| No. 76, 75, 65 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Offensive tackle, Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1943-05-08)May 8, 1943 Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||
| Died | March 13, 2023(2023-03-13) (aged 79) | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Farmington(Farmington, New Mexico) | ||||||
| College | Tulsa | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1965: 2nd round, 21 (by theWashington Redskins)[1]th overall pick | ||||||
| AFL draft | 1965:5th round, 33 (Denver Broncos)[2]th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Robert Corr Breitenstein (May 8, 1943 – March 13, 2023) was a professionalAmerican football player in theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL) for theDenver Broncos,Minnesota Vikings, andAtlanta Falcons. He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Tulsa. He is distinguished as being the firstArgentine to play in the NFL.
Breitenstein attendedFarmington High School, where he was a teammate of futureNFL playerRalph Neely.[3]
Breitenstein accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Tulsa. He played as anoffensive tackle.
As a senior in 1964, he contributed to the team leading the nation in average yards (461.8 yards) and in scoring average per game (38.4 points). He also was a part of the team that defeatedOle Miss, 14–7 in the1964 Bluebonnet Bowl.[4]
In 1994, he was inducted into theUniversity of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame.
Breitenstein was selected in the fifth round (33rd overall) of the1965 AFL draft by theDenver Broncos.[5] He was also selected by theWashington Redskins in the second round (21st overall) of the1965 NFL draft.[6] He signed with the Broncos, although he later tried to invalidate the contract.[7]
As a rookie, he started in 7 games, while sharing theleft tackle position withLee Bernet.[8] In 1966, he started all 14 games.
On July 1, 1967, he was traded to theMinnesota Vikings in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (#117-Mike Bragg).
On October 5, 1967, he was activated from thetaxi squad and played in 11 games.[9] On August 5, 1968, he walked out oftraining camp in a contract dispute and was placed on the reserve list.[10] On October 19, 1968, he was traded to theChicago Bears in exchange for a draft pick.[11]
In 1968, he was declared inactive in 9 games. He was waived on September 16, 1969.[12]
In 1969, he signed with theAtlanta Falcons and played in 10 games. In 1970, after playing in 7 games, he was lost for the year with a knee injury.[13] An automobile accident 9 days before the 1971training camp complicated the injury and he was not able to recover. He was released on August 23.[14]
After football, he owned and operated an insurance agency. He was a vice president of theNational Football League Players Association for the state of Oklahoma. He appeared in the movieBrian's Song, when the director used actual footage, showing him helping cartrunning backGale Sayers off on a stretcher.[15]
Breitenstein died on March 13, 2023, at the age of 79.[16]