Dan Foldberg John Daniel Foldberg , a 1946 graduate of Sunset High School in Dallas , Texas , 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 . 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 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 , 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 ( USILA ) , the college sport ' s governing body , named him a second - team All - American as senior in 1951 . Foldberg graduated from West Point as a member of the Class of 1951 . Military career . He was selected in the 22nd round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions as the 261st overall pick , but remained in the Army as a career officer . He received his commission into the Infantry branch , and served in the 15th Infantry in the Korean War from 1952 to 1953 . Foldberg was then assigned as cadre at Ranger School , from 1954 to 1956 , and Airborne School , from 1956 to 1958 . He returned to West Point to work as a tac officer from 1965 to 1967 . Between 1967 and 1968 , he served as the executive officer of 3rd Brigade , 101st Airborne Division , and the commanding officer of 1 / 501st Infantry , 101st Airborne Division . In the Republic of Viet Nam , he served as a battalion commander and the G3 operations officer in the 5th Infantry Division , and he was awarded the Silver Star , Bronze Star , and the Purple Heart . In 1978 , having attained the rank of colonel , Foldberg retired from the military to Tulsa , Oklahoma .