1. Charles Andrew Krueger was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 15 seasons in the National Football League, all with the San Francisco 49ers.
24 Facts About Charlie Krueger
1. 2.
Charlie Krueger was born on January 28,1937, and raised in Caldwell, Texas, the second oldest of eight children.
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Charlie Krueger's family was poor; all the boys helped out in their father's mattress factory business.
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Charlie Krueger played under head coach Bear Bryant, who Charlie Krueger considered his most important football influence.
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Charlie Krueger's teammates included 1957 Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow, future NFL All-Pro linebacker and coach Jack Pardee, and future Aggie coach Gene Stallings.
6.
Charlie Krueger received All-Southwest Conference and All-American honors for the 1956 and 1957 seasons.
7.
Charlie Krueger was part of the 1956 Aggies team that won the SWC championship.
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Charlie Krueger was selected ninth overall in the 1958 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
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Charlie Krueger played defensive tackle for the team until his retirement in 1973.
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Charlie Krueger was selected to the Associated Press All-Pro second-team in 1960 and 1965, and the UPI All-Pro honorable mention team in 1966.
11.
Charlie Krueger was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1960 and 1964.
12.
Charlie Krueger observed the most Krueger ever said to him was "'Good game, Joe'" after a game ended.
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Charlie Krueger was regularly double and tripled-teamed, freeing up his linemates to make plays.
14.
Charlie Krueger wore number 70 and his number was retired by the 49ers.
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Charlie Krueger was one of the last linemen in the NFL to wear a two-bar "quarterback" facemask.
16.
Charlie Krueger was a mentor, father figure, or big brother to many players on the team; and was particularly close with Howard Mudd.
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Charlie Krueger was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1983, and was included in the inaugural 49ers Hall of Fame class in 2009.
18.
At age 51 in 1988, Charlie Krueger was awarded more than $2.3 million in damages stemming from a lawsuit against the San Francisco 49ers.
19.
The judge found that Charlie Krueger received repeated anesthetic injections during his NFL career so that he could continue to play in spite of significant knee injuries.
20.
The decision found that the 49ers were not truthful with Charlie Krueger regarding the seriousness of his injuries, which left him with severe chronic pain after his playing days.
21.
From 1960 to his death, Charlie Krueger lived in Clayton, California where he was involved with charitable organizations.
22.
Charlie Krueger suffered health problems in his later years that prevented him from enjoying the outdoors.
23.
Charlie Krueger died at the age of 84 on February 5,2021, following heart and kidney failure, eight days after his birthday.
24.
Charlie Krueger was survived by his wife of 48 years, Kristin Adler Krueger.