Virgilee Clinton "Bo" Bolinger (December 26, 1932 – August 5, 2011) 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 with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played one season with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He was drafted by the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

of 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) in the thirteenth round of the 1956 NFL Draft. Bolinger played

college football 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 ...

at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

and attended Central High School in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

. He was a consensus All-American in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. Bolinger also served as a football coach and scout for various organizations.

Early years

Bolinger played football at Central High School in

. He was a member of the "B Boys" that included Kurt and Robert Burris and

Max Boydston Max Ray Boydston (January 22, 1932 – December 12, 1998) was a professional gridiron football end who played in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the American Football League (AFL). College career Born i ...

. They had all played high school football together and went on to play for the

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

College career

Bolinger was a Consensus All-American and ninth in

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

voting in

. He was member of the 1955 Oklahoma Sooners

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

team.

Professional career

Bolinger was drafted by the

of the NFL with the 149th pick in the 1956 NFL Draft. He spent the 1956 season with the

of the CFL.

Coaching career

Bolinger was head coach of the Miami High School football team in

Miami, Oklahoma Miami ( ) is a city in and county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom. This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of ...

in 1957. He was coach of the offensive and defensive lines at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

from 1958 to 1960. He was defensive coordinator at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

from 1961 to 1962. He was offensive and defensive coordinator for the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

from 1963 to 1967. Bolinger was the offensive coordinator at

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

in 1968. He then spent two seasons as offensive line coach of the Calgary Stampeders.

Scouting career

Bolinger joined the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

in 1971. He was Director of College Scouting from 1994 to 1997 and Senior Scout from 1998 to 2000. He then served as a scout for the Tennessee Titans for eight seasons.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsFanbase profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolinger, Bo 1932 births 2011 deaths American football offensive guards Players of Canadian football from Oklahoma Canadian football offensive linemen Arizona Cardinals scouts Calgary Stampeders coaches Edmonton Elks players Oklahoma Sooners football players New Mexico Lobos football coaches Tennessee Titans scouts Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches Utah State Aggies football coaches All-American college football players University of Denver faculty Sportspeople from Muskogee, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma