Washington Redskins: 15 best first-round draft picks of all time

A prospect ahead of his time, Don Bosseler himself, per Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, can recall how different the game of football was “back in the day”.

“I played at 200 pounds,” Bosseler said in an interview, “and I think I was larger than both my guards. Sometimes, they’d be pulling and I’d have to yell, ‘Hey, not so fast!’ ”

The game of football has changed since the days of Bosseler. But even in the modern era, Bosseler would be a bruiser. Standing at 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, nicknamed “the Bull”, Bosseler was a standout for the Miami Hurricanes.

In four years with the team, he rushed for 1,642 yards. In 1956, he was the MVP of the Senior Bowl, and he earned a spot on the All-American roster, playing alongside Pro and College Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Johnny Majors. Bosseler would join Majors in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

For his exploits, the Bull was drafted No. 9 overall by the Redskins, and in the NFL, he kept on charging. Bosseler would play running back for the Redskins for eight years, logging 3,112 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns over that time, while receiving over 1,000 more yards.

Bosseler made the Pro Bowl once, in 1959. By the end of his career in 1964, he was Washington’s all-time leading rusher. The team never won more than six games in a season during Bosseler’s tenure. But “the Bull” kept them in every game.

In an era long gone, Bosseler stood out among the crowd as a man born to play football. Now, at 82 years old, he’s honored as one of the 80 greatest Redskins in history. It’s an honor that’s well-deserved.