Dave Behrman
No. 51, 60, 56
Position:Center / Tackle
Personal information
Born:(1941-11-09)November 9, 1941
Dowagiac, Michigan, U.S.
Died:December 9, 2014(2014-12-09) (aged 73)
East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Dowagiac (MI)
College:Michigan State
NFL draft:1963 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11
(by the Chicago Bears)[1]
AFL draft:1963 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
(by the Buffalo Bills)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:39
Games started:0
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at PFR

David Wesley Behrman (November 9, 1941 – December 9, 2014) was an American football offensive lineman who played in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1963 AFL Draft by the Bills and the 11th pick in the 1963 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He also played in the Midwest Football League (MFL) for the Lansing All Stars / Capitals and Flint Sabres from 1972 to 1976.

College career

Behrman played college football at Michigan State University.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Behrman was the Bills' first-round draft pick in 1963 and played for them that year, but not in 1964. During the 1965 AFL season, Behrman became the Bills' starting center,[2] replacing veteran Walt Cudzik, playing between left offensive guard Billy Shaw and right guard Al Bemiller. However, due to a back injury, Behrman did not play when the Bills won their second AFL Championship game over the San Diego Chargers by a score of 23–0 under head coach Lou Saban. That season, Behrman was an AFL All-Star center. However, he did not play in 1966, replaced by Bemiller.

Denver Broncos

Behrman played with the AFL's Denver Broncos during the 1967 AFL season when he played in 11 games.

Midwest Football League

Behrman signed with the Lansing All Stars of the Midwest Football League in September 1972.[3] He played with the Flint Sabres in 1973 and 1974.[4][5] He rejoined Lansing, now called the Lansing Capitals, in July 1975.[5] He played with the Capitals through 1976.[6]

Personal

On December 9, 2014, he died of pancreatic cancer.[7] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), caused by repeated hits to the head.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "1963 Chicago Bears". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2020.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "1965 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ Senyczko, Ed (September 15, 1972). "All Stars End Home Season". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved April 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Behrman, Coin, Olson Play Against Hawks Saturday". The News-Palladium. July 27, 1973. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Behrman Joins Capitals For Dayton Game". Lansing State Journal. July 25, 1975. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Henning, Lynn (July 8, 1976). "Capitals pass minded". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Former MSU All-American Dave Behrman dies at 73".
  8. ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.


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