July 21, 1970: Bob Kalsu Is Killed In Action

This photograph was probably taken in preseason.

He wore Number 61 in the regular season,

but I couldn't find a good picture of him with that number.

July 21, 1970: Fire Support Base Ripcord, in the A Sầu Valley of South Vietnam, used by the U.S. Army's famed 101st Airborne Division, comes under enemy fire. For his actions, Lieutenant Bob Kalsu was awarded the Bronze Star. But he was killed in the process, at age 25.

Two days later, word reached his wife Jan – mere hours after giving birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr. He also left behind a daughter, Jill.

James Robert Kalsu was born on April 13, 1945, in Oklahoma City. A star guard at the University of Oklahoma, he played for the Buffalo Bills in 1968, 14 games, starting 9 of them, and was named the team's Rookie of the Year. But he enlisted in the U.S. Army to fulfill his collegiate ROTC requirement.

Del City High School, his alma mater in Oklahoma City, named its football stadium for him. Also named for him have been an Army base in Iraq and a replacement company at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where he had trained. In 2000, on the 50th Anniversary of his death, the Bills inducted him into their team Wall of Fame.

He was the only active athlete, in any American sport, killed in the Vietnam War. In 1998, NFL Films released a feature, interviewing the Kalsu family, and calling him the only NFL player to be killed in service in that war. The company was later informed that this was incorrect: Major Don Steinbrunner, U.S. Air Force, who had played for the Cleveland Browns in 1953, was shot down in 1967.

*

July 21, 1970 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2 at Yankee Stadium. Stan Bahnsen outpitched Skip Lockwood. The Yankees only got 4 hits, but one was an RBI single by Jerry Kenney. Horace Clarke and Gene Michael each drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Thurman Munson did so with a bases-loaded walk. Bahnsen helped himself with a single, and the Yankees also got singles from Danny Cater and Curt Blefary.

* The New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres, 3-0 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Jim McAndrew pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 10-6 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, to no avail. Tony Conigliaro went 2-for-4, but, soon, his vision problems would return, ending his valiant comeback.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Washington Senators, 4-0 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-2 at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). Fergie Jenkins went the distance for the win, and helped his own cause with a home run. He was also backed by homers from Ron Santo and Randy Hundley. Hank Aaron went 1-for-3 with an RBI -- but not on a home run.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 2-1 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-4. Frank Robinson did not play.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with a walk. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-4. Rod Carew did not play.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Pete Rose went 0-for-5. Johnny Bench drove in a run as a pinch-hitter, and finished the game, unusually, in left field. Lou Brock went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Joe Torre went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1 at the Astrodome in Houston. Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell both went 1-for-4.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-6 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Rick Wise outpitched Juan Marichal. Willie Mays only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and drew a walk.