Bob Pickens (February 2, 1943 – April 12, 2018) was a player in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the third round of the 1966 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears and played three seasons with the team.[3]

Pickens was also an Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler, competing in Tokyo, Japan, in the heavyweight division at the 1964 Summer Olympics, where he finished sixth. Pickens was the first African-American to compete for the United States in wrestling at the Olympics.[4] He played collegiate football at Nebraska, transferring there after originally attending Wisconsin. Pickens did not wrestle for either university, although he still continued his wrestling at various club organizations.[5] After his pro football career, Pickens became a referee, officiating in the Big Ten Conference and a number of postseason games, including the Rose Bowl. He also served on the Chicago Park District Board for several years.

References

  1. ^ "Bob Pickens, former Bear who was among first black Olympic wrestlers, dead at 75". Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "1966 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  3. ^ "Bob Pickens". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  4. ^ Shalin, Dan. (April 23, 2018). Breaking the U.S. Olympic wrestling color barrier was just one of Bob Pickens' many achievements. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Bob Pickens - Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Retrieved November 1, 2023.


Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Pickens
No tags for this post.