On August 23, 1964 the Chicago Bears picked up HB Jon
Arnett from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for G Roger Davis, a five-year
veteran; C Joe Wendryhoski, a first-year NFL player from Illinois who had been
All-Big 10 and had seen action in the CFL; and rookie DB Frank Budka from Notre
Dame, who had been a college quarterback.
The 29-year-old Arnett was 5’11” and 195 pounds and had
been LA’s first draft choice out of USC in 1957, the second pick overall and ahead
of FB Jim Brown, who the Browns took four picks later. A former gymnast as well
as hurdler, he was highly regarded in college for his speed, balance, and
running instincts and made an immediate impression by leading the NFL in
kickoff returns as a rookie. “Jaguar Jon” also saw action at halfback and
rushed for 347 yards while gaining another 322 yards as a pass receiver who
averaged 17.9 yards on his 18 catches. He
was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of five consecutive seasons.
Arnett was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection in
1958 as he moved into the starting lineup and gained 1177 yards from scrimmage
(683 on 133 rushing attempts, 494 on 35 pass receptions). He led the league in
punt return average (12.4) and continued to return kickoffs. His greatest
single-game performance came at home against the Bears as he accumulated 295 total
yards, although he failed to score a touchdown. His 1731 all-purpose yards
ranked second in the NFL, just eight behind Jim Brown.
The ’58 season proved to be his most productive – it was
also the last time the Rams would finish with a winning record while he was
with them. Arnett was used more as a spot player, splitting out to flanker as
well as lining up at halfback, but he continued to receive Pro Bowl recognition
for his all-purpose contributions that included some spectacular plays, such as
a 105-yard kickoff return in 1961. Injuries became a factor and he was bothered
by a bad knee in 1963 and, prior to the trade, had seen little action during
the ’64 preseason.
The Bears, defending league champions, were in need of a
halfback following the death of seven-year veteran Willie Galimore in a car
accident during training camp. They also had HB Ronnie Bull on the roster, the
league’s top rookie in 1962, who was versatile but lacked speed.
Arnett split time with Bull at halfback and led the team
in rushing with 400 yards on 119 carries for a mediocre 3.4-yard average.
Overall, the Bears had the NFL’s least-productive ground game in ’64 as the
team dropped all the way to sixth place in the Western Conference. While still an
effective runner at times, Arnett no longer had the speed that had made him a
star with the Rams.
The arrival of rookie HB Gale Sayers from Kansas in 1965
relegated Arnett to a backup role in his last two seasons. He retired after the
’66 season, having gained 10,214 all-purpose yards (3833 rushing, 2290 pass
receiving, 981 returning punts, and 3110 running back kickoffs) and scored 39
touchdowns.
As for the players that the Rams received for Arnett,
Roger Davis was the most experienced, having been taken in the first round of
the 1960 NFL draft out of Syracuse, where he had been a star on the 1959
national championship team. He moved into the starting lineup at right guard
and spent one year with the Rams before moving on to the New York Giants in 1965.
Joe Wendryhoski was with the Rams for three seasons before moving on to the
expansion Saints in ’67. Frank Budka was around for just one NFL season,
playing as a defensive back and later moving on to the Continental Football
League. Moreover, the Rams continued to lose more often than they won in 1964
and ’65, finally turning around under Head Coach George Allen in 1966.
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