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Bob Kalsu

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Bob Kalsu
No. 61
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born:(1945-04-13)April 13, 1945
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Died:July 21, 1970(1970-07-21) (aged 25)
Thua Thien, South Vietnam
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Del City (OK)
College:Oklahoma
NFL draft:1968 / round: 8 / pick: 199
Career history
Player stats at PFR
Bob Kalsu
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army seal U.S. Army
Years of service1968–1970
Rank 1st Lieutenant
Unit101st Airborne Division 101st Airborne Division
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsBronze Star
Purple Heart

James Robert "Bob" Kalsu (April 13, 1945 – July 21, 1970) was an All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma and an eighth-round selection in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League.[1]

Kalsu was a starting guard for the Bills in 1968. He played the entire season and was the Bills' team rookie-of-the-year.[2] Following the 1968 season, to satisfy his Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) obligation, he entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and arrived in Vietnam in November 1969 as part of the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in action on July 21, 1970, when his unit came under enemy mortar fire at FSB Ripcord near the A Shau Valley.[1][3] His family, out of respect, refused to talk in detail about the circumstances surrounding his death.

When he had left for Vietnam, Lieutenant Kalsu had to say goodbye to his wife, Jan, and his daughter Jill. On July 23, 1970, two days after his death, Jan Kalsu gave birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr, at the Kalsu home in Oklahoma City. Mrs. Kalsu was informed of her husband's death only hours later. Kalsu and former Cleveland Brown Don Steinbrunner were the only professional football players to lose their lives in the Vietnam War.

Honors

  • FOB Kalsu in Babil, Iraq, was founded and named after him by the 105th Military Police Company from Buffalo, NY in early 2003. The name was chosen in a way to honor his sacrifice for his country and his connection to the Buffalo Bills.
  • In 1999, NFL Films produced a feature on Kalsu that was nominated for an Emmy Award.[3]
  • In 2000, the Buffalo Bills added Kalsu's name to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.[3][4][5]
  • In 2002, the replacement company at Fort Campbell was named in honor of him – 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company.[3]
  • Del City High School's football stadium bears his name.
  • There is a CrossFit Work Out of the Day (WOD) named in his honor.[6]
  • There is a post office in Del City, Oklahoma named for Kalsu. The legislation was signed in law by President Obama on Nov. 5, 2015, and the post office was dedicated on Feb. 5, 2016. The official name of the post office is the James Robert Kalsu Post Office, located at 4500 SE 28th Street in Del City, where Kalsu played high school football before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma.https://russell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-russell-dedicate-james-robert-kalsu-post-office

Video

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Nack, William (July 23, 2001). "A Name On The Wall: Football player Bob Kalsu was the only U.S. pro athlete to die in Vietnam". Sports Illustrated. p. 60.
  2. ^ Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, p.567, Jeffrey J. Miller, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0
  3. ^ a b c d Rockin’ the Rockpile, p.513
  4. ^ "Bills honor Vietnam casualty". Beaver County Times. Pennsylvania. wire services. November 13, 2000. p. B4.
  5. ^ Brown, Chris (May 30, 2011). "Bills teammates still remember Kalsu". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2010-10-06. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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