In his prime, HB Hugh McElhenny was arguably the most electrifying open field runner in the NFL. He was fast, elusive, and with outstanding cutting ability that made his breakaway runs, in which he often crisscrossed the field, highlight favorites. But by the time he was acquired by the New York Giants on July 17, 1963 he had played for 11 seasons and the cartilage had worn out in his left knee.
Obtaining the 34-year-old McElhenny from the Minnesota
Vikings for two future draft picks (fourth round in 1964, second round in ’65)
was thus considered a gamble, but one the Giants were willing to take to add
depth to their corps of running backs. While the passing game directed by QB
Y.A. Tittle had been outstanding as the club topped the Eastern Conference in
1961 and ’62, the running attack was less formidable. The starting halfback was
Phil King, a workmanlike fifth-year pro with a history of injury problems. FB
Alex Webster was 32 and, while a proven power runner, was on the downside of
his career. Backing up was the versatile but unexciting Joe Morrison, and no
younger prospects had shown staying power. Head Coach Allie Sherman was
especially interested in finding someone with outside speed, and there was hope
that McElhenny still had something left in that regard.
The 6’1”, 195-pound halfback was reunited with his
ex-49er teammate Tittle with the Giants. “The King” was a first-round draft
choice out of the University of Washington when he joined San Francisco in
1952, and made an immediate impression when he averaged seven yards a carry and
scored a total of ten touchdowns as a rookie. He was a consensus first-team
All-NFL selection in each of his first two seasons. An excellent complement to
FB Joe Perry, McElhenny was at his best on draw plays and screen passes. Over
the course of nine years with the 49ers, was chosen to five Pro Bowls as he
rushed for 4288 yards on 877 carries, for a 4.9-yard average with 35 TDs,
caught 195 passes for 2666 yards (13.7 avg.) and 15 scores, averaged 6.5 yards
on 99 punt returns that included another touchdown and 23.0 yards on 65 kickoff
returns. Overall, that was a total of 9100 all-purpose yards and 51 TDs.
With the 49ers on a youth movement, McElhenny joined the
expansion Vikings in 1961. There he gained 570 yards on the ground, tied his
career high with 37 pass receptions, and returned a punt for a touchdown. He
was named to one last Pro Bowl, but advancing age and bad knees took their toll
the following year.
As a backup for the Giants, McElhenny was often unable to
practice due to his knee problems, but he proved useful off the bench. In the
opening-week win over the Colts, McElhenny caught a touchdown pass and he had
his biggest performance in a midseason showdown with the Browns at Cleveland. He
ran the ball 13 times for 53 yards, both season highs, caught one pass for a
six-yard TD, and returned a kickoff 51 yards as the Giants won decisively. Meanwhile,
Webster managed to play in just half of the games, with Morrison forced to thus
fill in at fullback.
Overall, McElhenny rushed for 175 yards on 55 carries
(3.2 avg.), had 11 pass receptions for 91 yards and two TDs, and had an
additional 210 yards returning kicks. The Giants won the Eastern Conference for
a third straight year before bowing to the Bears in the NFL Championship game.
McElhenny provided one highlight in that contest by returning a kickoff 47
yards, in addition to gaining 19 yards on seven rushing attempts and catching
two passes for 20 yards.
“The King” returned in 1964 but failed to make the team,
and caught on with the Detroit Lions in what was his final year. He retired after having gained 11,369
all-purpose yards, one of only three players up to that time to have crossed
the 11,000-yard threshold. McElhenny was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in 1970.
As for the draft choices the Vikings obtained for
McElhenny, the fourth round pick in 1964 was used to take tackle Tom Keating
from Michigan, who joined Buffalo of the AFL instead and had his best years as
a DT with the Oakland Raiders. The 1965 second-round selection brought Illinois
OT Archie Sutton, who lasted for three seasons as a backup with the Vikings and
appeared in a total of 19 games.
