Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American

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 ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

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 tea ...

player during the 1920s, who later became a

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

for over forty years. Van Sickel played college football for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and was recognized as the first-ever first-team All-American in the history of the

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of ...

program.

Early life

Dale Van Sickel was born in Eatonton, Georgia,Internet Movie Database
Dale Van Sickel
Retrieved March 25, 2010. on November 29, 1907 to William Milton Van Sickel and Ella McGaen, but grew up in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...

. His father William owned a photography studio in Gainesville. The family came to Georgia originally from Guernsey County, Ohio.

High school

Van Sickel attended Gainesville High School, where he played high school football for the Gainesville Purple Hurricanes. FHSAA unveils '100 Greatest Players of First 100 Years' as part of centennial football celebration
," Florida High School Athletic Association (December 4, 2007). Retrieved May 26, 2011. Dale's older brother Talmadge had also been an all-state player for Gainesville High. In 2007, eighty-one years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Dale Van Sickel as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football. He is generally regarded as the best high school football player produced in the state of Florida before the 1930s.

College career

Van Sickel attended the

in Gainesville. He played right end for the

team for three seasons from

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

,
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 90, 102, 186 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011. on the opposite side of the line from left end Dutch Stanley. During his three years as a member of the Gators varsity, the team won twenty-three of twenty-nine games. Led by future Hall of Fame coach Charlie Bachman in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

, Van Sickel and the Gators posted an 8–1 record during his junior season, outscoring their competition 366–44College Football Data Warehouse, All-Time Coaching Records
Charles W. Bachman: 1928
. Retrieved March 25, 2010.—the most points scored in the nation. The Gators' sole 1928 loss was to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in Knoxville, Tennessee—by a single point, 12–13. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...

and Grantland Rice of '' Collier's Weekly'' named Van Sickel to their respective 1928 first-team All-America squads, making him the first player from the University of Florida to be named a first-team All-American. As was typical of the 1920s era, Van Sickel played both offense and defense; his College Hall of Fame biography describes him as "a swift and sure-handed receiver on offense and a gifted defensive player." Van Sickel was injured during his senior football season in 1929, and while he was productive, he was unable to post the same sort of numbers in 1929 that he did during his 1928 All-American season. He was also a first-team All-Southern selection in both 1928 and 1929. Van Sickel was also the team captain and a varsity

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

for the Florida Gators basketball and Gators baseball teams. He was later inducted into the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

as a "Gator Great," and he was also the first Gator to be inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1975. The sportswriters of ''The Gainesville Sun'' selected him as the No. 11 all-time Gator player among the top 100 from the first century of Florida football in 2006.Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley,
No. 11 Dale Van Sickel
" ''The Gainesville Sun'' (August 23, 2006). Retrieved March 31, 2013. Van Sickel graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in 1930, and he remained at the university to be an assistant coach for the Gators football and basketball teams during the 1930 and 1931 seasons.

Hollywood career

After his two-year coaching career, Van Sickel moved to

to begin a career as a movie

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

, and had his first on-screen

stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...

role in the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

' 1933 film ''

Duck Soup Duck soup may refer to: * ''Duck Soup'' (1933 film), starring the Marx Brothers * ''Duck Soup'' (1927 film), featuring Laurel and Hardy * Oritang, Korean duck soup * "Duck Soup", an episode of '' Even Stevens'' * "Duck Soup", a song by Baba Broo ...

''. Over the next thirty-eight years, Van Sickel appeared as an extra and occasional leading man in over 280 films and television episodes, and performed on-screen stunts in another 140. In addition to appearing in numerous B movies, he was a stunt man and on-screen extra in such Hollywood classics as ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

'', '' North by Northwest'' and '' Spartacus''. He was a founding member and the first president of the

Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures The Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures (SAMP) is an honorary society of motion picture stunt coordinators, stuntmen, and second unit directors. It was founded in 1961 by Loren Janes, who worked as a stunt double for Steve McQueen, and R ...

. Van Sickel died in 1977 in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

as a result of injuries received while filming a car crash stunt in 1975; he was 69 years old.Associated Press,
1928 Florida All-American Dale Van Sickel Dies
" ''Palm Beach Post'', p. D4 (January 27, 1977). Retrieved June 23, 2010. Van Sickel was survived by his wife Iris and their daughter.

Selected filmography

* '' Laugh It Off'' (1939) - Policeman * '' Hellzapoppin'' (1941) -

Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...

(uncredited) * '' Renegades of Sonora'' (1948) - Brad (Henchman) * '' Street Corner'' (1948) - The Passing Motorist * '' The Golden Stallion'' (1949) - Henchman Ed Hart * '' Northern Patrol'' (1953) - Jason * '' North by Northwest'' (1959) - Ranger (uncredited) * '' My Blood Runs Cold'' (1965) - Trucker (uncredited) * '' Requiem for a Gunfighter'' (1965) - Kelly * ''

The Great Race ''The Great Race'' is a 1965 American Technicolor slapstick comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood, directed by Blake Edwards, written by Arthur A. Ross (from a story by Edwards and Ross), and with music by Henry Mancin ...

'' (1965) - Driver-Contestant in Green Car, #3 (uncredited) * ''

Town Tamer ''Town Tamer'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander, written by Frank Gruber, and starring Dana Andrews, Terry Moore, Pat O'Brien, Lon Chaney Jr., Bruce Cabot, Lyle Bettger and Richard Arlen. It was released on July 7, ...

'' (1965) - Bartender * ''

That Funny Feeling ''That Funny Feeling'' is a 1965 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, and Donald O'Connor. This was the third film pairing of Dee and then-husband Darin, following 1961's ''Come Septembe ...

'' (1965) - Taxi Driver (uncredited) * ''

Johnny Reno ''Johnny Reno'' is a 1966 American Western film made by A. C. Lyles Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. It starred Dana Andrews and Jane Russell. It was directed by R. G. Springsteen, produced by A. C. Lyles, with a screenplay by ...

'' (1966) - Ab Conners * ''

Cyborg 2087 ''Cyborg 2087'' is a 1966 science fiction film directed by Franklin Adreon and written by Arthur C. Pierce. The film stars Michael Rennie, Karen Steele, Wendell Corey, and Warren Stevens. Plot In 2087, free thought is illegal and the populatio ...

'' (1966) - Tracer #1 * '' Murderes' Row'' (1966) - Fortress Guard (uncredited) * '' A Guide for the Married Man'' (1967) - Driver (uncredited) * ''

The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by W ...

'' (1967) - Uniformed Guard (uncredited) * '' The Flim-Flam Man'' (1967) - Deputy Guard (uncredited) * ''

The Love Bug ''The Love Bug'' is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and the first in a franchise by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 ...

'' (1969) - Driver * ''

Duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

'' (1971) - Car Driver (Stunt driver for Dennis Weaver)

References

Bibliography

* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * Johnson, Bob
Interviewee Dennis Keith "Dutch" Stanley
University of Florida Oral History Project, George A. Smathers Libraries, Digital Collections, Gainesville, Florida (July 25, 1974). * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . * McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). . * Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). .

External links

* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Sickel, Dale 1907 births 1977 deaths American people of Dutch descent People from Eatonton, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Sportspeople from Gainesville, Florida Players of American football from Gainesville, Florida American football ends Gainesville High School (Florida) alumni All-Southern college football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Florida Gators football players Basketball players from Gainesville, Florida American men's basketball players Florida Gators men's basketball players Baseball players from Gainesville, Florida Florida Gators baseball players Coaches of American football from Florida Florida Gators football coaches American stunt performers Male film serial actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Accidental deaths in California