 Heckman from 1959 Seminole yearbook | |
| Florida Gators–No. 72 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tackle |
| Class | Graduate |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | July 27, 1936 |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Velles Alvin Heckman (born July 27, 1936) is a former American college football player. He played at the tackle position for the Florida Gators football team of the University of Florida, and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1958.
Heckman was raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He enrolled at the University of Florida in 1954, but dropped out of the university in 1955. He returned in 1956 and played at the tackle position for head coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football teams from 1956 to 1958. After the 1956 season, he was ranked as one of the best sophomores in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). [1] He became a star as a senior in 1958. Bill Kastelz, the sports editor of the Jacksonville Times-Union , wrote that Heckman's play reached All-American levels against No. 3-ranked LSU on October 25, 1958. [2] The following week, an injury to one of Florida's tackles led coach Woodruff to use an unorthodox strategy of shifting Heckman between the right and left tackle positions during the Auburn-Florida rivalry game. After the game, Woodruff said, "Heckman probably will be selected All America for his play." [3] Bill Kastelz wrote: "Big, fast and tough, he outshone all of Auburn's great linemen." [2] Auburn coach Shug Jordan said of the strategy: "There should be a law to prevent things like that. We were supposed to run plays where Heckman wasn't, and he's there now." [1]
After the 1958 season, Heckman was selected as a first-team All-American tackle by the Football Writers Association of America, [4] Notre Dame Scholastic, and Football Digest . [1] He also received first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and United Press International, [5] as well as the Daytona Beach Quarterback Club's award as the outstanding senior college football player in the State of Florida. [6] In May 1959, Heckman and golfer Tommy Aaron were the first recipients of the "Gold Gator" award presented to a University of Florida student with "nationally recognized athletic prowess." [7] [8]
Heckman was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 10th round (119th overall pick) of the 1958 NFL Draft. He signed with the 49ers in January 1959, [9] and indicated in the 1959 Seminole yearbook that he intended to play pro football after graduating. [10] However, he did not appear in any regular season NFL games. He later worked as a high school football coach in Winter Garden, Florida. [11] He has been married to Frances Carol Geddings since April 1999. Together they have eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Heckman has been inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great". [12]
George Robert Woodruff was an American college football player, coach, and sports administrator. Woodruff was a native of Georgia and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football. He was best known as the head coach of the Baylor University and University of Florida football teams, and later, as the athletic director at the University of Tennessee.
Porter Michael Peterson is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the outside linebackers coach at the University of Florida. He most recently was the outside linebackers coach at the University of South Carolina. Peterson played college football at the University of Florida, where he was a member of a national championship team and earned first-team All-American honors. He was a second-round pick in the 1999 NFL draft and played professionally for thirteen seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He is the older brother of former Chicago Bears Running Back Adrian Peterson
Donald Denver Fleming was an American professional football player who was a safety for three seasons during the early 1960s with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Fleming played college football for the Florida Gators, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. His career was cut short by his accidental death by electrocution in 1963.
Aaron Scott Walker is an American former college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the early 2000s. Walker played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams of the NFL.
Bobby Joe Green was an American football professional punter who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Florida Gators.
James W. Rountree was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for ten years during the 1950s and 1960s. Rountree played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.
John B. Barrow was an American college and professional football player who was an offensive and defensive tackle in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for fourteen seasons in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Barrow played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, and was later inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
The 1927 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1927 Southern Conference football season. The season was Harold Sebring's third and last season as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. After suffering a 0–12 upset loss at the hands of the Davidson College Wildcats, the Gators rallied to defeat the Auburn Tigers 33–6, defeating the Tigers for the first time and ending a six-game losing streak, and to upset coach Wallace Wade's Alabama Crimson Tide 13–6. Sebring's 1927 Florida Gators finished 7–3 overall, and 5–2 in the Southern Conference, placing sixth of twenty-two teams in the conference standings.
The 1952 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1952 college football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's third and most successful as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1952 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 8–3 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 3–3, placing sixth among twelve SEC teams.
The 1957 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1957 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's eighth as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1957 Florida Gators finished their abbreviated season with an overall record of 6–2–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 4–2–1, tying for third place among the twelve SEC teams.
The 1958 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1958 NCAA University Division football season. The season was the ninth of ten for Bob Woodruff as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. Woodruff's 1958 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 6–4–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 2–3–1, placing eighth in the twelve-member SEC.
The 1959 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The season was Bob Woodruff's tenth and last year as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team. The Gators celebrated a close conference win over the Mississippi State Maroons (14–13), and suffered close conference defeats to the Vanderbilt Commodores (6–13), the top-ranked LSU Tigers (0–9) and the eighth-ranked Auburn Tigers (0–6). Woodruff finished his tenure on a high note, with the Gators' victories over the Florida State Seminoles (18–8) and the twelfth-ranked Miami Hurricanes (23–14), their primary in-state rivals. Woodruff's 1959 Florida Gators finished with an overall record of 5–4–1 and a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record of 2–4, placing ninth among twelve SEC teams.
The 1966 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 1966 NCAA University Division football season. The Gators competed in the University Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In their seventh season under head coach Ray Graves, the Gators compiled a 9–2 overall win–loss record, finished 5–1 and placed third among the SEC's ten teams. Led by quarterback Steve Spurrier, the Gators outscored their opponents by a combined total of 265 to 147 and concluded their 1966 season with a 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 1967 Orange Bowl. The Gators were not ranked in the final AP Poll, but finished No. 11 in the final UPI Coaches Poll.
Reginald Gerard McGrew is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons during the late 1990s and early 2000s. McGrew played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Perry Colson McGriff, Jr. was an American politician, retired insurance agent, and former All-American college football and baseball player. McGriff was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, Mayor of Gainesville and Democratic nominee for a seat in the Florida Senate.
Jimmy DeWayne DuBose is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the 1970s. DuBose played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Lawrence Joseph Gagner is a former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for parts of five seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. Gagner was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up near Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was a multi-sport all-state athlete at Seabreeze High School. He chose to attend college at the University of Florida, where he played several positions on offense and defense for the Florida Gators under head coach Ray Graves. Gagner became a regular starter on the Gators' offensive line during his junior year in 1964. He was a two-time All-SEC guard and was a consensus All-American at that position during his senior year in 1965.
John Marlin Simpson was an American college and professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Simpson played college football for the University of Florida, and then played professionally for the Baltimore Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.
Charles W. LaPradd was an American football player during the early 1950s. He played college football for the University of Florida and was recognized as an All-American as a defensive lineman. He later served as the president of St. Johns River Community College in northeast Florida.
The history of Florida Gators football began in 1906, when the newly established "University of the State of Florida" fielded a football team during its first full academic year of existence. The school's name was shortened to the University of Florida in 1908, and the football team gained the nickname "Gators" in 1911. The program started small, usually playing six to eight games per season against small colleges and local athletic club teams in north Florida and south Georgia. The Orange and Blue developed early rivalries with the Stetson Hatters from nearby Deland and Mercer Bears from Macon. During the 1910s, Florida began playing a wider range of opponents from more established football programs across the southeastern United States and faced off against several future rivals - such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, and Auburn - for the first time.
