Godfrey William Zaunbrecher (December 17, 1946 – September 19, 2023) was an American professional

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who played three seasons with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

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). He was selected by the Vikings in the eleventh round of the

1970 NFL draft The 1970 NFL draft was the 35th National Football League draft and the first of the league's modern era, following the merger of the National Football League with the American Football League. It was held on January 27–28, 1970, at the Belmont ...

after playing

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Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Early life and college

Godfrey William Zaunbrecher was born on December 17, 1946, in

Crowley, Louisiana Crowley (Local pronunciation: ) is a city in, and the parish seat of, Acadia Parish, Louisiana, Acadia Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 United States census, Crowley had a population of 11,710. Crowley is the principal city of ...

. He attended St. Michael's High School in Crowley. Zaunbrecher played

for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers (also known as the Fighting Tigers) are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiat ...

. He was on the freshman team in 1966 and was a three-year

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from 1967 to 1969. He started his final two seasons, earning second-team

All-SEC The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: * ...

honors in 1968 and first-team All-SEC accolades in 1969. He was also named to the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

his junior year and the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

his senior season.

Professional career

Zaunbrecher was selected by the

in the 11th round, with the 286th overall pick, of the

. He signed with the team on May 12. He was released on September 9, 1970, but then signed to the Vikings'

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

, where he spent the entire 1970 season. Zaunbrecher re-signed with the Vikings in 1971 but was later released and signed to the taxi squad on September 8, 1971. He was promoted to the active roster on October 15, 1971, and played in four games during the 1971 season. He also appeared in one playoff game that year. Zaunbrecher played in seven games in 1972 and five games in 1973. He was released by the Vikings on September 10, 1974.

Personal life

Zaunbrecher died on September 19, 2023, in

Los Banos, California Los Banos ( ), alternatively Los Baños ( ), is a city in Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California, near the junction of California State Route 152, Stat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaunbrecher, Godfrey 1946 births 2023 deaths Players of American football from Louisiana American football centers LSU Tigers football players Minnesota Vikings players People from Crowley, Louisiana Sportspeople from Acadia Parish, Louisiana