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Bruce Lee Bosley (November 5, 1933 – April 26, 1995)[1] was an American professional football player who was a guard and center for 14 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected to four Pro Bowls (1960, 1965–1967), and was named All-Pro four times (1959–1961, 1966). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
 Bosley in 1961 | |
| No. 77 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard, Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 5, 1933 Fresno, California, U.S. |
| Died: | April 26, 1995 (aged 61) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: | West Virginia |
| NFL draft: | 1956 / round: 2 / pick: 15 |
| Career history | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Collegiate career
editBosley was a third-team Class B all-state fullback at Green Bank High School when he was offered a full scholarship to play for the Mountaineers.
Bosley was an immediate starter and contributed to West Virginia going from 5–5 in 1951 to 7–2 in 1952. In 1954 after a dominating performance against Penn State, Bosley was named Associated Press Player of the Week. He went on to earn consensus All-America honors as a senior in 1955. West Virginia won 31 of 38 games Bosley played in during his four seasons from 1952 to 1955.
Bosley, also an Academic All-American with a degree in chemical engineering, was invited to play in the College Football All-Star Game, the North-South Game and the Senior Bowl.
Professional career
edit
The San Francisco 49ers made Bruce Bosley their second-round selection in the 1956 NFL draft. Bosley played his entire rookie season at defensive end.[2]
By 1957, Bosley switched to line and was the team's starting left guard, earning his first Pro Bowl berth in 1960. Two years later in 1962 when the team was searching for a center after an injury to starter Frank Morze, all-pro guard Bosley started at center. Bosley was named to the Pro Bowl again in 1965 and was honored two more times in 1966 and 1967.[3]
Bosley spent another season with the 49ers in 1968 and a year with the Atlanta Falcons in 1969 before retiring.[4]
Post-football
editBy 1967, Bosley was cultivating his other passion: restoring old homes. NFL Films visited his Hillsborough W.S. Crocker Estate carriage house for a show called “They Lead Two Lives,” which chronicled his career as both a star football player and respected home builder.
During the next 11 years he remodeled two other estates in Hillsborough as president of Interior Design, a home building, remodeling, interior decorating, furnishing and real-estate company.
Personal life
editBosley became part-owner of a wholesale electrical supply house in addition to his home remodeling business and was also known for his civic and charitable activities in San Francisco. Outside of football, he was a member of the board of directors for the San Francisco Annex for Cultural Arts, the mayor's committee for the San Francisco Council for the Performing Arts, and a long-time volunteer role with both the San Francisco Film Festival and the San Francisco Ballet.[5]
Bosley also served a stint as the president of the NFL Alumni Association.[6]
He lived in San Francisco until his death from a heart attack on April 26, 1995.[7]
Legacy
editBosley is listed on the San Francisco 49ers “Golden Era” team from 1946 to 1969 and he was named to the college football's 75th Silver Anniversary Team in 1981.[8]
Bosley, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, was a part of West Virginia University's second hall of fame induction class of 1992, and had his number 77 retired by the school in a pregame ceremony on September 3, 2016.[9]
He was named the state of West Virginia's 30th greatest sports figure in a poll conducted by CNNSI.com.
References
edit- ^ The Associated Press (April 29, 1995). "Bruce Bosley Football Player, 61". The New York Times. p. 29.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley". pro-football-reference.com. Sports-Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley". pro-football-reference.com. Sports-Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley". pro-football-reference.com. Sports-Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley (1992)". wvusports.com. West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley (1992)". wvusports.com. West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley: former 49er, Pro Bowler". sfgate.com. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "BRUCE BOSLEY". wvusports.com. West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ "Bruce Bosley (1992)". wvusports.com. West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2023.