William Neal Saul (November 19, 1940 – September 12, 2006) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

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 ...

(NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers,

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Penn State University. Saul was the first player to be outfitted with a wireless microphone worn during an NFL game by Jack Newman of

NFL Films NFL Productions, LLC, doing business as NFL Films, is the film and television production company of the National Football League. It produces commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries for and about the NFL, as well as ...

, the league's in-house filmmaking division.

Early years

Saul attended Butler Senior High School, where he played football,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. He played as a two-way end in football. He accepted a football scholarship from Penn State University. He was switched from end, to guard, to center. As a senior, he was a backup at center behind Jay Huffman. He also practiced

. In the 1959-60 season, he appeared in 11 games, averaging 6.1 points and 4 rebounds per contest. In the 1960-61 season, he played in one game, posting 2 points and one rebound.

Professional career

Saul was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the second round (23rd overall) of the

1962 NFL Draft The 1962 National Football League draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The Washington Redskins used the first overall pick of the draft to select running back Ernie Davis, then subsequently traded him ...

. He also was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the ninth round (68th overall) of the 1962 AFL Draft. As a rookie, he was a backup at

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

. In 1963, he focused on the

position and remained a backup as he gained experience. On September 7, 1964, he was traded along with rookie halfback Marv Woodson to the Pittsburgh Steelers, in exchange for placekicker

Lou Michaels Louis Andrew "Lou" Michaels (originally Majka) (September 28, 1935 – January 19, 2016) was an American football player who was a standout defensive lineman for the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1955 to 1957. After Kentucky's victory ov ...

and a third round pick (#36- Glenn Ressler). In 1964, the Steelers acquired Saul after starter Myron Pottios suffered a broken right arm in the last preseason game. He appeared in 13 games with 10 starts. In 1965, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, with a kidney injury that he suffered in the preseason game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

. In 1966, he was named the team's starter at

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. On December 10, 1967, in the contest against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

, he became the first player to wear a wireless microphone during an NFL game. On July 28, 1969, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, in exchange for an undisclosed future draft choice (not exercised). He was released on September 3. On September 4, the

acquired his rights from the Cowboys, in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash. On September 1, 1970, he was released from the Saints roster. In September, he signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in 13 games as a backup at

Personal life

Saul was the older brother of NFL players Rich Saul and Ron Saul. He died on September 12, 2006.

References

External links

Video: The First Mic'd Up Player in Football History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saul, Bill 1940 births 2006 deaths People from Butler, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football linebackers Penn State Nittany Lions football players Baltimore Colts players Pittsburgh Steelers players New Orleans Saints players Detroit Lions players Basketball players from Pennsylvania Penn State Nittany Lions basketball players