Hubert Edwin "Hub" Bechtol (April 20, 1926 – October 22, 2004) was an American

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and

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player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

and the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

. Bechtol was born in Amarillo, Texas, grew up in west Texas and went to Lubbock High School in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, where he lettered in every sport and met his wife.

College career

Bechtol started his college career at Texas Tech in 1943 when, because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, freshman were allowed to play and earned "little All-American" honors there. He then volunteered for the Navy in the V-12 program which took him to the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

where he was a three-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1944, 1945, and 1946. He became the first

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...

player to receive three All-American honors and is, along with Russell Erxleben one of only two Longhorns to ever perform that feat. He was also all-southwest conference all three years. Bechtol paired up with fellow All-American

Bobby Layne Robert Lawrence Layne (December 19, 1926 – December 1, 1986) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns before ...

to create one of the top quarterback-receiver duos in the country, but he was also a solid defensive player. He led the team in receiving in 1944 and 1945 and was also the team's leading scorer in 1945. In 1945 he helped the Longhorn win the Southwest Conference and the Cotton Bowl and finish ranked #10. In the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, he was named the defensive MVP while also setting a then school single game record with 138 receiving yards and another with a 56 yard reception, which was the longest reception by a Longhorn in a bowl game until 1960. In 1946 he helped the Longhorns finish the season ranked #15. He also lettered twice in basketball while at Texas. After his college career was over he played in the 1947 East-West Shrine Bowl. He was named to the Texas Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1963 and elected to the

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

in 1990.

Pro career

Bechtol was drafted by 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the 1st round of the

1947 NFL Draft The 1947 NFL draft was held on December 16, 1946, at the Commodore Hotel in New York City, New York. The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick, a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago Bears won the first lo ...

, 5th overall; and by the Colts in the 2nd round of the 1947 AAFC Draft, 9th overall. He signed with the Colts in 1947 and played for them for 3 seasons during which he played in 38 games and caught 19 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. In 1948 he helped the Colts finish 2nd in the AAFC East and go to the Eastern Division Championship, which they lost to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. When the Colts and Bills were merged prior to going into the NFL, Bechtol was released.

Later life

After retiring from football, Bechtol returned to Austin to begin a career in the insurance and real estate business; became involved in politics, serving on the state Real Estate Center Advisory Board, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Grand Jury Association of the State of Texas and the

Austin City Council The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is ...

. He was involved in several civic associations included the Boy Scouts of America, the Chamber of Commerce, and was a founding member of both the Austin Aqua Festival and the West Austin Youth Sports Programs. Bechtol died on October 22, 2004 in Austin, Texas, where he was buried.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bechtol, Hub 1926 births 2004 deaths American football ends Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Texas Longhorns football players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Players of American football from Amarillo, Texas Players of American football from Lubbock, Texas Lubbock High School alumni