Fred Boensch
| No. 51 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Guard, linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | September 27, 1920 Portland, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | April 20, 2000 (aged 79) Redwood City, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | San Mateo (San Mateo, California) | ||||||||
| College | California Stanford | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1944: 9th round, 86th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Frederick Maxmilian Boensch (September 27, 1920 – April 20, 2000) was an American professional football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University and was drafted in the ninth round of the 1944 NFL draft by the Cleveland Rams.[1]
Early life, war, and football
Boensch was born in Portland, Oregon and raised in San Mateo, California, the son of Max Boensch and Frieda Oetken Boensch. His father was born in Germany and worked at a newspaper.[2]
Boensch played football and was elected student body president at San Mateo High School.[3][4] He played college football at San Mateo Junior College,[5] the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University.[6] He was "one of a handful of men who played for both Stanford and California", longstanding football rivals.[7] He was drafted into the NFL in 1944, and was a member of the Washington Redskins from 1947 to 1949.[8][9]
In 1945,[7] Boensch survived a bullet wound in the neck and jaw while serving with the United States Marines at Okinawa. To protect his facial bones during football after the war, he wore a special hard rubber, iron,[7] and leather[8] face masks, including a mask first developed for Bones Hamilton in the 1920s.[10] He was known as "San Mateo's Indestructible Football Player",[11] and photographs of his mask were published in newspapers.[12]
Later years
After his sports career, Boensch worked in the printing industry. He was elected to the Stanford University Hall of Fame. Boensch married Olga Louise Blazevich; they had four daughters. His wife died in 1990, and he died in 2000, at the age of 79, in Redwood City, California.[13]
References
- ↑ "1944 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Max W. Boensch". The Times, San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, the Advance Star. August 2, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Gillis, Jim (September 6, 1939). "Hefty Linemen Return as Wag Opens Practice; Plenty of Beef". The Times, San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, the Advance Star. p. 7. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Boensch Elected Next President". The Times, San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, the Advance Star. June 9, 1939. p. 11. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Benevento, Frank (December 12, 1941). "Fred Boensch on All-Coast Jaysee Team". The Times, San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, the Advance Star. p. 9. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Former Card Fred Boensch to captain Golden Bears in game against Stagg men". The Peninsula Times Tribune. October 6, 1943. p. 7. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 "The Big Game: Myths, Magic of Cal-Stanford Ritual". San Francisco Chronicle. November 20, 1997. p. 76. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Redskins Sign Tackle Boensch". The Los Angeles Times. March 22, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Guard Fred Boensch Signs Redskin Pact". Times Herald. July 26, 1949. p. 21. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "No Strain, Pain; Just Precaution". The Los Angeles Times. October 9, 1946. p. 18. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Chapman, Willis T. (August 26, 1949). "San Mateo's Indestructible Grid Star Back in Action in Game Tonight". The Times, San Mateo Times and Daily News Leader, the Advance Star. p. 10. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Mask Worn by Hamilton Now Protects Ex-Marine". The Oregon Daily Journal. October 31, 1946. p. 20. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Obituary for Frederick Max Boensch". The San Francisco Examiner. April 23, 2000. p. 54. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.