Indianapolis Colts: 30 greatest players in franchise history
player. 46. . Offensive Tackle. 1963-72. Bob Vogel. 22
One of the Colts’ first stars along the offensive line, Bob Vogel didn’t wait long to assert himself as a driving force behind Baltimore’s high-octane offense of the 1960s. As a matter of fact, his arrival in town bumped arguably the Colts’ best blocker inside so he could start at left tackle.
Now that’s not to say the guy he replaced on the blindside (more on him later) was a worse player. It just means that Vogel seemed like a better overall fit at left tackle. As it turns out, the position suited him very well.
During his time with the franchise, Vogel was awarded with five Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro selection. Although not quite as decorated as a couple of the other offensive linemen on this list, the Ohio State product certainly knew how to make his presence felt. I’m sure Johnny Unitas would have vouched for his top-notch talents when it came to protection.
Some will argue that Vogel should be higher on this list. That’s all good and dandy. However, based on what I know of the two-time champion is that he did his job, protected one of the greatest players in team history, and received many accolades along the way. Does sitting at No. 22 among the greatest Colts of all-time really seem like that hard of a pill to swallow?