Age: 26
1st season in pro football
College: Tulsa
Height: 6’4” Weight: 210
Prelude:
A star tailback and punter in college, Dobbs was chosen by the Chicago Cardinals in the first round of the 1943 NFL draft, but went into the military instead. After starring in service football, he joined the Dodgers of the new AAFC in 1946, a club that utilized a single-wing attack.
1946 Season Summary
Appeared in 12 of 14 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 269 [1]
Completions – 135 [1]
Yards – 1886 [1]
Completion percentage – 50.2 [4]
Yards per attempt – 7.0 [3]
TD passes – 13 [4]
Most TD passes, game – 2 vs. Buffalo 11/10, at Miami 12/13
Interceptions – 15 [1]
Passer rating – 66.0 [4]
Rushing
Attempts – 95
Yards – 208
Yards per attempt – 2.2
TDs – 4
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 1
Yards – -5
TDs - 0
Punting
Punts – 80 [1]
Yards – 3826 [1]
Average – 47.8 [1]
Punts blocked – 2
Interceptions
Interceptions – 2 [20, tied with many]
Return yards – 44 [18]
TDs – 0
Kickoff Returns
Returns – 12 [6, tied with Edgar Jones]
Yards – 214 [12]
Average per return – 17.8
TDs – 0
Punt Returns
Returns – 7 [17, tied with four others]
Yards – 146 [11]
Average per return – 20.9
TDs – 1
Longest return – 78 yards
All-Purpose yards – 563
Scoring
TDs – 6 [9, tied with five others]
Points – 36 [15, tied with six others]
Awards & Honors:
AAFC MVP: League
1st team All-NFL/AAFC: Chicago Herald-American
1st team All-AAFC: League, AP, UPI, NY Daily News
Dodgers went 3-10-1 to finish in a tie for second place in the Eastern Division, although they ranked second in the AAFC in passing offense (2258 yards).
Aftermath:
In a major trade early in the 1947 season, Dobbs was dealt to the Los Angeles Dons. Playing quarterback in the T-formation, his performance suffered, but in ’48 a new head coach, Jimmy Phelan, created a new offense (the Phelan spread) in order to more fully utilize Dobbs’ talents. Dobbs responded with an outstanding season in which he set pro football records for pass attempts (369) and completions (185). He also had his best pro rushing season (539 yards) and again led the league in punting (49.1). Injuries significantly diminished Dobbs’ performance in 1949, and with the demise of the AAFC following that season, he retired from pro football. After an absence of a year, in which he was a sportscaster in Tulsa, Dobbs joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada, playing three more seasons (and winning MVP honors in the Western league in ’51) before further injuries set in, and serving as a player/coach. Overall, as a pro he passed for 11,072 yards and 96 TDs, rushed for 1280 yards, and had a 45.7 punting average.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/14/14]
No comments:
Post a Comment