William Henry Boedeker, Jr. (March 7, 1924 – March 21, 2014) was a halfback in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

(AAFC) and

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) who played for the

Chicago Rockets The Chicago Rockets were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets. Unlike the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, a ...

, the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

and the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. A graduate of North Side High School in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, Boedeker entered the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

after high school but was sent to train at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. At DePaul, he played basketball on successful teams with

George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...

before serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. When Boedeker returned from the service, he signed in 1946 to play football for the Rockets. He was traded to Cleveland in 1947 and spent three seasons there. The Browns won the AAFC championship each of those years. Boedeker was then sent to the Packers and the Eagles in 1950. He retired after the season.

Early life and college

Born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Boedeker grew up in

and attended the city's North Side High School. He enlisted in the United States Army immediately after graduating from high school in 1942 and was sent to a military program at

. At DePaul he played on several successful basketball teams alongside

, including a freshman team that won 17 of 18 games in the 1942–1943 season. Boedeker was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart during

Professional football career

Returning after three years of service, Boedeker planned to return to DePaul to play basketball, but was first given a tryout to play for the

in the

(AAFC) in 1946. He had not played football in college and had a piece of shrapnel in his leg from the war, but a DePaul coach recommended him to the Rockets nevertheless. Boedeker made the team, making him the first person from Fort Wayne to play professional football. He stayed in Chicago for one year before being traded to the AAFC's

for end John Harrington (American football), John Harrington and tackle Jim Daniell. Boedeker played as a halfback (American football), halfback in Cleveland as part of a rushing attack that featured Marion Motley and Edgar Jones (running back), Edgar Jones. He was also a kick returner. Paul Brown, the head coach of the Browns, called him "one of the most reckless runners who ever played for us and a terror when he ran back kicks". Cleveland finished the 1947 season with a 12–1–1 record with Boedeker in the backfield and beat the New York Yankees (AAFC), New York Yankees in the AAFC championship game. The team finished the 1948 season with a perfect record, winning all of its games and another championship. A third championship followed in 1949, but the AAFC dissolved after the season and the Browns were absorbed into the more established

(NFL). Boedeker continued his college studies at Kalamazoo College between seasons with the Browns. Boedeker's reckless running style earned him praise but also caused frequent injury. Brown said in 1949 that it was not carelessness but a "special kind of talent". Boedeker moved in 1950 to the NFL's

and later in the season was sent to the

. He left football after the season.

Later life

Boedeker earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a degree in engineering from DePaul. He settled in Fort Wayne after his football career. He worked in the 1950s as a sales director at Capehart-Farnsworth Corporation. In the 1960s, he was an executive at a television distribution firm in Fort Wayne. He died two weeks after his 90th birthday in March 2014.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boedeker, Bill 1924 births 2014 deaths DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players DePaul Blue Demons football players Basketball players from Milwaukee Players of American football from Milwaukee American football halfbacks United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Milwaukee Chicago Rockets players Cleveland Browns players Green Bay Packers players Philadelphia Eagles players American men's basketball players United States Army soldiers