Age: 28
3rd
season in pro football, 2nd with Dons
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. Brooklyn went only 3-10-1, but
Dobbs led the circuit in passing yards (1886) as well as punting (47.8 avg.)
and was named MVP by the league. 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.
1948 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 369
[1]
Completions –
185 [1]
Yards – 2403
[4]
Completion
percentage – 50.1 [5]
Yards per
attempt – 6.5 [7]
TD passes – 21
[3]
Most TD
passes, game – 4 vs. Chicago 10/8
Interceptions
– 20 [2]
Passer rating
– 67.4 [5]
Rushing
Attempts – 91
[14]
Yards – 539
[11]
Yards per
attempt – 5.9 [5]
TDs – 4 [13,
tied with four others]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 2
Yards – 11
Yards per
catch – 5.5
TDs - 0
Punting
Punts – 68
[1]
Yards – 3336 [1]
Average – 49.1
[1]
Punts blocked
– 3 [1]
Interceptions
Interceptions
– 1
Return yards
– 32
TDs – 0
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 2
Yards – 38
Average per
return – 19.0
TDs – 0
Scoring
TDs – 4
Points – 24
Awards & Honors:
2nd
team All-NFL/AAFC: Sporting News
2nd
team All-AAFC: League, UPI, NY Daily News
Dons went 7-7
to finish third in the AAFC Western Division.
Aftermath:
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, the WIFU, in ’51) before further injuries set in, and
serving as a player/coach. Overall, in the AAFC he passed for 5876 yards and 45
TDs, rushed for 1039 yards and 12 TDs, and had a 46.4 punting average. In
Canada, Dobbs passed for 5196 yards and 51 TDs, rushed for 241 yards and 7 TDs,
and had a 44.7 punting average. He returned to his alma mater, Tulsa, where he
was athletic director and head football coach.
--
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
