December 18, 2015

Highlighted Year: Ernie Caddel, 1935

Wingback, Detroit Lions



Age: 24
3rd season in pro football & with Spartans/Lions
College: Stanford
Height: 6’2”   Weight: 198

Prelude:
Caddel went to Stanford on a baseball scholarship but was recruited to the football team by legendary Head Coach Glenn “Pop” Warner. Noted for his spectacular running ability, he pioneered in the use of playing while wearing a flak jacket after suffering two broken ribs. Caddel signed with the Portsmouth Spartans in 1933 and “The Blond Antelope” gained 393 yards from scrimmage (282 rushing, 107 receiving) and followed up with 655 total yards in 1934, the franchise’s first season as the Detroit Lions. His 528 rushing yards ranked fifth in the NFL.

1935 Season Summary
Appeared in all 12 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 87 [12]
Yards – 450 [2]
Yards per attempt – 5.2 [1]
TDs – 6 [1]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 10 [11, tied with Wayland Becker & Flavio Tosi]
Yards – 171 [12]
Yards per catch – 17.1 [5]
TDs – 0

Passing
Attempts – 6
Completions – 4
Yards – 169 [16, tied with Doug Nott]
TD passes – 2 [6, tied with eleven others]
Interceptions – 1

All-Purpose yards – 621 [1]

Scoring
TDs – 6 [2, tied with Dutch Clark, Dale Burnett & Bill Karr]     
Points – 36 [3, tied with Dale Burnett & Bill Karr]

Postseason: 1 G (NFL Championship vs. NY Giants)
Rushing attempts – 16
Rushing yards – 62
Average gain rushing – 3.9
Rushing TDs – 1

Kickoff returns – 2
Kickoff return yards – 25
Average yards per reception – 12.5
Kickoff return TDs – 0
Longest return – 25 yards

Awards & Honors:
1st team All-NFL: League, Chicago Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: UPI

Lions went 7-3-2 to finish first in the NFL Western Division while ranking second in the league in rushing yards (1773), touchdowns (25), and scoring (191 points). Won NFL Championship over New York Giants (26-7).

Aftermath:
Caddel achieved career highs for rushing (580 yards), pass receptions (19), and total yards (730) in 1936. He also led the league in yards per carry (6.4) for the second straight season. Caddel received second-team All-NFL recognition from the league and the Chicago Daily News in both 1936 and ’37, a year in which he again had the NFL’s best yards per carry average (5.6) while rushing for 429 yards. He retired following an injury-plagued season in 1938. Overall, Caddel rushed for 2311 yards on 443 carries (5.2 avg.) and caught 54 passes for 641 yards (11.9 avg.), totaling 2952 combined yards and scoring 26 touchdowns.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff Returns: Average
Punt Returns: Average
Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970