No. 61 | |||
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Position: | Guard | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S. | March 30, 1939||
Died: | July 25, 2022 San Rafael, California, U.S. | (aged 83)||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | St. Mary Catholic ( Neenah, Wisconsin) | ||
College: | Marquette | ||
Undrafted: | 1961 | ||
Career history | |||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
Career AFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at PFR |
Herbert Thomas Roedel (March 30, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a guard for one season in the American Football League (AFL) for the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Marquette.
Roedel was born on March 30, 1939, in Appleton, Wisconsin. [1] He attended St. Mary Catholic High School in Neenah, Wisconsin, where he was a star football player on both offense and defense. [2] An article in the News-Record wrote of Roedel: "[he] has played as many minutes offense and defense as any member of the club. In more than one game he has gone all the way. Herb is a 200 pounder who has developed as one of the team's better straight ahead blockers and a defensive strongpoint." [2] In his time at St. Mary, Roedel won All-Fox Valley Catholic Conference as well as all-state honors. [3]
After graduating from St. Mary, Roedel joined Marquette University on a full football scholarship. [4] The Post-Crescent reported that he was rated "No. 1 guard prospect." [5] He was among 29 freshmen to earn football numerals in 1957. [6] He made the varsity team in 1958 and began seeing action at guard. [7] In 1959, Roedel earned a varsity letter and became a starting guard. [8] [9] He continued as starter for his senior season, 1960. [3]
Roedel, who studied mechanical engineering at Marquette, graduated in 1961. [4]
After going unselected in the 1961 NFL Draft, Roedel was signed by the Dallas Cowboys. [10] He reported to training camp in July. [11] After not making the final roster there, Roedel was signed by the Oakland Raiders in the rival American Football League (AFL). [12] He began the season as the team's number two left guard, and saw action as a backup. [13] After an injury to Wayne Hawkins, Roedel became starting guard for a time. [14] He finished his rookie year with 14 appearances and two starts. [1]
After just one season of professional football, Roedel announced in March 1962 that he was retiring to concentrate on an engineering career. [15]
Roedel later became an engineer in San Francisco, California. [16] He also raced sailboats at the St. Francis Yacht Club nearby. [4] Afterwards, he was an avid road cyclist. [4] It was through cycling that he met his future wife, Jessica Wimer. [4] They married on May 28, 1983, and settled in San Rafael. [4] The couple had two children. [4] Later, Roedel began a business and named it the Derex Company, after his two sons, Alex and Derek. [4]
In 1988, Roedel was inducted into the St. Mary Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame. [17]
Roedel died on July 25, 2022, at the age of 83. [4]