Age: 24
College: Tennessee
State
Height: 6’5” Weight: 255
Prelude:
Following a
college career that was capped by receiving All-American honors in 1967 from
The Sporting News and Time magazine, Humphrey was chosen in the first round
(third overall) by the Falcons in the 1968 AFL/NFL combined draft. He moved
directly into the starting lineup and made an impact with his skill as a pass
rusher.
1968 Season Summary
Appeared in
all 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Sacks – 11.5
(unofficial)
Interceptions
– 0
Fumble
recoveries – 3
Awards &
Honors:
NFL Defensive
Rookie of the Year: AP
Falcons went 2-12
to finish fourth in the Coastal Division of the NFL Western Conference.
Aftermath:
Humphrey
continued to develop in 1969, receiving second-team All-NFL honors from NEA and
UPI, and was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the first of five straight years in
’70. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection in 1972 and ’73. Humphrey
missed only two games in his first seven years, but lost all of 1975 due to a
major knee injury. He came back in ’76 to achieve an unofficial career high in
sacks with 15 and was back in the Pro Bowl in 1977, a season in which the
Falcons defense excelled and gave up just 129 points. However, four games into
the ’78 season Humphrey abruptly retired. The Falcons traded him to the
Philadelphia in the offseason, and he came back with the Eagles to play another
three years that included a NFC Championship in ’80. Utilized as a pass rushing
specialist in his last two seasons, he was credited with 14.5 sacks in 1980.
Overall, he played in 171 games over 13 seasons and, while sacks were not yet
officially compiled, he was unofficially credited with 122 over that time. In
addition to twice being a consensus first-team All-NFL choice, he received at
least second-team or all-conference selections after six other seasons and was
named to the Pro Bowl on six occasions as well. Humphrey was inducted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2014.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie
of the Year in the NFL (including NFC/AFC), 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).
