Former Washington First Round Pick, Pro Bowl RB Dies at 88 Years Old

Getty Washington running back Don Bosseler.

The Washington Commanders have lost one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

The team’s official website announced the death of former running back Don Bosseler on November 7 at 88 years old. Bosseler was living in Atlanta.

“The ninth overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, Bosseler spent his entire pro career in Washington,” Commanders.com’s Hannah Lichtenstein wrote. “Nicknamed ‘Bull’ because of the way he would run through tacklers, Bosseler was a force on Washington’s offense from 1957 to 1964. During his eight seasons with the Burgundy & Gold, he rushed for 3,112 yards and racked up 22 touchdowns. The fullback was named to the Pro Bowl following his 1959 season.”

Bosseler was named to the list of the franchise’s 80 Greatest players in 2012 to celebrate the team’s 80th anniversary.

Starring for the Hurricanes to NFL Stardom

Bosseler was a high school football star at Batavia (N.Y.) High School before heading south to play college football for the University of Miami.

Bosseler, a fullback, led Miami to an 8-1-1 record as a senior in 1956 and was named All-American along with being named Senior Bowl MVP. Miami’s No. 6 finish in the final AP Poll in 1956 was the highest finish in school history at the time.

Washington selected him in the first round (No. 9 overall) of the 1957 NFL draft and he played all 8 seasons of his pro career with the team. Bosseler made his lone Pro Bowl in 1959 and had over 500 yards of total offense in 6 out of his 8 seasons. Bosseler retired in 1964 as the franchise’s career leading rusher.

For his era — maybe for any era — Bosseler was an outstanding pass-catching running back and finished his career with 4,195 yards of total offense, including 136 receptions for 1,083 receiving yards.

As a rookie, Bosseler finished third in the NFL in rushing behind Chicago Bears All-Pro Rick Casares and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns.

Bosseler finished his career as one of just 11 players in franchise history with over 3,000 rushing yards. He was inducted into the Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

History of Commanders’ First-Round Picks at RB

While Bosseler wasn’t the first running back taken by Washington in the first round, he was arguably the best first-round pick for the franchise, regardless of position, since they took Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh with the No. 6 overall pick out of TCU in the 1937 NFL draft.

Washington wouldn’t take another running back in the first round until drafting Syracuse’s Ernie Davis at No. 1 overall in 1962, although they almost immediately traded him to the Cleveland Browns.

After Davis, Washington didn’t draft another running back in the first round until they took Ray McDonald with the No. 13 overall pick out of Idaho in the 1967 NFL draft. McDonald only played 13 games over 2 seasons and rushed for 223 career yards and 4 touchdowns.

In the almost 60 years since, Washington hasn’t selected a running back in the first round of the NFL draft — not a single one.

The franchise’s two career leading rushers, John Riggins and Clinton Portis, were both drafted by other teams.