The University of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Famer and football star Bob Breitenstein died Monday, March 13, at the age of 79. Breitenstein played three seasons (1962-64) on the Hurricane varsity football team before a career as an NFL offensive lineman.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 8, at 2:00 p.m. at the Southwood Colonial Chapel (3612 East 91st Street). The service will be held on what would have been his 80th birthday.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations can be made to the Tulsa Football Academic Enhancement Fund at The University of Tulsa in honor of Bob Breitenstein by clicking http://bit.ly/40hxWLb . Checks can be sent to Tulsa Athletics, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, OK 74104, and made payable to: Tulsa Athletics – In Honor of Bob Breitenstein, or call the Golden Hurricane Champions Fund office at 918-631-3347.
Breitenstein came to Tulsa in 1961 from Farmington High School in New Mexico. He was an All-Missouri Valley Conference and honorable mention All-America selection in 1964, after helping pave the way for the nation’s leading total offensive unit (461.8 ypg) and top scoring team (38.4 ppg).
In 1965, Breitenstein was drafted by the NFL’s Washington Redskins with the 21st overall pick and was also drafted with the 33rd pick in the AFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He signed with the Broncos and played in 14 games with four starts his rookie season. In his six professional years, Breitenstein also played with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons. He played in a total of 58 NFL games and had 40 starts, as his career was cut short due to injury.
Breitenstein appeared in the movie Brian’s Song, when the director used actual game footage, showing him help carry the great Bears’ running back Gale Sayers off the field following an injury.
Breitenstein was inducted into The University of Tulsa Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and also received induction into the Farmington (NM) High School Hall of Fame in 1991.
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