Richard George Ottele (December 8, 1926 – September 20, 1985) was an American football player who played at the blocking back and defensive back positions. He played college football for Washington and professional football for the Los Angeles Dons.

Early years

Ottele was born in 1926 in Yuma, Colorado. He attended and played football at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California.

Military and college football

He played college football for Washington in 1944, 1945, and 1947. He also served in the United States Navy.

Professional football

He was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in the ninth round (66th overall pick) of the

1948 NFL Draft The 1948 National Football League Draft was held on December 19, 1947, at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh. This was the second year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous year's winner Chicago Bea ...

and by the New York Yankees in the 13th round (80th overall pick) of the 1948 AAFC Draft. He was the subject of controversy when it was disclosed prior to his senior season at Washington that he had secretly signed a contract to play professional football for the New York Yankees of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

. The Yankees sold him to the Los Angeles Dons in May 1948. He played in the

(AAFC) for the Los Angeles Dons during their 1948 season, appearing in nine games. In June 1949, the Dons sold Ottele to the

Chicago Hornets The Chicago Rockets were an American football team that played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949. During the 1949 season, the team was known as the Chicago Hornets. Unlike the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, an ...

Later years

He died in 1985 in Bremerton, Washington at age 58.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottele, Dick 1926 births 1985 deaths Los Angeles Dons players Players of American football from Colorado Washington Huskies football players United States Navy personnel of World War II