Carter's Corner: Remembering Vel Heckman, Florida's Oldest Living All-American at Time of Death

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The headline on the front page of the Nov. 19, 1958, Tallahassee Democrat sports section set the stage for a rivalry that would become one of the most heated in college football history.

'We'll Beat FSU,' Says Big Gator Vel Heckman

Three days later at Florida Field, the Gators did precisely what the 230-pound Heckman said they would in the first meeting between Florida and Florida State.

Heckman, Vel — **Vel Heckman** during his playing days at Florida. (File photo)

Florida 21, FSU 7.

Heckman was a force on both the defensive and offensive lines for the 1958 Gators, earning him All-American honors at the end of his senior season.

"Heckman plays a great game when you need him most,'' Gators coach Bob Woodruff said.

Heckman had some thoughts on the Seminoles after the game, too.

"I didn't think they were very good,'' he told the Orlando Evening Star. "They didn't hit hard. They're not Southeastern Conference caliber."

Heckman enrolled at UF in 1954, left school for a year, and returned for a three-year run from 1956-58, which ended with his selection as only the fifth All-American player in school history, following Dale Van Sickle (1928), Fergie Ferguson (1941), Charlie LaPradd (1952) and John Barrow (1956).

Heckman's most significant days as a player came with the Gators. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 10th round but never played in a regular-season NFL game. He settled in Winter Garden, Fla., located in the Orlando area, and became a coach.

Heckman was inducted into the UF Athletic Hall of Fame in 1968 and was recognized as Florida's oldest-living All-American, most recently at Florida Field during the 2019 season.

Heckman's greatest legacy to those who knew him was his impact on his community, where he served as head coach at old Lakeview High School in Orange County for many years before moving into other endeavors.

In a story in the Orange Observer after Heckman's UF appearance five years ago, former players shared his influence in their lives.

"Vel Heckman was the toughest coach I've ever been around. He made boys into men but cared about us all," Russell Crouch, Lakeview Class of 1969, told the newspaper. "I became a football coach for over 35 years because of him."

Velles Alvin Heckman, who came to the University of Florida from Allentown, Pa., in 1954, died on Tuesday at age 88. He was the oldest living Gators All-American.

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Carter's Corner: Remembering Vel Heckman, Florida's Oldest Living All-American at Time of Death

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Carter's Corner: Remembering Vel Heckman, Florida's Oldest Living All-American at Time of Death

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