Age: 24
2nd
season in pro football & with Jets
College: Maryland
State College (now Maryland Eastern Shore)
Height: 5’11” Weight: 207
Prelude:
Boozer rushed
for 2537 yards and 22 touchdowns in college, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He
was chosen by the Jets in the sixth round of the 1966 AFL draft (the Pittsburgh
Steelers took him in the seventh round of the NFL draft) and, brought along
slowly by Head Coach Weeb Ewbank and nagged early on by a foot injury, rushed
for 455 yards on 97 carries (4.7 avg.). With his speed and outstanding balance,
he proved to be a much-needed outside runner to complement FB Matt Snell and
was chosen to the AFL All-Star Game. He got off to a sensational start in 1967
before being felled by a knee injury in the season’s eighth game.
1967 Season Summary
Appeared in 8
of 14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 119
[9]
Most
attempts, game – 18 (for 44 yds.) at Denver 9/24, (for 98 yds.) vs. Oakland
10/7, (for 65 yds.) vs. Houston 10/15
Yards – 442 [11]
Most yards,
game – 98 yards (on 18 carries) vs. Oakland 10/7
Average gain
– 3.7 [12]
TDs – 10 [1]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 12
Most
receptions, game – 5 (for 109 yds.) vs. Miami 10/1
Yards – 205
Most yards,
game – 109 (on 5 catches) vs. Miami 10/1
Average gain
– 17.1
TDs – 3 [18,
tied with seven others]
100-yard
receiving games – 1
Kickoff
Returns
Returns – 11
[17, tied with Bobby Leo]
Yards – 213 [19]
Most yards,
game – 74 (on 4 ret.) vs. Houston 10/15
Average per
return – 19.4
TDs – 0
Longest
return – 28 yards
Scoring
TDs – 13 [1]
Points – 78
[6]
Awards & Honors:
2nd
team All-AFL: Sporting News
Jets went 8-5-1
to finish second in the AFL Eastern Division while leading the league in total yards
(5152) and passing yards (3845).
Aftermath:
Injuries
would remain a chronic problem for Boozer. In 1968, after a slow start he came
back to rush for 441 yards and gain AFL All-Star Game honors as the Jets won
the AFL Championship. He played a total of ten seasons, all with the Jets, performing
well when healthy and co-leading the NFL in touchdowns with 14 in 1972. Boozer,
who became a capable blocker, had a high of 831 rushing yards in ’73 despite
diminished speed. Overall, he rushed for a then-franchise record 5135 yards on
1291 carries (4.0 avg.) and caught 139 passes for 1488 yards (10.7 avg.),
scoring a total of 65 TDs. Boozer was inducted into the Maryland Eastern Shore Hall
of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.
--
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
