Halfback,
Detroit Lions
Age: 23 (Nov.
3)
College: UCLA
Height: 6’2” Weight: 208
Prelude:
The consensus
All-American as a senior in 1966 was chosen by the Lions in the first round of
the 1967 NFL/AFL draft (seventh overall). A slashing runner with good hands and
blocking ability, it was anticipated that he could play at both halfback and
fullback.
1967 Season Summary
Appeared in 13
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 206
[4]
Most
attempts, game - 24 (for 197 yds.) at Minnesota 11/12
Yards – 860 [5]
Most yards,
game – 197 yards (on 24 carries) at Minnesota 11/12
Average gain
– 4.2 [10, tied with John David Crow & A.D. Whitfield]
TDs – 3
100-yard
rushing games – 1
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 39
[19, tied with Ernie Green & Dan Reeves]
Most
receptions, game – 8 (for 70 yds.) vs. Pittsburgh 12/3
Yards – 317
Most yards,
game - 82 (on 7 catches) vs. Cleveland 9/24
Average gain
– 8.1
TDs – 3
All-Purpose
yards – 1177
Passing
Attempts – 2
Completions –
0
TDs – 0
INT – 0
Scoring
TDs – 6
Points – 36
Awards & Honors:
NFL Rookie of
the Year: UPI, NEA, Sporting News
NFL Offensive
Rookie of the Year: AP
Pro Bowl
Lions went 5-7-2
to finish third in the Central Division of the NFL Western Conference while
finishing third in the league in rushing yards (1907).
Aftermath:
A knee injury
that required surgery limited Farr to nine games in 1968, yet he still led the
club in rushing (597 yards) and touchdowns (7, tied with flanker Billy
Gambrell). After appearing in just five games and running for 245 yards in ’69,
Farr came back with a Pro Bowl season in 1970 as he rushed for 717 yards,
caught 29 passes for 213 more yards, and scored 11 TDs. However, nagging
injuries diminished his play in his last three seasons and he dropped behind HB
Altie Taylor on the depth chart. He retired in 1973 having rushed for 3072
yards on 739 carries (4.2 avg.), caught 146 passes for 1374 yards (9.4 avg.)
and scored 36 touchdowns. Farr received second-team All-NFL honors once and was
twice chosen to the Pro Bowl, but injuries diminished his promising career. His
older brother Miller was a defensive back in the AFL and NFL and two sons, Mel
Jr. and Mike, went on to play in the NFL.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized
organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise
Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league
itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).
