He then enrolled at New York University and played college football as a halfback and quarterback for the NYU Violets from 1937 to 1939.

He also played for the NYU baseball team as a right-handed pitcher, compiling a 17–7 win-loss record.

Boell was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round (eighth overall pick) of the 1940 NFL draft.

[3] He rejected the Redskins' offer to play professional football for $200 a game and instead pursued a career as a coach and athletic director at Riverside High School on Long Island.

[4] He resigned as football coach at Great Neck in April 1946, citing health problems with his sinus as motivation for a move to Florida.