Charles A. Boswell (December 22, 1916 – October 22, 1995) was an

Alabama football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Asso ...

player and a blind golf player who fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was born in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. He graduated from

Ensley High School Ensley High School, located in the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama (United States), was founded in 1901 to serve the then-independent community of Ensley, which was centered on major plants operated by U.S. Steel and the American Cas ...

in 1936, earning a football scholarship to attend the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. He won a minor league baseball spot with the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

in 1941, but was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was promoted to captain of the Third Battalion, 335th Infantry Regiment, 84th Infantry Division. During action, Boswell was attempting to rescue a wounded comrade from a burning

Sherman tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

when the tank exploded, leaving him permanently blinded. He took up golf during his rehabilitation and eventually placed second at the National

Blind Golf Disability golf classification is used for deaf golf, blind golf, amputee golf, golf for the mentally disabled, paraplegic golf and other forms of golf involving people with disabilities. Classifications Amputee golf Blind golf Blind golf is a ...

Championship in 1946. He won the championship at the Northland Country Club in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

the following year. He subsequently won 16 national championships and 11 international championships over the span of his career. During his career, Boswell shot three hole in ones. He was inducted into the

Alabama Hall of Fame The Alabama Hall of Fame was established by Act of Alabama No. 646 (1951) to recognize "worthy citizens of the state who rendered outstanding service or who won fame on account of their achievements as to make them exceptional in the history of Alab ...

in 1972.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, Charlie 1916 births 1995 deaths Golfers from Birmingham, Alabama Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Sportspeople with a vision impairment Alabama Crimson Tide football players American disabled sportspeople