Bruce Bosley

The second of eight football consensus All-Americans, Green Bank's Bruce Bosley is considered one of the greatest linemen to ever don the Gold and Blue.

A four-year letterwinner at tackle from 1952-55, Bosley combined brute strength with the agility of one much smaller to be named to 12 All-America teams.

Selected as the AP national player of the week following WVU's 19-14 upset of Penn State in 1954, Bosley, also an Academic All-American, played in the College All-Star Game, North-South Game and Senior Bowl.

As a four-year letterwinner, West Virginia posted a 31-7 mark including a 3-1 record against Penn State with Bosley in the lineup.

Bosley was a key member of West Virginia’s 1954 Sugar Bowl team that lost to Pepper Rodgers-led Georgia Tech.

A second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1956, he went on to become an immediate starter for the 49ers at defensive end and played all but two minutes of his first season at that spot.

He later moved to offensive guard where he stood out as a blocker for a total of 13 seasons with the 49ers. Bosley finished his playing career at center in Atlanta during the 1969 season.

He was selected by The Sporting News to the Western Conference all-star team as a guard in 1959, a distinction he earned again in 1961.

Bosley earned Pro Bowl status in 1961, 1966, 1967 and 1968, the last three as a center. Teammate Bill Curry once called Bosley "one of the three best centers in the NFL" at the time. He was a 49er team captain in 1967 and 1968.

The late standout also served as the president of the NFL Alumni Association. He is a member of West Virginia's all-time football team and the College Football Hall of Fame. A heart attack claimed him on April 26, 1995.