Cal Rossi

Cal Rossi (March 1924–January 23, 2013) was an American football running back who played at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the first football player to be selected twice in the NFL Draft. He was first drafted in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1946 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. This is considered to be one of the biggest blunders in NFL Draft history because Rossi was a junior, and was not draft eligible. He was again chosen in the first round of the 1947 NFL Draft by the Redskins, but he never played football professionally.

Rossi enjoyed a brilliant four-year varsity football career at right halfback and in the defensive backfield for the Bruins. During his career, he rushed for 1,490 yards on 255 carries, which put him third on the all-time list. His career rushing average of 5.85 yards per carry was the highest in school history at the time.

In addition, Rossi's 169 rushing yards against Oregon in 1945 stood as a school record for 15 years. He ended his career with seven interceptions, including a team-leading three picks in 1947. Rossi earned All-Coast first team honors 1945. Cal Rossi was the second leading rusher in the nation before being transferred to the Naval Corps Supply School at Harvard University as part of his military service requirements. In the five games Rossi played in 1945 he gained 679 yards and averaged 7.15 yards per carry. His 169 yards against the University of Oregon stood as a UCLA rushing record until 1961.

In baseball, Rossi enjoyed an equally successful career. He hit .456 in 1945 and won All-Coast honors and hit above .300 in two other seasons.

Rossi was a first-round choice of the NFL Washington Redskins in 1946 but remained at UCLA to finish his senior year and then entered high school coaching.

His first teaching and coaching assignment was at Visalia High School, starting there in 1949 and leading the team to the CIF Championship of the San Joaquin Valley that year. Next, Rossi moved to Redondo Beach, where he taught business classes and coached at Redondo Beach High School. It was there that he eventually became an advocate for teachers' rights through his work with the California Teachers' Association.

In 1971, Rossi moved his family to Los Altos Hills, Calif., where he continued working for CTA, and his work focused on higher education. He retired from his position as Deputy Executive Director of CTA in 1984.

Rossi was inducted into the UCLA Bruins Hall of Fame in 1997.

In later life, Rossi suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He died on January 23, 2013 at the age of 88.