Dale Van Sickel

Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s. He later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years. Van Sickel played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as the first-ever first-team All-American in the history of the Florida Gators football program.

Early life Dale Van Sickel was born in Eatonton, Georgia, on November 29, 1907 to William Milton Van Sickel and Ella McGaen, but grew up in Gainesville, Florida. His father William owned a photography studio in Gainesville. The family came to Georgia originally from Guernsey County, Ohio.

High school Van Sickel attended Gainesville High School, where he played high school football for the Gainesville Purple Hurricanes. Dale's older brother Talmadge had also been an all-state player for Gainesville High. In 2007, eighty-one years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Dale Van Sickel as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football. —the most points scored in the nation. The Gators' sole 1928 loss was to Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee—by a single point, 12–13. As was typical of the 1920s era, Van Sickel played both offense and defense; his College Hall of Fame biography describes him as "a swift and sure-handed receiver on offense and a gifted defensive player."

Van Sickel was also the team captain and a varsity letterman for the Florida Gators basketball and Gators baseball teams. He was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great," and he was also the first Gator to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Van Sickel graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in 1930, and he remained at the university to be an assistant coach for the Gators football and basketball teams during the 1930 and 1931 seasons. He also played supporting characters in a couple of episodes in the series. In addition to appearing in numerous B movies, Van Sickel was a stunt man and on-screen extra in such Hollywood classics as The Searchers, North by Northwest and Spartacus. Van Sickel was survived by his wife Iris and their daughter.

Selected filmography

Laugh It Off (1939) – Policeman Hellzapoppin (1941) – Frankenstein's monster (uncredited) Black Arrow (1944) – Henchman Renegades of Sonora (1948) – Brad (Henchman) Street Corner (1948) – The Passing Motorist The Golden Stallion (1949) – Henchman Ed Hart Radar Men from the Moon (1951) – Alon Northern Patrol (1953) – Jason Highway Patrol (1957) S2, E18, "Statute of Limitations" North by Northwest (1959) – Ranger (uncredited) Colgate Theatre (TV series, 1958) – episode "The Last Marshal" My Blood Runs Cold (1965) – Trucker (uncredited) Requiem for a Gunfighter (1965) – Kelly The Great Race (1965) – Driver-Contestant in Green Car, #3 (uncredited) Town Tamer (1965) – Bartender That Funny Feeling (1965) – Taxi Driver (uncredited) Johnny Reno (1966) – Ab Conners Cyborg 2087 (1966) – Tracer #1 Murderers' Row (1966) – Fortress Guard (uncredited) A Guide for the Married Man (1967) – Driver (uncredited) The Gnome-Mobile (1967) – Uniformed Guard (uncredited) The Flim-Flam Man (1967) – Deputy Guard (uncredited) The Love Bug (1969) – Driver Duel (TV movie, 1971) – Car Driver (Stunt driver for Dennis Weaver)