Al Bansavage
Encyclopedia
Albert Anthony Bansavage (born January 9, 1938 in Jersey City, New Jersey
) is a former American football
linebacker
who played in the American Football League
.
in Union City, New Jersey
.
at The Citadel and at Southern California
. He waived his final year of eligibility to sign with the Baltimore Colts after being selected in the 1960 AFL draft.
for the Los Angeles Chargers
in 1960 and the AFL's Oakland Raiders
in 1961. He was at the center of a controversy in the 1960 season when the Raiders asked to have a game they lost to the Chargers forfeited due to Bansavage being an ineligible player.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played in the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
.
High school career
Bansavage prepped at Union City High SchoolUnion Hill High School
Union Hill Middle School is a public middle school in Union City, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Union City Board of Education, an Abbott District. The school was built in what was formerly Union Hill, New Jersey, which merged with West Hoboken in 1925 to form Union City...
in Union City, New Jersey
Union City, New Jersey
Union City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the 2010 United States Census the city had a total population of 66,455. All of the city is on land, an area of...
.
College career
Bansavage played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at The Citadel and at Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He waived his final year of eligibility to sign with the Baltimore Colts after being selected in the 1960 AFL draft.
Professional career
Bansavage played professionally in the American Football LeagueAmerican Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
for the Los Angeles Chargers
History of the San Diego Chargers
This article details the history of the San Diego Chargers American Football Club.-The AFL era :The San Diego Chargers were established in 1959 with seven other American Football League teams: the Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders, New York Titans, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, and...
in 1960 and the AFL's Oakland Raiders
History of the Oakland Raiders
-Early years :A few months after the first AFL draft in 1959, the owners of the yet-unnamed Minneapolis franchise accepted an offer to join the established National Football League as an expansion team in 1961, sending the AFL scrambling for a replacement. At the time, Oakland seemed an unlikely...
in 1961. He was at the center of a controversy in the 1960 season when the Raiders asked to have a game they lost to the Chargers forfeited due to Bansavage being an ineligible player.