Elmer Joseph "Bud" Angsman Jr. (December 11, 1925 – April 11, 2002) 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 halfback for the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

of 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) from 1946 to 1952. He was the leading rusher on the 1947 Cardinals team that won the NFL championship. In the 1947 NFL Championship Game, he set a championship game record with 159 rushing yards, including two runs of 70 yards each. In both 1948 and 1949, he ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards per carry and third in total rushing yards. After the 1950 season, he was selected to the inaugural

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

. Angsman also 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

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

from 1943 to 1945. As a 17-year-old freshman, he was a reserve player on their 1943 team that won a national championship. He was selected by the Cardinals with the 16th overall pick in the 1946 NFL draft.

Early life and career

Angsman was born in Chicago in 1925. He grew up on Chicago's South Side and attended Mount Carmel High School. Angsman played

for Notre Dame from 1943 to 1945. He was a 17-year-old reserve player on the

1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team The 1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1943 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and 1 loss, winning the NCAA Division I-A nationa ...

that won a national championship. He played fullback and halfback on Notre Dame's 1944 and 1945 teams. He lost several teeth in a 6-6 tie with No. 3

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

in November 1945. He was also a member of the college all-star team that defeated the NFL champion Cleveland Rams in August 1946.

Chicago Cardinals

Angsman was selected by the

in the third round, 16th overall pick, of the 1946 NFL draft. As a rookie in 1946, he rushed for 328 yards on 48 carries for a career-high average of 6.8 yards per carry. In 1947, he led the Cardinals with 412 rushing yards on 110 carries. In the 1947 NFL Championship Game against 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 ...

, Angsman set a new record for an NFL championship game with 159 rushing yards on 10 carries, breaking the prior record of 109 yards set by Bill Osmanski in 1940. Angsman scored twice on runs of 70 yards each. At the time of his death in 2002, his 15.9 yard per carry average was still an NFL post-season record (10 carries or more). Don Paul, a former defensive back for the Cardinals and later 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 ...

, described Angsman as "a straight ahead north and south runner who would just as soon leave cleat marks on your balls as run around you." In 1948, Angsman ranked third in the NFL with 638 rushing yards on 120 carries, trailing only Steve Van Buren (945 yards) and teammate Charley Trippi (690 yards). Angsman's eight rushing touchdowns and his average of 4.9 yards per carry both ranked second in the NFL. The Cards edged the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

for the West Conference title. They met the Eagles once again in the 1948 NFL Championship Game now referred to as "The Blizzard Bowl". The field was covered by snow and the entire game was played in a storm. The Cardinals running attack was greatly hampered. Angsman gained only 33 yards on 10 carries. The Eagles won the game, 7–0. Angsman had his best season in 1949 with 674 yards rushing, again ranking third best in the NFL. His 1949 average of 5.4 yards per carry ranked second in the NFL. Angsman's production fell off significantly in 1950 and 1951, with 363 and 380 yards, respectively, and an average under 3.5 yards per carry. Angsman was selected to the inaugural

after the 1950 season. By 1952, with rookie halfback

Ollie Matson Ollie Genoa Matson II (May 1, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was an American Olympic medal winning sprinter and professional football player. He played as a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 t ...

joining the club, Angsman was relegated to a backup role. He retired after the 1952 season at age 27. He finished with career totals of 683 carries, 2,908 rushing yards (4.3 yards per carry), and 27 touchdowns. He caught 41 passes for 654 yards and five touchdowns.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Family and later years

Angsman was married in 1951 to Suzanne Skahen. He later remarried to his second wife, Diane After his playing career ended, Angsman founded a food brokerate business. In the early 1980s, he and two partners founded a company in Indiana that manufactured paper plates. He continued working for the paper plate business until his retirement in 1998. In 1958, Angsman began work for CBS Radio as a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

on football games. He later worked as a color commentator on college and professional football games for ABC and then

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. He retired from broadcasting in 1972. Angsman called college and pro games, most notably the

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Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

and several

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...

games. He is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. In later years, Angsman had homes in both Chicago and

Juno Beach, Florida Juno Beach is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Juno Beach is home to the headquarters of Florida Power & Light, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the Seminole Golf Club. It was also the original county seat for the area tha ...

. He died in April 2002, suffering a

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on the golf course at Ironhorse Country Club in

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angsman, Elmer 1925 births 2002 deaths American Football League announcers American football running backs Chicago Cardinals players College football announcers Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Players of American football from Chicago People from Juno Beach, Florida Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida