John Daniel Foldberg (April 22, 1928 – May 30, 2002) was an American military officer and football player. He played as an end for the Army Cadets at the United States Military Academy. Army head coach Earl Blaik rated him the best end he had ever coached. He was selected in the 1951 NFL Draft, but pursued a 27-year military career. Foldberg served as an infantry officer in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
John Daniel Foldberg was born in Texas on April 22, 1928.[1] He attended Sunset High SchoolinDallas, Texas, where he played basketball as part of the 1944 state championship team.[2] His older brother, Hank, played football at Texas A&M before transferring to West Point where he was named a consensus All-American in 1946, and graduated from West Point in 1947.[3][4]
Like his brother, Dan Foldberg also attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He played football there as an end, and during the 1948 season, Foldberg was described as a consistently impressive player on what was a dominating Army team. The Cadets' only close game that year was a 14–13 victory over Penn. One source described the Army team as "the nearest thing to a paragon of perfection in the East."[5] That same year, Foldberg was named a United Presssecond-team All-American. For his senior year in 1950, Foldberg returned as the Cadet's only starting offensive lineman and was named the team captain.[6] That year, he was named a first-team All-American by unanimous consensus.[7]
During the 1950 season, legendary Army head coach Earl Blaik called Foldberg the best end he had ever coach.[8] Foldberg finished eighth in the vote for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football's most outstanding player.[9] Foldberg was invited to participate in the 1950 Blue–Gray Classic all-star game, where he served as the captain of the Rebel squad.[10]
