Lance-Star. March 17, 1965. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Rathet, Mike (August 27, 1965). "Camp-Walking Makes Denver Coach Happy". The Free Lance-Star. Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Vikings Make Changes". Herald and Review. October 6, 1967. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Vikings Drop Two, Add One". The Evening Independent. August 6, 1968. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". The Arizona Republic. October 20, 1968. Retrieved April 17, 2023. (Subscription required.)
- ^ "Some Veterans Players Go". The Morning Record. September 17, 1969. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Falcons Lose Vet Tackle". The Milwaukee Sentinel. November 4, 1970.
- ^ "Falcons Trim Roster By 4; Small, Snyder Rejoin Team". Herald-Journal. August 24, 1971. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ O'Kane, Dan (February 15, 1995). "Breitenstein's Induction Set". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "TU Mourns Loss of Golden Hurricane Hall of Famer Bob Breitenstein". tulsahurricane.com. Tulsa, Oklahoma. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.