Contents

Bob Kalsu

Bob Kalsu
Birth name	James Robert Kalsu
Born	(1945-04-13)April 13, 1945 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Died	July 21, 1970(1970-07-21) (aged 25) FSB Ripcord, Thua Thien, South Vietnam
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1968–1970
Rank	First lieutenant
Unit	101st Airborne Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord †
Awards	Bronze Star Purple Heart
American football player American football career
No. 61
Position:	Guard
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:	Del City (Del City, Oklahoma)
College:	Oklahoma
NFL draft:	1968 / Round: 8 / Pick: 199
Career history
Buffalo Bills (1968)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-American (1967)
Player stats at PFR

James Robert Kalsu (April 13, 1945 – July 21, 1970) was an American football player who was an All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma and an eighth-round selection in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL).^[1] Kalsu joined the U.S. Army as an officer after the 1968 season and was killed in action in the Vietnam War in 1970.

Kalsu was one of two professional football players killed in the Vietnam War and the last to be killed serving as a soldier in a war until Pat Tillman in 2004.

Biography[edit]

James Robert Kalsu was born on 13 April 1945 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and attended Del City High School. Kalsu was a starting guard for the Buffalo Bills in the 1968 season, playing the entire season and was the Bills' team rookie-of-the-year.^[2]

Following the 1968 season, to satisfy his Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) obligation, Kalsu entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and arrived in South Vietnam in November 1969 as part of the 101st Airborne Division. On July 21, 1970, Kalsu was killed in action at the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord when his unit came under enemy 82-millimeter mortar fire while stationed near the A Shau ValleyinThua Thien Province.^[1][3] His family has declined to talk in detail about the circumstances surrounding his death.

When Kalsu had left for South Vietnam, Kalsu had to say goodbye to his wife, Jan, and his daughter Jill. On July 23, 1970, two days after his death, Jan gave birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr, at the Kalsu home in Oklahoma City, and was informed that he had died only hours later. Kalsu was one of two professional football players killed in action during the Vietnam War along with Don Steinbrunner, a former Cleveland Brown player who died on July 20, 1967. Kalsu and Steinbrunner were the first professional players to be killed in action since Al Blozis of the New York Football Giants died during World War II in 1945. Kalsu remained the last professional player to be killed in action until Pat Tillman died in the Afghanistan War in 2004.

Legacy[edit]

• FOB KalsuinBabil, Iraq, was founded and named after him by the 105th Military Police Company from Buffalo, New York, in early 2003. The name was chosen in a way to honor his sacrifice for his country and his connection to the Buffalo Bills.
• In 1999, NFL Films produced a feature on Kalsu that was nominated for an Emmy Award.^[3]
• In 2000, the Buffalo Bills added Kalsu's name to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.^[3][4][5]
• In 2002, the replacement company at Fort Campbell was named in honor of him – 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company.^[3]
• Del City High School's football stadium bears his name.
• There is a CrossFit Work Out of the Day (WOD) named in his honor.^[6]
• There is a post office in Del City, Oklahoma, named for Kalsu. The legislation was signed in law by President Barack Obama on November 5, 2015, and the post office was dedicated on November 5, 2016. The official name of the post office is the James Robert Kalsu Post Office, located at 4500 SE 28th Street in Del City, where Kalsu played high school football before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma.^[7]

Awards and decorations[edit]

See also[edit]

• Elmer Gedeon and Harry O'Neill – the two Major League Baseball players killed in World War II.
• Tim James – Basketball player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army on September 12, 2008.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• NFL Films – Remembering Bob Kalsu
• Kalsu's memorial on The Virtual Wall website
• Benning soldiers adapt to new environment^{[permanent dead link]}
• Fort Campbell 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company
• Buffalo News story on Kalsu
• Oklahoma Sooners football – All-American: Bob Kalsu
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference · 
• Sports Illustrated – cover – July 23, 2001
• Bob KalsuatFind a Grave