Lester Bois Goble (July 23, 1932 – December 2, 2019) 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 ...

halfback who played two seasons with 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). He was selected by the Cardinals in the thirteenth round of the

1954 NFL draft The 1954 NFL draft was held on January 28, 1954, at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the eighth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous seven winners ineligible from the ...

after playing

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 ...

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred, New York, United States. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the statutory New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The In ...

Early life

Lester Bois Goble was born on July 23, 1932 in

Waverly, Tioga County, New York Waverly is the largest village in Tioga County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, Waverly had a population of 4,177. It is located southeast of Elmira in the Southern Tier region. This village was incorporated as the southwes ...

, and attended Waverly High School. He participated in football,

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 ...

, and track in high school.

College career

Goble played

for the

Alfred Saxons The Alfred Saxons are composed of 21 teams representing Alfred University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, equestrian, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track and fie ...

. He was on the freshman team in 1950 and the varsity team from 1951 to 1953. He set a school record for longest run from scrimmage with a 92-yard touchdown against the

Buffalo Bulls The Buffalo Bulls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University at Buffalo (UB) in Buffalo, New York. The Bulls compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as a member of Mid-Ame ...

in 1952. Goble earned

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second-team

Little All-American The Little All-America team is an honor given annually in the United States to the best small-college players at their respective positions. The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in ever ...

honors his senior year in 1953. Goble also ran track for four years at Alfred, setting school records in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

(9.80 seconds) and the

400-meter dash The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

(49.0 seconds). He was the Eastern Intercollegiate Low Hurdle Champion his senior year. Goble also played basketball as a freshman at Alfred. He was an inaugural member of the Alfred University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973.

Professional career

Chicago Cardinals

Goble was selected by the

in the 13th round, with the 146th overall pick, of the

. He was the first player from Alfred to be selected in the NFL draft. He was also the third, and most recent Alfred player, to play in the NFL overall, with the others being Ray Witter and Frank Trigilio. Goble returned a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut. He played in all 12 games, starting two, for the Cardinals during his rookie year in 1954, totaling 27 kick returns for 749 yards and two touchdowns, 22 punt returns for 51 yards, 30 rushes for 42 yards and one touchdown, five fumbles, one interception, and one reception for negative one yard. Goble's two kick return touchdowns were the most in the league that year. He also led the NFL with 27.7 yards per kick return. Goble played in nine games during the 1955 season, recording eight kick returns for 160 yards and seven rushes for 11 yards. He was released by the Cardinals in 1956.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Goble signed with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

of the

Interprovincial Rugby Football Union The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League, its counterpart being the West Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues. T ...

on May 14, 1957. He was released on July 27, 1957.

Post-playing career

Goble was the head coach of the Syracuse Stormers of the United Football League. He owned and operated several gas stations in the

Susquehanna Valley The Susquehanna Valley is a region of low-lying land that borders the Susquehanna River in the U.S. states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The valley consists of areas that lie along the main branch of the river, which flows from Upstat ...

. He also started Thompson's Tavern in Waverly, New York. Goble was later a private electrical and plumbing contractor until retiring in his late 70s. In 2011, the '' Morning Times'' named him one of the top 25 male athletes in Susquehanna Valley history. He died on December 2, 2019, at the age of 87, in Waverly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goble, Les 1932 births 2019 deaths Players of American football from New York (state) Players of Canadian football from New York (state) American football halfbacks American football defensive backs American football return specialists Canadian football running backs Alfred Saxons football players Chicago Cardinals players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players People from Waverly, Tioga County, New York College men's track and field athletes in the United States Track and field athletes from New York (state) Alfred Saxons men's basketball players Basketball players from New York (state) United Football League (1961–1964) coaches Coaches of American football from New York (state)