SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco State Gridiron Hall of Famer Don Briemle passed away on Sunday, September 12.
Briemle was inducted into the Gridiron Hall of Fame in 2017. He played linebacker for the Gators from 1959-62, and was a team captain in 1962. He was a 1962 All-Far West Conference selection and was selected Little All-America. Gridiron Magazine ranked him as a "Pro Prospect". Briemle also competed in track & field. Additionally, he served as a coach of the freshmen football team in 1963 and 1964 and played a key role in developing linemen who would go on to be outstanding varsity players on the 1965 and 1967 championship teams.
Briemle is also a member of the Lincoln High School Hall of Fame. He was a longtime educator at Granada High School and the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District.
The Gator Gridiron Hall of Fame, established in 1975 by Gator alumnus Dick Boyd, celebrates the successful small-college program that was established by coaches Joe Verducci and Vic Rowen. While football was dropped by SF State in 1995, several prominent NFL coaches with roots in the Gator program have found success in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Dirk Koetter both began their careers at SF State, and so did Mike Holmgren and Gil Haskell. Successful college coaches like Bob Toledo (UCLA, Tulane, Oregon) were record-setting players for the Gators.
The football legacy at San Francisco State is maintained by the Gridiron Club, an enthusiastic group former players, through regular meetings and Gridiron Hall of Fame events. Gridiron Hall of Fame members include former NFL players Elmer Collett, Bill Baird, Floyd Peters, Joe Koontz, Terry Oakes, and Ed Larios. For additional information, please contact
Don McPhail.
