A section of Bentley Dr. in Bluffton will soon also be known as “Elbert Dubenion Drive,” lining up with Salzman Stadium on the western edge of the Bluffton University campus. The village council acted unanimously upon a presentation from a group of alumni and village citizens interested in honoring the only Bluffton College/University athlete to play professional football.
As a Bluffton College football all-star, Elbert Dubenion led the Beavers to three undefeated seasons in the Mid-Ohio League from 1956-1958. His career rushing yards totaled 4,735, with 53 touchdowns. He was a four-time first-team all-Mid-Ohio League selection, 1955-1958, and in the latter year a Little All-American first-team member. In 1974 he became a charter member of the Bluffton College Athletic Hall of Fame.
A professional football career followed with the Buffalo Bills from 1960-1968. During his nine professional seasons, Dubenion caught 292 passes for 5,309 yards (18 yards per reception) and 35 touchdowns. He was named a first-team AP All-Pro in 1968. After retiring, he was selected as a member of the Bills’ Silver Anniversary Team and his name was added to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.
At both the college and professional levels Dubenion possessed tremendous speed and running skills, which is why he was dubbed “Golden Wheels” by a Bills quarterback during his rookie season. In a “Flashback” feature for the Bills, sportscaster Jim Gehman recalls Dubenion saying he “wasn’t just sure how fast he was until a couple of days” after arriving at training camp. “I was faster than anybody there,” he said, “fast enough to not get beat.” Teammate Booker Edgerson later told “The Buffalo News” that “Duby was our touchdown man. They loved to throw him the bomb.”
As a teammate of Dubenion on the 1958 Bluffton College football team (his senior year), several indelible memories remain. We won a third consecutive Mid-Ohio League championship; a fourth would come the following year. In humbling Ashland College 57-0, Dubenion scored four touchdowns, two in his first three carries.
A moment of high drama occurred when the Beavers traveled to Danville, KY, to play Centre College. The “Prayin Colonels” were mounting a comeback, threatening to take the lead. Dobe trotted onto the field, not to carry the ball this time but to play defensive back, something he very rarely did. By intercepting two passes in three minutes, one by soaring high above the intended receiver, and the second with less than a minute to play, he preserved a 19-16 victory.
Dubenion’s most memorable burst from scrimmage occurred against Hiram College during the 1956 season. As an injured player, he traveled with the team, though without his uniform. But with Bluffton behind at halftime, he borrowed freshman Glenn Snyder’s pads and early in the second half took off for a 40-yard touchdown. Dobe ran that one play, putting the Beavers ahead, and then he sat down. The lead held, with a final score of 13-12. And a Dubenion moment became a legend.
His heroics never surprised anyone. Players and fans alike came to expect them. Little wonder that Bluffton home football games in the late 1950s were sold out. It inspired players as well as fans to see the stadium filled up and spectators lining the field two and three deep.
Whether walking with him from the dressing room to the football practice field on campus or waiting together for the door to Dr. Bauman’s sociology class to open, Dobe enjoyed exchanges of humor. He was always a gentleman, both on and off the field. No one was surprised that he was voted Most Popular Man at May Day ceremonies in his senior year.
After his playing days were over, Dubenion served as a valuable college scout for the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons, as well as working for the Bills. He passed away four years ago at age 86 after battling Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
A brief ceremony to commemorate “Dobe” Dubenion will be held at noon on Friday, Oct. 4, near one of the two Elbert Dubenion Drive signs at Salzman Stadium. The public is invited to attend.
Ron Lora, a native of Bluffton, is professor emeritus of history at the University of Toledo. Contact him at [email protected]. His column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lima News editorial board or AIM Media, owner of the newspaper.
