Age: 24
3rd
season in pro football & with Chargers
College: Arkansas
Height: 6’0” Weight: 185
Prelude:
Chosen by the
Raiders in the second round of the 1962 AFL draft, Alworth’s draft rights were
obtained by San Diego (he was picked by the 49ers in the first round of the
corresponding NFL draft). Due to injuries, he had a quiet rookie season,
appearing in four games and catching 10 passes for 226 yards, although three of
those went for touchdowns. Alworth broke out in 1963 with 63 catches for 1205
yards (19.8 avg.) and 11 TDs. He received AFL Player of the Year honors from
UPI in addition to being a consensus first-team All-AFL and AFL All-Star
selection.
1964 Season Summary
Appeared in 12
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 61
[5]
Most
receptions, game – 8 (for 124 yds.) at Boston, (for 203 yds.) vs. Oakland 11/1
Yards – 1235
[3]
Most yards,
game – 203 (on 8 catches) vs. Oakland 11/1
Average gain
– 20.2 [4]
TDs – 13 [1]
200-yard
receiving games – 1
100-yard
receiving games – 6
Rushing
Attempts – 3
Yards – 60
Average gain
– 20.0
TDs – 2
Punt Returns
Returns – 18 [4, tied with Bill Baird & Willie Mitchell]
Yards – 189
[4]
Most yards,
game – 66 (on 4 ret.) vs. Denver 10/18
Average per
return – 10.5 [2]
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 43 yards
Passing
Pass attempts
– 1
Pass
completions – 1
Passing
yardage – 11
TD passes – 0
Interceptions
– 0
All-purpose
yards – 1484 [6]
Scoring
TDs – 15 [1]
Points – 90
[3]
Missed
postseason game due to injury
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-AFL: League, AP, NEA, UPI, NY Daily News
AFL All-Star Game
Chargers went
8-5-1 to finish first in the AFL Western Division. Lost AFL Championship to
Buffalo Bills (20-7).
Aftermath:
The 1964
season was the second of seven straight 1000-yard receiving seasons for Alworth,
three in which he led the AFL, and four straight (of an eventual five) years in
which he reached double figures in receiving TDs (he led the league again in
1965 with 14 and with 13 in ‘66). With his speed, finesse, and great leaping
ability, Alworth led the AFL in pass receptions three times, was a consensus 1st-team
All-AFL honoree for six straight years, and was selected to seven consecutive
league All-Star games. Alworth spent his last two seasons (1971 and ’72) with
the Dallas Cowboys and scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl VI win over Miami. Overall,
the graceful receiver known as “Bambi” caught 542 passes for 10,266 yards (18.9
avg.) and 85 touchdowns (458 for 8976 yards with 77 TDs came in the AFL). His
string of 96 consecutive games with a catch was the AFL/NFL record at the time.
Alworth’s #19 was retired by the Chargers and he was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1978 (the first inductee whose career was
primarily in the AFL).
--
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
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