Age: 25
1st
season in pro football
College: Tennessee
Height: 5’10” Weight: 185
Prelude:
In college, Feathers
starred as a halfback and punter, rushing for 1888 yards and scoring 32
touchdowns, and was a consensus first-team All-American selection in 1933. Both
fast and elusive, he signed with the Bears in 1934 and had a sensational rookie
season, benefiting from an outstanding supporting cast that notably included FB
Bronko Nagurski, whose blocking often helped to spring Feathers on long gains.
1934 Season Summary
Appeared in 11
of 13 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 119
[9]
Yards – 1004
[1]
Yards per
attempt – 8.4 [1]
TDs – 8 [1,
tied with Dutch Clark]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 6
Yards – 174 [6]
Yards per
catch – 29.0
TDs – 1 [14,
tied with many others]
Passing
Attempts – 12
Completions –
4
Yards – 41
TD passes – 2
[6, tied with nine others]
Interceptions
– 2
All-Purpose
yards – 1178 [1]
Scoring
TDs – 9 [1]
PATs – 1
Points – 55 [5]
Missed
postseason game due to injury
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-NFL: League, UPI, Chicago Daily News, Collyers Eye, Green Bay
Press-Gazette
Bears went 13-0
to finish first in the NFL Western Division while leading the league in total
yards (3802), rushing yards (2847), touchdowns (37), and scoring (286 points).
Lost NFL Championship to New York Giants (30-13).
Aftermath:
Feathers, who
suffered a shoulder injury that affected the remainder of his career, never
came close to duplicating the success of his rookie year. In his three
remaining seasons with the Bears, he gained a total of 842 rushing yards. His
best single season during that period came in 1936, when he totaled 350 yards
on 97 carries (3.6 avg.) and scored two touchdowns. Feathers spent two years
with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938 and ’39, running for 115 yards in a part-time
role, and ended his career with Green Bay in 1940. Overall, Feathers rushed for
1980 yards on 378 attempts (5.2 avg.) and caught 15 passes for 243 yards,
scoring a total of 17 touchdowns. He holds the distinction of being the NFL’s
first thousand-yard rusher and his 1934 yardage total remained the league
record until 1947. Feathers went on to become a college football head coach at
Appalachian State and North Carolina State and was also a baseball coach at the
collegiate level.
--
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
