Rollin William Putzier (December 10, 1965 – April 25, 2018) was an American football player. He played

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

in 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), and was selected by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

in the fourth round of the

1988 NFL Draft The 1988 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988, at the Marriot Marq ...

. He was also a member of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, winning

Super Bowl XXIV Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion fo ...

with the 49ers, and played in the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...

(WLAF) with the

Montreal Machine The Montreal Machine were the sole Canadian team in the World League of American Football (WLAF), a springtime developmental professional league set up by the National Football League (NFL) that played in 1991 and 1992. There were also three Euro ...

and

London Monarchs The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league, the World League of American Football (WLAF). The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs. In 1999, they were re ...

Early career

Born and raised in

northern Idaho The Idaho Panhandle—locally known as North Idaho—is a salient region of the U.S. state of Idaho encompassing the state's 10 northernmost counties: Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, and Shosho ...

, he graduated from Post Falls High School in 1984 and 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 ...

for

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. After his senior season, Putzier was named co-team MVP with Anthony Newman. He participated in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

and

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

at the conclusion of his college career.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Putzier was drafted by the

in the fourth round (88th overall) of the

, and signed a three-year contract with the team. He was cut at the end of training camp and heard the news from a friend before the team informed him.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On September 7, 1988, Putzier was signed by the

to a one-year contract. He was cut the following day after failing a physical exam, likely due to a broken foot suffered in training camp with the Packers. He re-signed with the team on November 2, and played in five games during the latter portion of the season. Putzier was waived on July 28, 1989 after security personnel found two unloaded pistols at his training camp residence.

San Francisco 49ers

Shortly after his release from the Steelers, Putzier signed with the

. On August 29, 1989, Putzier was suspended four games by the NFL for steroid usage. He was reinstated by the league on September 26. He played in twelve regular season games, but did not make the team's playoff roster and did not participate in

, which the 49ers won. He was waived by the 49ers during final roster cuts on September 3, 1990.

Denver Broncos

Putzier spent part of the 1991 training camp with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

before being cut.

Montreal Machine (WLAF)

Putzier spent the 1991 season with the

of the

. He was drafted in the third round (26th overall) by the team. He played with the team the following year, but then the league went on hiatus.

London Monarchs (WLAF)

Putzier was drafted by the

in the 1995 WLAF draft.

Post-football life

After his football career ended, Putzier moved to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, married, had children, divorced, and worked as a bouncer. His Super Bowl XXIV ring was stolen when Putzier was shot trying to break up a 2008 fight in the parking lot of the apartment complex he was living in. He was in the intensive care unit for three weeks after the shooting, including time spent in an induced coma and on a ventilator. He died in Huntsville on April 25, 2018, at the age of 52.

References

External links

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Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putzier, Rollin 1965 births 2018 deaths American football defensive tackles London Monarchs players Montreal Machine players Oregon Ducks football players People from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Denver Broncos players Green Bay Packers players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Idaho San Francisco 49ers players