Highlighted Year: Jon Arnett, 1957

Halfback, Los Angeles Rams

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Southern California

Height: 5’11” Weight: 194

Prelude:

“Jaguar Jon” received All-American recognition from the AP, NEA, and Football Writers Assoc. of America in 1955 and was recipient of the Voit Trophy as top college football player on the Pacific Coast in 1954 and ’55. His senior year was limited to five games due to NCAA sanctions that were leveled against USC. Arnett was a natural choice for the Rams in the first round of the ’57 NFL draft (second overall). His speed, agility, and outstanding running instincts made him a fit both at halfback and as a kick returner.

1957 Season Summary

Appeared in all 12 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 86
Most attempts, game - 20 (for 42 yds.) vs. Baltimore 12/15

Yards – 347

Most yards, game – 149 yards (on 17 carries) at Green Bay 11/17

Average gain – 4.0 [15]

TDs – 2
100-yard rushing games - 1

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 18
Most receptions, game - 4 (for 65 yds.) at San Francisco 10/6

Yards – 322

Most yards, game – 137 (on 4 catches) at Chi. Bears 10/20

Average gain – 17.9

TDs – 3

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 18 [5]

Yards – 504 [5]

Average per return – 28.0 [1]

TDs – 1 [1, tied with Billy Wells]

Longest return – 98 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 14 [13, tied with Bert Zagers]

Yards – 85 [10]

Average per return – 6.1 [5]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 22 yards

All-Purpose yards – 1258 [3]

Scoring

TDs – 6 [9, tied with ten others]

Points – 36 [19, tied with ten others]

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Rams went 6-6 to finish fourth in the NFL Western Conference while leading league in total yards (4143), rushing yards (2142), and scoring (307 points).

Aftermath:

Arnett was chosen to the Pro Bowl following each of his first five seasons and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection in 1958 when he had career highs in rushing yards (683), pass receiving yards (494, on 35 catches), yards from scrimmage (1177), and all-purpose yards (1731) and he led the league in punt return yards (223) and average (12.4). He was used more as a spot player over the years, lining up at both halfback and flanker while continuing to return kicks. In 1961 Arnett received second-team All-NFL honors from the NEA, UPI, and New York Daily News in a year in which he ran the ball 158 times, his highest total, for 609 yards, gained 1531 all-purpose yards, and returned a kickoff 105 yards. Injuries became a factor in 1962 and ’63, and he was traded to the Chicago Bears prior to the 1964 season, having gained 8076 all-purpose yards in seven years with the Rams (2892 rushing, 1911 receiving, 683 on punt returns, and 2590 returning kickoffs). Arnett led the Bears with 400 rushing yards in ’64 but the arrival of rookie HB Gale Sayers in 1965 relegated him to a backup role in his last two seasons. Overall, Arnett rushed for 3833 yards on 964 carries (4.0 avg.), caught 222 passes for 2290 yards, averaged 8.2 yards on 120 punt returns and 24.7 yards on 126 kickoff returns. He scored a total of 39 touchdowns and was named to five Pro Bowls. Arnett was chosen to the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

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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 Percentage, 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

[Updated 2/21/17]

1964: Rams Trade Jon Arnett to Bears

On August 23, 1964 the Chicago Bears picked up HB Jon Arnett from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for G Roger Davis, a five-year veteran; C Joe Wendryhoski, a first-year NFL player from Illinois who had been All-Big 10 and had seen action in the CFL; and rookie DB Frank Budka from Notre Dame, who had been a college quarterback.

The 29-year-old Arnett was 5’11” and 195 pounds and had been LA’s first draft choice out of USC in 1957, the second pick overall and ahead of FB Jim Brown, who the Browns took four picks later. A former gymnast as well as hurdler, he was highly regarded in college for his speed, balance, and running instincts and made an immediate impression by leading the NFL in kickoff returns as a rookie. “Jaguar Jon” also saw action at halfback and rushed for 347 yards while gaining another 322 yards as a pass receiver who averaged 17.9 yards on his 18 catches.  He was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of five consecutive seasons.

Arnett was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection in 1958 as he moved into the starting lineup and gained 1177 yards from scrimmage (683 on 133 rushing attempts, 494 on 35 pass receptions). He led the league in punt return average (12.4) and continued to return kickoffs. His greatest single-game performance came at home against the Bears as he accumulated 295 total yards, although he failed to score a touchdown. His 1731 all-purpose yards ranked second in the NFL, just eight behind Jim Brown.

The ’58 season proved to be his most productive – it was also the last time the Rams would finish with a winning record while he was with them. Arnett was used more as a spot player, splitting out to flanker as well as lining up at halfback, but he continued to receive Pro Bowl recognition for his all-purpose contributions that included some spectacular plays, such as a 105-yard kickoff return in 1961. Injuries became a factor and he was bothered by a bad knee in 1963 and, prior to the trade, had seen little action during the ’64 preseason.

The Bears, defending league champions, were in need of a halfback following the death of seven-year veteran Willie Galimore in a car accident during training camp. They also had HB Ronnie Bull on the roster, the league’s top rookie in 1962, who was versatile but lacked speed.

Arnett split time with Bull at halfback and led the team in rushing with 400 yards on 119 carries for a mediocre 3.4-yard average. Overall, the Bears had the NFL’s least-productive ground game in ’64 as the team dropped all the way to sixth place in the Western Conference. While still an effective runner at times, Arnett no longer had the speed that had made him a star with the Rams.

The arrival of rookie HB Gale Sayers from Kansas in 1965 relegated Arnett to a backup role in his last two seasons. He retired after the ’66 season, having gained 10,214 all-purpose yards (3833 rushing, 2290 pass receiving, 981 returning punts, and 3110 running back kickoffs) and scored 39 touchdowns.

As for the players that the Rams received for Arnett, Roger Davis was the most experienced, having been taken in the first round of the 1960 NFL draft out of Syracuse, where he had been a star on the 1959 national championship team. He moved into the starting lineup at right guard and spent one year with the Rams before moving on to the New York Giants in 1965. Joe Wendryhoski was with the Rams for three seasons before moving on to the expansion Saints in ’67. Frank Budka was around for just one NFL season, playing as a defensive back and later moving on to the Continental Football League. Moreover, the Rams continued to lose more often than they won in 1964 and ’65, finally turning around under Head Coach George Allen in 1966.