Darrel Godsil Aschbacher (; June 2, 1935July 15, 2023) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for one season in the

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) for 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 one season in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Boise State Broncos The Boise State Broncos are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Boise State University, located in Boise, Idaho. The Broncos compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Mount ...

and

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

and was signed by the Eagles as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in . He also was on the rosters of the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

, but did not play.

Early life and education

Darrel Godsil Aschbacher was born on June 2, 1935, in

Prineville, Oregon Prineville is a city in and the county seat, seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant to establish businesses in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 10,429 at the United States Census 2010 ...

. He attended

Crook County High School Crook County High School (CCHS) is a public high school in Prineville, Oregon, United States. It is the sole high school of the Crook County School District. The district covers all of Crook County, and a section of Deschutes County, which inc ...

near there, and was a member of their 1952 state championship football team. Aschbacher first played

for Boise Junior College (now Boise State University), being named all-conference. His coach called him "The kind of a guy that would consider playing in the Rose Bowl the highlight of his life ... he really likes to play. He is one of the most enthusiastic players it has even been my privilege to handle." Aschbacher transferred to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 1957, earning a

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. A person who ...

in his first year with the team. As a senior, he helped the team reach the

1958 Rose Bowl The 1958 Rose Bowl was the 44th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference defeated the Oregon Ducks of t ...

, losing to the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

by three points.

Professional career

Aschbacher went unselected in the

1959 NFL draft The 1959 NFL draft had its first four rounds held on December 1, 1958, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 21, 1959. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia. With the first overall pick in the draft, the Green Bay Pa ...

, being overlooked by every team.

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Norm Van Brocklin Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "the Dutchman", was an American professional football player, coach and executive. He played as a quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. ...

persuaded the team to give him a tryout, and he made the final roster. Though a team spokesperson said he would be used as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

, he ended up playing the

position. Overall, in the 1959 season, he appeared in eleven games, starting four while splitting time with Gerry Huth. He wore number 50 with Philadelphia. He re-signed with them in July, but was released early in the 1960 season, missing the team's

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

. After being released by the Eagles, Aschbacher was signed by the

, but was inactive for the entire season. He left the team on August 1, 1961, saying he wanted to return to his home in Prineville, Oregon. He then retired to become a commercial pilot, but returned in to play in the

(CFL) for the

. Wearing number 61, Aschbacher appeared in twelve games with Saskatchewan. He was traded to the

in , but requested a release and retired for a final time.

Personal life and death

Aschbacher returned to being a commercial pilot after his stint in the CFL, serving with

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

for three decades until retiring at age 60. He died on July 15, 2023, at the age of 88.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aschbacher, Darrel 1935 births 2023 deaths American football guards Boise Broncos football players Montreal Alouettes players Oregon Ducks football players Philadelphia Eagles players Saskatchewan Roughriders players People from Prineville, Oregon Players of American football from Oregon Players of Canadian football from Oregon