Professional Football Player. A hard-running fullback, he won the 1954 Heisman Trophy as a senior at the University of Wisconsin. Not selected by his home-state Green Bay Packers, he became the first round pick of the Baltimore Colts. On his first NFL play against the Chicago Bears on September 25, 1955, he galloped for a 79-yard touchdown. He became the 1955 NFL Rookie-of-the-Year. Alan Ameche is best remembered for scoring the touchdown that gave the Colts the victory over the New York Giants in the first overtime game in NFL Championship history on December 28, 1958. After his career was prematurely interrupted by an Achilles' tendon injury in 1960, sustained while blocking the Detroit Lions' Alex Karras, he became a successful businessman with fellow Colt Gino Marchetti, and a benefactor of many charities. A renaissance man who enjoyed classical music, he was both a two-time Football and Academic All-American at Wisconsin. He has been posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Professional Football Player. A hard-running fullback, he won the 1954 Heisman Trophy as a senior at the University of Wisconsin. Not selected by his home-state Green Bay Packers, he became the first round pick of the Baltimore Colts. On his first NFL play against the Chicago Bears on September 25, 1955, he galloped for a 79-yard touchdown. He became the 1955 NFL Rookie-of-the-Year. Alan Ameche is best remembered for scoring the touchdown that gave the Colts the victory over the New York Giants in the first overtime game in NFL Championship history on December 28, 1958. After his career was prematurely interrupted by an Achilles' tendon injury in 1960, sustained while blocking the Detroit Lions' Alex Karras, he became a successful businessman with fellow Colt Gino Marchetti, and a benefactor of many charities. A renaissance man who enjoyed classical music, he was both a two-time Football and Academic All-American at Wisconsin. He has been posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
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