Until his name came up during a TV special honoring sports heroes, Dickey Moegle, oops, make that Maegle, (he changed the spelling of his last name after retirement) was a name that hadn’t crossed my mind in decades.

Back in the 1950s when I would see him play in at least six to eight games a season for the 49ers. This allowed me to get acquainted with him on the field after a game, or in Kezar Stadium parking lot. I do recall he was warm and friendly player, and he could not help signing an autograph for a kid.

I was 11 at the time, and it was an overcast and cold afternoon at Kezar in December, of 1954, when for the first time I had seen the Moegle perform in the Shriner's East-West game.

The East beat the West 26-7, in the slush. Moegle, …show more content…
When I approached him, I asked him for his chin strap. He said, “Sure, why not?” He ripped off the leather chin strap from his helmet and handed it to me. I then followed Moegle to the east end of the stadium, until we reached the players' tunnel. From there he disappeared into palpable darkness.

I personally enjoyed Moegle's unmeasured candor and meeting an All-American, who was perhaps was the most heavily coveted college player in the nation. Soon after, he would be selected by the 49ers, with their first round pick in 1955, 10th overall, to play in the NFL.

While playing for Rice University (located in Houston, Texas), Moegle’s was well-documented in his three years on the varsity. The mark of the Rice Owls team's of that era was its ability to attract players, whose intellect matched their athletic skills. Moegle was one of …show more content…
Norman “Red” Strader, had replaced the immortal Buck Shaw, the 49ers first and only coach in their franchise history.

With the 49ers, Moegle would be seeing plenty of “red” in the near future. The team was in desperate need of help in the secondary. He was looking to fit the mold. “I told the coach I'd play any position he wanted. If you pay me, I'll play it,” said an enthusiastic Moegle.

Just a month into his first season, Moegle had his chance to show off his credentials as a defensive back, offensive back, safety on kickoff and punt returns—all in one game— against the Lions at Briggs Stadium.

“That day I played everywhere on the field. McElhenny was nursing a foot injury, so I was getting time at halfback, and I caught a 25-yard pass from Tittle – my first catch as a 49er. Just a few plays later, I was able to turn the corner on a 10-yard sweep, and run it into the end zone for my first touchdown, as a 49er. Later I returned a kickoff 61-yards to set up another score. We ended up beating a championship-caliber team, in Detroit. From then on, I worked my way up to a starter,” said