Dan Foldberg
John Daniel Foldberg 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.
Early life
John Daniel Foldberg was born in Texas on April 22, 1928. He attended Sunset High School in Dallas, Texas, where he played basketball as part of the 1944 state championship team. His older brother, Hank, played football at Texas A&M before transferring to West Point where he was named a consensus 1946 [College Football All-America Team|All-American in 1946], and graduated from West Point in 1947.West Point
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." That same year, Foldberg was named a United Press second-team All-American. For his senior year in 1950 [Army Cadets football team|1950], Foldberg returned as the Cadet's only starting offensive lineman and was named the team captain. That year, he was named a first-team All-American by unanimous consensus.During the 1950 season, legendary Army head coach Earl Blaik called Foldberg the best end he had ever coach. Foldberg finished eighth in the vote for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football's most outstanding player. Foldberg was invited to participate in the 1950 Blue–Gray Classic all-star game, where he served as the captain of the Rebel squad.
Foldberg also played on the Army lacrosse team as a defenseman. The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, the college sport's governing body, named him a second-team All-American Team|All-American] as senior in 1951. Foldberg graduated from West Point as a member of the Class of 1951.