William John Reichardt (June 24, 1930 – June 1, 2004) was a

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

and

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

who played for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. Reichardt played

collegiate ball College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most o ...

for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

before being drafted by Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the

1952 NFL Draft The 1952 National Football League Draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York. Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans. This was the sixth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick de ...

. He played professionally for one season, in 1952. Reichardt subsequently opened a men's clothing store in Des Moines, Ia., and became a prominent businessman and community leader. An engaging speaker with homespun charm, Reichardt's business motto was that no sale was ever final and that if there was ever a problem with one of his suits, he would make sure to make things right. He died of cancer on June 1, 2004. Born to Herb Reichardt on June 24, 1930, William "Bill" Reichardt attended Iowa City public schools until his graduation in 1948. In recognition for his high school football exploits, Reichardt received a place on the All-State football team in 1946 and 1947. Continuing to play football, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Iowa in 1952. After graduation, Reichardt spent one season with the Green Bay Packers and then joined the Air Force, where he served as a First Lieutenant for two years during the Korean War. He founded Reichardt's Inc.--a chain of men's clothing stores—and has been very active in community affairs. In addition, Reichardt started the Little All-American Football League in Des Moines and coached for 30 years. In 1964 Reichardt was elected to the Iowa State Legislature where he served Polk County for two years in the Iowa House of Representatives; in 1966 won election to the Iowa State Senate, where he served four years. During his tenure in state government Reichardt sponsored the bill to resume an annual Iowa – Iowa State football game. In 1994, Reichardt was a Democratic candidate for governor during the primary elections and in 1999 he circulated a petition to become a mayoral candidate for the City of Des Moines, but did not pursue the position.

Legacy

Camerado Publishing released a novel entitled ''The Best Seller'', written by Bill's son, Doug Reichardt and granddaughter, Katie Bishop. The novel chronicles Reichardt's early business career and the relationship principles which led to his notoriety in the community.

References

1930 births 2004 deaths Sportspeople from Iowa City, Iowa Players of American football from Iowa American football fullbacks American football placekickers Iowa Hawkeyes football players Green Bay Packers players American athlete-politicians Candidates in the 1994 United States elections Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Democratic Party Iowa state senators Deaths from cancer in Iowa Iowa City High School alumni {{Amfoot-kicker-stub