Boni Eli Petcoff (February 1, 1900 – August 5, 1965) was an American football tackle and coach.

Playing

Petcoff was born in Bulgaria and came to the United States at age six. He attended Waite High School in Toledo, Ohio and played football under Larry Bevan for four years. Playing both guard and tackle, Petcoff was a three-time all-city lineman. He was also captain of the school's basketball team his senior year. Petcoff played college football at Ohio State University and was captain of the 1923 Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He was also a javelin thrower on Ohio State's track team. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Columbus Tigers from 1924 to 1926. He was selected as a first-team tackle on the 1924 All-Pro Team.

Coaching

Petcoff served as the head football coach at the University of Toledo from 1926 to 1929, compiling a record of 13–15–1 and winning two Northwest Ohio League championships.

Medicine

Petcoff graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1926. In addition to maintaining a private practice in Toledo, he was also a physician for the Ohio Athletic Commission and the Waite High School football team. In 1942, he was commissioned a captain in the United States Army Medical Corps. He was a regimental surgeon in Iran, then served as a mountain district surgeon with the Persian Gulf Command. He was stationed at Camp Atterbury upon his return to the United States and resumed his practice in Toledo after going on terminal leave in 1946.

Personal life and death

In 1935, Petcoff married Hazel Geiner, the longtime registrar at the University of Toledo. In 1962, Petcoff was inducted into the Greater Toledo Sports Hall of Fame. On August 5, 1965, Petcoff collapsed while playing golf at the Heather Downs Country Club and died of a coronary thrombosis en-route to the hospital.

Head coaching record