Leonard Emil Rohde (''Pronounced:'' RO-dee) (April 16, 1938 – May 13, 2017) 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 an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for 15 seasons with 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 ...

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 helped the 49ers win the

NFC West The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Card ...

Division from 1970 to 1972 and he was selected to the

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 ...

after the 1970 season. Rohde 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

Utah State Aggies The Utah State Aggies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Utah State University, located in Logan, Utah. Utah State fields 16 – seven men and nine women – National Collegiate Athletic ...

. Remembered as one of the most durable players in team history, Rohde played in 208 consecutive games over the course of a 15 year NFL career.

Early life

Len Rohde was born April 16, 1938, in

Palatine, Illinois Palatine () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Lake County, Illinois, Lake counties, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

, the son of Emil Rohde, a farmer."Meet the Aggies: Len Rohde,"
''Logan THerald-Journal,'' Sept. 4, 1958, p. 4. He attended

Palatine High School Palatine High School, or PHS, is a public four-year high school in Township High School District 211. Located at 1111 N. Rohlwing Road in Palatine, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago, it serves primarily all of and only those ...

, where he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, wrestled in the heavyweight division, and participated in the power disciplines of

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and discus on the school's

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

team. Rohde was successful in these various high school athletic pursuits, winning the Illinois state high school wrestling championship and setting a new Northwest conference record as a shot putter (12#, 50'0"), in helping to lead the Pirates to a 9th consecutive title as a senior in 1955-56.

College career

Rohde attended

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

. After spending the 1956 season on the freshman team, Rohde was made a member of the varsity in 1957, where the 6'3", 220-pounder immediately challenged for and won a starting spot at right tackle, beating out a junior letterman for the role. As the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

had reinstituted the

single platoon system The one-platoon system, also known as "iron man football", is a rule-driven substitution pattern in American football whereby the same players were expected to stay on the field for the entire game, playing both offense and defense as required. P ...

effective with the 1953 season, Rohde played in both an offensive and defensive capacity for the Aggies. Indeed, his agility, strength, and conditioning was such that he frequently played the entire duration of the game without substitution — gaining recognition as a "60-Minute Man". Despite Utah State's lack of success on the field, Rohde's play even as a sophomore began to attract regional attention for potential

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

consideration.Steve Smilanich
"Three Skyline Stars Seek All-America: Len Rohde of Utaah State Gets Support in National Voting,"
''Ogden Standard-Examiner,'' Nov. 19, 1958, p. 5B. Rohde continued to be a multi-sport athlete at Utah state, playing football in the fall, wrestling in the winter months, and throwing shot put in the spring. He began his school career majoring in agricultural economics but switched majors and ultimately graduated from Utah State in 1960 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in education.Joel Bussert and John Duxbury (eds.), ''Football Register, 1966.'' St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1966; p. 165. He continued his education while playing professional football, earning a Masters degree from

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

in 1969.Mike Duchant and Joe Marcin (eds.), ''Football Register: 1975 Edition.'' St. Louis, MO: The Sporting News, 1975, p. 285.

Professional career

Rohde was selected in the 5th round of the

1960 NFL draft The 1960 NFL draft in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on November 30, 1959. Many players, including half of thos ...

by the

, who made him the 59th player taken. He spent the first three years of his NFL career primarily in a reserve role, backing up

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 ...

offensive right tackle Bob St. Clair.Matt Maiocco
Former 49ers Offensive Lineman Len Rohde Dies at 79,"
NBC Sports, May 15, 2017. He saw action in all 40 games played by the Niners during these three seasons, posting 11 spot appearances as a starter."Len Rohde,"
Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com He was moved to a starting role on the other side in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

and started as the team's left tackle without missing a single game until his retirement at the end of the 1974 season. Rohde was an important part of the 49ers offense that led the NFL in points scored and yardage gained in 1965 and 1970. He was recognized by the league by selection to the

after the 1970 season. Rohde planned on coming back for a 16th NFL season in 1975, but the 37-year old lineman was taken aside by head coach Dick Nolan, who told him, "Len, you've been a fantastic team player your whole life. You could probably do the team another big favor and retire." With his back starting to cause him trouble, Rohde chose to take the hint and filed his retirement paperwork with the league office.

Life after football

Rohde married the former Beverly Ann Boston in December 1961. The pair raised one son. Beginning in 1976, Rohde launched a second career in the food industry ultimately becoming the owner of six

Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...

franchises and holding majority stakes in five

Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, ...

restaurants, all in the San Francisco Bay area.

Death and legacy

Rohde died on May 13, 2017, aged 79. Rohde's 208 career games played stands as the most ever by a 49ers lineman. Having appeared in every game of a 15-year NFL career without a single miss, he is regarded as the most durable player in team history.Matt Maiocco, ''San Francisco 49ers: Where Have You Gone?'' Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing LLC, 2005; pp. 71–74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohde, Len 1938 births 2017 deaths Sportspeople from Palatine, Illinois Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois American football offensive tackles San Francisco 49ers players National Conference Pro Bowl players Utah State Aggies football players Burger King people