Bob Pickens (February 2, 1943 – April 12, 2018) was a player in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the third round of the

1966 NFL Draft The 1966 National Football League draft was held at the Summit Hotel in New York City on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The expansion Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in each round as well as the final pick in each of the first five rou ...

by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and played three seasons with the team. Pickens was also an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Greco-Roman wrestler Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling ( Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mo ...

, competing in Tokyo, Japan, in the heavyweight division at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

, where he finished sixth. Pickens was the first African-American to compete for the United States in wrestling at the Olympics. He played collegiate football at Nebraska, transferring there after originally attending Wisconsin. Pickens did not wrestle for either university, although he still continued his wrestling at various club organizations.Bob Pickens - Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association
Retrieved November 1, 2023. After his pro football career, Pickens became a referee, officiating in the Big Ten Conference and a number of postseason games, including the Rose Bowl. He also served on the Chicago Park District Board for several years.

References

1943 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportspeople American football offensive tackles Canadian football offensive linemen American male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for the United States Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Chicago Bears players Edmonton Elks players Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestlers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Players of American football from Chicago Players of Canadian football from Chicago Wisconsin Badgers football players {{offensive-lineman-1940s-stub