Rookie of the Year: Claude Humphrey, 1968

Defensive End, Atlanta Falcons

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.

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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).

1979: Falcons Trade Claude Humphrey to Eagles

On March 5, 1979 the Atlanta Falcons traded former All-Pro DE Claude Humphrey to the Philadelphia Eagles. Humphrey was sent to the Eagles for “future undisclosed draft choices”, although it was understood that the unspecified picks would come from the 1979 and ’80 drafts (they turned out to be fourth-round choices in each).

Humphrey had retired four games into the 1978 season but later expressed a desire to return to pro football, although not with Atlanta. His stated preference was to play for a team that utilized a four-man defensive front, rather than three, although the Eagles used a 3-4 defense as well.

Much of Humphrey’s interest in playing for the Eagles stemmed from the presence of Marion Campbell as defensive coordinator, who had been defensive line coach and head coach in Atlanta earlier in his career. Fred Bruney, also formerly on the Falcons staff, was Philadelphia’s defensive secondary coach.

“I learned all of my football from Marion Campbell because he was there the whole time I was there,” said Humphrey. “I asked to come here. I asked to be traded to the Eagles.”

Humphrey was a 34-year-old veteran of ten NFL seasons. He was 6’5” and 265 pounds and was chosen by the Falcons in the first round in 1968 (third overall) coming out of Tennessee State. He made enough of an impact in his first season to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press and, in his third year, was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of five straight years and six overall. With his fine pass rushing ability, he was also a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1972 and ’73.

However, the player known as “Big Claude” had missed all of the 1975 season with a knee injury, and while he successfully came back and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1977, his having walked away during the ’78 season raised questions as to whether he still had the desire and ability to help the Eagles.

Philadelphia was very much a team on the rise under Head Coach Dick Vermeil, having gone 9-7 in ’78 and reaching the postseason for the first time since 1960. The defensive line was good against the run, with NT Charlie Johnson and DE Carl Hairston, but while DE Dennis Harrison showed promise as a rookie, the team had accumulated only 29 sacks – a drop from 47 in 1977. The need for an experienced pass rusher was evident, and Humphrey was successfully worked in as a pass rushing specialist.

The Eagles improved to 11-5 in 1979 and again qualified for a Wild Card playoff spot. The defense ranked ninth overall and Humphrey contributed significantly as a part-time player, credited with 10 sacks (unofficially, since sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982) and 31 hurries. It did not hurt that Hairston had 15 sacks and Johnson played well enough in the middle of the line to gain selection to the Pro Bowl.

Philadelphia won the NFC East with a 12-4 tally in 1980 and advanced to the Super Bowl. Humphrey again excelled as a role player with another 14.5 sacks unofficially compiled during the course of the season. He lasted one more year before retiring for good at the age of 37. While his career came to an end just before sacks became an official statistic, it has been estimated that he accumulated 122 over the course of 13 years with the Falcons and Eagles.

As a footnote, Atlanta used the draft choices obtained for Humphrey to pick running backs. First, it was Lynn Cain from USC, taken in the 1979 fourth round, and then I.M. Hipp of Nebraska, from the fourth round in 1980. Cain was by far the better choice, playing six years for Atlanta and rushing for 2309 yards on 615 carries (3.8 avg.) and 19 touchdowns with a high of 914 yards in 1980. He also caught 127 passes for 1061 yards (8.4 avg.) and another 6 TDs, with highs of 55 for 421 yards in ’81. Meanwhile, Hipp failed to make the club and had no better luck with other NFL and USFL teams.

1976: Falcons Upset Cowboys with Fourth Quarter Scoring Flurry

The Atlanta Falcons were stumbling along at 3-7 as they hosted the Dallas Cowboys on November 21, 1976. Head Coach Marion Campbell had already been let go and Pat Peppler, the general manager, took over in the interim. The Falcons had also lost second-year QB Steve Bartkowski to a knee injury and journeyman QB Scott Hunter was starting in his place. While they had beaten the 49ers the previous week, they were heavy underdogs against Dallas, a club they had never won against in five regular-season meetings.

The Cowboys had been to the postseason nine times in the previous ten years under Head Coach Tom Landry and sported a 9-1 record coming into the game at Atlanta. While they lacked speed at running back, they had a decent stable of runners and a proficient passing game led by QB Roger Staubach. The defense was typically strong. However, there were danger signs in that the Cowboys were coming off of two mediocre performances against the Giants and Bills, although they won both contests.

There were 47,947 fans in attendance on a 47-degree day at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Cowboys scored on a 16-yard run by FB Scott Laidlaw in the first quarter. However, there was little further excitement as neither team was able to generate much additional offense and the score remained 7-0 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys added a 23-yard Efren Herrera field goal. While they were only up by 10-0, it seemed likely to be enough against the hapless Falcons. But in a five minute span of the fourth quarter, Atlanta took control with the help of two interceptions and a short Dallas punt that put 17 points on the board.

First, LB Dewey McClain intercepted a Staubach pass to set up a 21-yard field goal by Nick Mike-Mayer. The next Dallas series ended with a poor 15-yard punt by Danny White and Atlanta capitalized when HB Mike Esposito scored on a 35-yard run.

With the score tied, SS Ray Brown (pictured at left) then intercepted a pass and the Falcons scored on a Scott Hunter quarterback keeper from a yard out. Dallas still had opportunities, but came up empty on a drive to the Atlanta 28 and, with 1:12 left on the clock, LB Tommy Nobis intercepted a Staubach pass at the Atlanta nine to seal the 17-10 upset.

The Cowboys outgained Atlanta (307 yards to 230) and had more first downs (15 to 13). However, Dallas also turned the ball over four times – twice leading to Atlanta scores – while the Falcons turned the ball over on two occasions. The Falcons also sacked Staubach four times, three of them by DE Claude Humphrey (pictured at top) - an unofficial total, as individual sacks were not yet a recognized statistic. Dallas committed a total of eight penalties, at a cost of 70 yards, to four flags thrown on Atlanta.

Scott Hunter was successful on just 8 of 20 pass attempts for 99 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Mike Esposito paced the running game with 82 yards and a TD on 13 carries and also was one of two Falcons to catch a team-leading three passes, along with WR Alfred Jenkins. Jenkins gained 60 yards to Esposito’s 19.

For the Cowboys, Roger Staubach had a rough day as he completed 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards with no TDs and had three intercepted. Scott Laidlaw rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts and HB Preston Pearson contributed 61 yards on 16 carries. Laidlaw and Pearson each caught four passes to lead the club, with Pearson gaining 47 yards and Laidlaw 39. Tellingly, only three of Staubach’s passes were completed to wide receivers, for a total of 39 yards.

“We moved the ball well when we weren’t making mistakes,” summed up Tom Landry. “But we had too many holding penalties, interceptions, and dropped passes.”

The loss for the Cowboys set up a Thanksgiving battle just three days later with the Cardinals for the NFC East lead. They won and went on to finish atop the division with an 11-3 record before losing to the Rams in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Atlanta lost its remaining three contests to end up fourth in the NFC West at 4-10. The result was an organizational refurbishing that brought former NFL quarterback Eddie LeBaron in as general manager and Leeman Bennett as head coach.