Bruce Bosley
Encyclopedia
Bruce Lee Bosley is a former American football
offensive tackle who played for the San Francisco 49ers
and the Atlanta Falcons
in a fourteen year career in which he was selected to appear in 4 Pro Bowl
s (1960,65-67), and was named All-Pro
4 times (1959-61, 66).
High School when he was offered a full scholarship to play for the Mountaineers.
Bosley was an immediate starter and contributed to West Virginia going from 5-5 in 1951 to 7-2 in 1952. In 1954 after a dominating performance against Penn State, Bosley was named Associated Press
Player of the Week. He went on to earn consensus All-America honors as a senior in 1955. West Virginia won 31 of 38 games Bosley played in during his four seasons from 1952-55.
Bosley, also an Academic All-American with a degree in chemical engineering, was invited to play in the College Football All-Star Game, the North-South Game and the Senior Bowl
.
made Bruce Bosley their second-round selection in the 1956 NFL Draft
. Bosley played his entire rookie season at defensive end
.
By 1957, Bosley switched to line and was the team’s starting left guard, earning his first Pro Bowl
berth in 1960. Two years later in 1962 when the team was searching for a center after an injury to starter Frank Morze
, all-pro guard Bosley started at center. Bosley was named to the Pro Bowl again in 1965 and was honored two more times in 1966 and 1967.
Bosley spent another season with the 49ers in 1968 and a year with the Atlanta Falcons
in 1969 before retiring.
During the next 11 years he remodeled two other estates in Hillsborough as president of Interior Design, a home building, remodeling, interior decorating, furnishing and real-estate company.
Among his most prominent roles was membership on the board of directors for the San Francisco Annex for Cultural Arts, membership on the mayor’s committee for the San Francisco Council for the Performing Arts, and a long-time volunteer role with both the San Francisco Film Festival and the San Francisco Ballet.
Bosley also served a stint as the president of the NFL Alumni Association.
He lived and thrived in San Francisco until his death from a heart attack on April 26, 1995.
Despite spending nearly 40 years of his life in northern California, Bosley never forgot his West Virginia roots.
“Things may change and your career may take you away in a different direction but there are things you never forget. I’ve never left my roots. They are in West Virginia,” Bosley told Charleston Daily Mail sports editor Bill Smith several years ago.
Bosley, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
, was a part of West Virginia University’s second hall of fame induction class of 1992.
More recently, he was named the state of West Virginia’s 30th greatest sports figure in a poll conducted by CNNSI.com.
Dave Beronio, sports editor of the Vallejo Independent Press, once wrote of Bosley: “As a newsman of more than 40 years, I have found very few ‘Bruce Bosleys,’ those willing to contribute and participate during and after their days as stars. It would be difficult for me to believe that I will see his equal again in our area.”
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...
offensive tackle who played for the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a fourteen year career in which he was selected to appear in 4 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
s (1960,65-67), and was named All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
4 times (1959-61, 66).
Collegiate Career
Bosley was a third team Class B all-state fullback at Green BankGreen Bank, West Virginia
Green Bank is a census-designated place in Pocahontas County in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands inside the Allegheny Mountain Range. Green Bank is located along WV 28. Green Bank is also close to the Snowshoe Mountain ski resort...
High School when he was offered a full scholarship to play for the Mountaineers.
Bosley was an immediate starter and contributed to West Virginia going from 5-5 in 1951 to 7-2 in 1952. In 1954 after a dominating performance against Penn State, Bosley was named Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Player of the Week. He went on to earn consensus All-America honors as a senior in 1955. West Virginia won 31 of 38 games Bosley played in during his four seasons from 1952-55.
Bosley, also an Academic All-American with a degree in chemical engineering, was invited to play in the College Football All-Star Game, the North-South Game and the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
.
Pro career
The San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
made Bruce Bosley their second-round selection in the 1956 NFL Draft
1956 NFL Draft
The 1956 National Football League Draft was held on November 29, 1955.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
. Bosley played his entire rookie season at defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
.
By 1957, Bosley switched to line and was the team’s starting left guard, earning his first Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
berth in 1960. Two years later in 1962 when the team was searching for a center after an injury to starter Frank Morze
Frank Morze
Frank Joseph Morze was a center in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers. Morze attended Boston College.He died May 28, 2006 after a long battle with heart disease....
, all-pro guard Bosley started at center. Bosley was named to the Pro Bowl again in 1965 and was honored two more times in 1966 and 1967.
Bosley spent another season with the 49ers in 1968 and a year with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1969 before retiring.
Post-football
By 1967, Bosely was cultivating his other passion: restoring old homes. NFL Films visited his Hillsbrough W.S. Crocker Estate carriage house for a show called “They Lead Two Lives,” which chronicled his career as both a star football player and respected home builder.During the next 11 years he remodeled two other estates in Hillsborough as president of Interior Design, a home building, remodeling, interior decorating, furnishing and real-estate company.
Personal life
Bosley became part-owner of a wholesale electrical supply house in addition to his home remodeling business and was also well-known for his civic and charitable activities in San Francisco.Among his most prominent roles was membership on the board of directors for the San Francisco Annex for Cultural Arts, membership on the mayor’s committee for the San Francisco Council for the Performing Arts, and a long-time volunteer role with both the San Francisco Film Festival and the San Francisco Ballet.
Bosley also served a stint as the president of the NFL Alumni Association.
He lived and thrived in San Francisco until his death from a heart attack on April 26, 1995.
Despite spending nearly 40 years of his life in northern California, Bosley never forgot his West Virginia roots.
“Things may change and your career may take you away in a different direction but there are things you never forget. I’ve never left my roots. They are in West Virginia,” Bosley told Charleston Daily Mail sports editor Bill Smith several years ago.
Legacy
Bosley is listed on the San Francisco 49ers “Golden Era” team from 1946-69 and he was named to the college football’s 75th Silver Anniversary Team in 1981.Bosley, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, was a part of West Virginia University’s second hall of fame induction class of 1992.
More recently, he was named the state of West Virginia’s 30th greatest sports figure in a poll conducted by CNNSI.com.
Dave Beronio, sports editor of the Vallejo Independent Press, once wrote of Bosley: “As a newsman of more than 40 years, I have found very few ‘Bruce Bosleys,’ those willing to contribute and participate during and after their days as stars. It would be difficult for me to believe that I will see his equal again in our area.”