John Witte

For the Canadian-American academic, see John Witte Jr.

John August Witte
Born:(1933-01-29)January 29, 1933
Died:March 17, 1993(1993-03-17) (aged 60)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Career information
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Tackle
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight235 lb (107 kg)
CollegeOregon State
High schoolKlamath Falls (OR) Union
NFL draft1955, round: 9, pick: 103
Drafted byLos Angeles Rams
Career history
As player
1957Saskatchewan Roughriders
Career highlights and awards
Medal record
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oregon State Beavers
NCAA Championships
Silver medal – second place 1952 Fort Collins Heavyweight

John August Witte (January 29, 1933 – March 17, 1993) was an American football tackle who played one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the ninth round of the 1955 NFL draft.[1]

Early life

Witte played college football at Oregon State University and attended Klamath Union High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was a consensus All-American in 1956.[2][3] Witte was also a wrestler at Oregon State and finished second at the NCAA Championships as a freshman.[4] He served in the United States Army during the Korean War and became a corporal.[5]

After football

After his football career, Witte had a brief career as a professional wrestler before moving into a career in education.[6] He taught high school and coached football, including 24 years at Jefferson High School, where he served 17 years as dean of students.[6] He died of leukemia in Portland in 1993.[6] He was inducted to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "1955 NFL Draft". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  2. ^ Carlson, Kip (2006). Oregon State Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 9780738531373.
  3. ^ "John Witte". lostlettermen.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  4. ^ "JOHN WITTE • 1955 & 1956" (PDF). osubeavers.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "John Witte – Football". oregonsportshall.org. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d "Ex-OSU All-American Witte dies of leukemia at age 60". The Oregonian. March 18, 1993. p. D5.