1. Velles Alvin Heckman was an American college football player.
11 Facts About Vel Heckman
1. 2.
Vel Heckman played at the tackle position for the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida, and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1958.
3.
Vel Heckman enrolled at the University of Florida in 1954, but dropped out of the university in 1955.
4.
Vel Heckman returned in 1956 and played at the tackle position for head coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football teams from 1956 to 1958.
5.
Vel Heckman received first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and United Press International, as well as the Daytona Beach Quarterback Club's award as the outstanding senior college football player in the State of Florida.
6.
Vel Heckman was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 10th round of the 1958 NFL draft.
7.
Vel Heckman signed with the 49ers in January 1959, and indicated in the 1959 Seminole yearbook that he intended to play pro football after graduating.
8.
Vel Heckman later worked as a high school football coach in Winter Garden, Florida.
9.
Vel Heckman was married to Frances Carol Geddings from April 1999 until his death in September 2024.
10.
Vel Heckman was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great".
11.
Vel Heckman died on September 24,2024, at the age of 88.