When Bill Boedeker returned from the service, he signed in 1946 to play football for the Rockets.
16 Facts About Bill Boedeker
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2.
Bill Boedeker was traded to Cleveland in 1947 and spent three seasons there.
3.
Bill Boedeker was then sent to the Packers and the Eagles in 1950.
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Bill Boedeker enlisted in the United States Army immediately after graduating from high school in 1942 and was sent to a military program at DePaul University in Chicago.
5.
Bill Boedeker was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart during World War II.
6.
Bill Boedeker had not played football in college and had a piece of shrapnel in his leg from the war, but a DePaul coach recommended him to the Rockets nevertheless.
7.
Bill Boedeker made the team, making him the first person from Fort Wayne to play professional football.
8.
Bill Boedeker stayed in Chicago for one year before being traded to the AAFC's Cleveland Browns for end John Harrington and tackle Jim Daniell.
9.
Bill Boedeker played as a halfback in Cleveland as part of a rushing attack that featured Marion Motley and Edgar Jones.
10.
Bill Boedeker continued his college studies at Kalamazoo College between seasons with the Browns.
11.
Bill Boedeker's reckless running style earned him praise but caused frequent injury.
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Bill Boedeker moved in 1950 to the NFL's Green Bay Packers and later in the season was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles.
13.
Bill Boedeker earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a degree in engineering from DePaul.
14.
Bill Boedeker settled in Fort Wayne after his football career.
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Bill Boedeker worked in the 1950s as a sales director at Capehart-Farnsworth Corporation.
16.
Bill Boedeker died two weeks after his 90th birthday in March 2014.