Bob Kalsu
Birth name	James Robert Kalsu
Born	(1945-04-13)April 13, 1945 Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	July 21, 1970(1970-07-21) (aged 25) FSB Ripcord,Thua Thien,South Vietnam
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Service years	1968–1970
Rank	First lieutenant
Unit	101st Airborne Division
Conflicts	Vietnam War Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord †
Awards	Bronze Star Purple Heart
Football career
No. 61
Position	Guard
Personal information
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school	Del City (Del City, Oklahoma)
College	Oklahoma
NFL draft	1968: 8th round, 199th overall pick
Career history
Buffalo Bills (1968)
Awards and highlights
Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame First-teamAll-American (1967) First-team All-Big Eight (1967)
Stats atPro Football Reference

James Robert Kalsu (April 13, 1945 – July 21, 1970) was an American professionalfootball player who was anAll-American tackle at theUniversity of Oklahoma and aneighth-round selection in the1968 NFL/AFL draft by theBuffalo Bills of theAmerican Football League (AFL).^[1] Kalsu joined theU.S. Army as anofficer after the 1968 season and waskilled in action in theVietnam War in 1970.

Kalsu was one of twoprofessional football players killed in the Vietnam War and the last to be killed serving as a soldier in a war untilPat Tillman in 2004.

James Robert Kalsu was born on 13 April 1945 inOklahoma City,Oklahoma, and attendedDel City High School. Kalsu was a starting guard for theBuffalo Bills in the1968 season, playing the entire season and was the Bills' teamrookie-of-the-year.^[2]

Following the 1968 season, to satisfy hisReserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) obligation, Kalsu entered theU.S. Army as asecond lieutenant and arrived inSouth Vietnam in November 1969 as part of the101st Airborne Division. On July 21, 1970, Kalsu waskilled in action at theBattle of Fire Support Base Ripcord when his unit came under enemy 82-millimetermortar fire while stationed near theA Shau Valley inThua Thien Province.^[1][3] His family has declined to talk in detail about the circumstances surrounding his death.

When Kalsu had left for South Vietnam, he had to say goodbye to his wife, Jan, and his daughter Jill. On July 23, 1970, two days after his death, Jan gave birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr, at the Kalsu home in Oklahoma City, and was informed that he had died only hours later. Kalsu was one of twoprofessional football players killed in action during the Vietnam War along withDon Steinbrunner, a formerCleveland Brown player who died on July 20, 1967. Kalsu and Steinbrunner were the first professional players to be killed in action sinceAl Blozis of theNew York Football Giants died duringWorld War II in 1945. Kalsu remained the last professional player to be killed in action untilPat Tillman died in theAfghanistan War in 2004.

• FOB Kalsu inBabil,Iraq, was founded and named after him by the 105th Military Police Company from Buffalo, New York, in early 2003. The name was chosen in a way to honor his sacrifice for his country and his connection to the Buffalo Bills.
• In 1999,NFL Films produced a feature on Kalsu that was nominated for anEmmy Award.^[3]
• In 2000, the Buffalo Bills added Kalsu's name to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.^[3][4][5]
• In 2002, the replacement company atFort Campbell was named in honor of him – 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company.^[3]
• Del City High School's football stadium bears his name.
• There is aCrossFit Work Out of the Day (WOD) named in his honor.^[6]
• There is a post office inDel City, Oklahoma, named for Kalsu. The legislation was signed in law by PresidentBarack Obama on November 5, 2015, and the post office was dedicated on November 5, 2016. The official name of the post office is the James Robert Kalsu Post Office, located at 4500 SE 28th Street in Del City, where Kalsu played high school football before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma.^[7]

• Elmer Gedeon andHarry O'Neill – the two Major League Baseball players killed in World War II.
• Tim James – Basketball player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army on September 12, 2008.

• NFL Films – Remembering Bob Kalsu
• Kalsu's memorial on The Virtual Wall website
• Benning soldiers adapt to new environment^{[permanent dead link]}
• Fort Campbell 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company
• Buffalo News story on Kalsu
• Oklahoma Sooners football – All-American: Bob Kalsu
• Career statistics fromNFL.com · Pro Football Reference · 
• Sports Illustrated – cover – July 23, 2001
• Bob Kalsu atFind a Grave

• 1945 births
• 1970 deaths
• Players of American football from Oklahoma City
• American football offensive guards
• Buffalo Bills players
• Oklahoma Sooners football players
• United States Army officers
• American Football League players
• United States Army personnel killed in the Vietnam War

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