Background
Bumgardner grew up in West Virginia and helped lead his high school basketball team to a state championship in 1941.
Bumgardner grew up in West Virginia and helped lead his high school basketball team to a state championship in 1941.
He attended West Virginia University following a stint in the military during World World War II, playing on the school"s football team in 1946 and 1947. Bumgardner grew up in Clarksburg, West Virginia and attended the local Victory High School.
He then started his professional career with the Bills of the AAFC, where he remained for two seasons before joining the Browns in 1950. Bumgardner stayed with the Browns until 1953, when the team sold him to the Baltimore Colts. He retired after the Colts cut him and went back to West Virginia, where he worked as a sheriff and United States. marshal for several decades.
He died in 1998.
After graduating, Bumgardner served in the United States Army Air Forces during World World War II and was stationed at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where he played for the base"s service football team After the war, he enrolled at West Virginia University and played on the football team as a halfback in 1946 and 1947. He was a substitute in 1946, but led the team in rushing in 1947.
Bumgardner was signed by the Buffalo Bills of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) before the 1948 season.
The team finished with a 7–7 record and advanced to the AAFC championship that year, but lost to the Cleveland Browns. The AAFC dissolved after the 1949 season, and Bumgardner joined the Browns, who had merged into the National Football League (NFL).
When the Bills went out of existence, Browns head coach Paul Brown obtained Bumgardner along with guard Abe Gibron and defensive tackle John Kissell in a deal with former Bills owner James Breuil. That set up a matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in the championship game.
The score was close for most of the game, but the Browns fell behind 28–20 in the fourth quarter.
Graham then led a long drive hat ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Bumgardner, who made a diving catch in the end zone to bring the score to 28–27. Browns placekicker Lou Groza made a field goal with 28 seconds left in the game to give Cleveland the victory. Bumgardner stayed with the Browns for the 1951 and 1952 seasons, both of which ended with losses in the NFL championship game.
The Colts, however, cut him in September before the season began.
Bumgardner then decided to retire. Bumgardner moved back to West Virginia after his football career and started a job as the deputy sheriff to his mother, who was the sheriff in the Clarksburg area.
He later was hired as the treasurer and sheriff of Marion County, West Virginia before becoming a United States. marshal overseeing 32 counties in the northern part of the state in 1965. He served as a marshal until resigning in 1976 to run for Harrison County sheriff.
Bumgardner died in 1998.