Highlighted Year: Ed Reed, 2003

Safety, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 25 (Sept. 11)

2^nd season in pro football & with Ravens

College: Miami (FL)

Height: 5’11” Weight: 205

Prelude:

Reed was chosen by the Ravens in the first round (24^th overall) of the 2002 NFL draft and was inserted into the starting lineup at strong safety. He made an impression with his skill as a tackler combined with his ballhawking ability. Reed had five interceptions as a rookie, which he returned for 167 yards. He quickly developed into a premier player at his position.

2003 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 7 [4, tied with Marcus Coleman & Patrick Surtain, 1^st in AFC]

Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Cleveland 9/14

Int. return yards – 132 [8]

Most int. return yards, game – 55 (on 2 int.) vs. Cleveland 9/14

Int. TDs – 1 [7, tied with many others]

Sacks – 1

Fumble recoveries – 0

Forced fumbles – 1

Tackles – 59

Assists – 12

Punt Returns

Returns – 5  

Yards – 33

Average per return – 6.6

TDs – 0

Longest return – 19 yards

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Wild Card playoff vs. Tennessee)

Interceptions – 1

Interception return yards – 23

Int. return TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: PFWA, Sporting News

2^nd team All-NFL: AP

1^st team All-AFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Ravens went 10-6 to finish first in the AFC North. Lost AFC Wild Card playoff to Tennessee Titans (20-17).

Aftermath:

Reed followed up in 2004 with a season in which he led the league with 9 interceptions and a then- record 358 return yards, and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He had a lesser year in ‘05 as injuries limited him to 10 games but, shifted to free safety, came back strong in 2006 as he regained his status as one of the dominant defensive players in the NFL. After 11 seasons capped by a championship in 2012, Reed left the Ravens and signed with the Houston Texans for 2013 but was waived during the season and signed by the Jets in what was his final year. Reed was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection on five occasions, received at least second-team consideration after three other seasons, and was named to nine Pro Bowls, including seven straight from 2006-12. He led the league in interceptions twice more, with 9 in 2008 and 8 in 2010, and had a career total of 64 that he returned for a NFL-record 1590 yards and seven touchdowns. 61 of the interceptions were with the Ravens, making him the club’s career leader by far.

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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 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

Highlighted Year: Ray Brown, 1974

Safety, Atlanta Falcons

Age: 25

4^th season in pro football & with Falcons

College: West Texas A & M

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 202

Prelude:

Brown was chosen by the Falcons in the sixth round of the 1971 NFL draft and started nine games at free safety as a rookie, intercepting three passes. He became part of a secondary that led the NFC in pass defense twice in three years (1971 and ’73) and finished a close second in ’72, the year Brown moved over to strong safety. In 1973 he picked off six passes and also returned 40 punts for a 9.0-yard average.

1974 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 8 [3, tied with Thom Darden & Jake Scott, 1^st in NFC]

Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Chicago 10/13

Int. return yards – 164 [4]

Most int. return yards, game – 59 (on 1 int.) at NY Giants 10/6

Int. TDs – 1 [4, tied with many others]

Fumble recoveries – 0

Punt Returns

Returns – 9

Yards – 96

Average per return – 10.7

TDs – 0

Longest return – 23 yards

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFC:  UPI

Falcons went 3-11 to finish fourth in the NFC West while leading the conference in fewest passing yards allowed (1572) – but also giving up the most rushing yards in the NFL (2564).

Aftermath:

Brown was shifted to free safety in 1975 and had another fine season while he intercepted four passes and returned one for a touchdown. He moved back to strong safety for the next two years and was dealt to New Orleans in 1978, where he continued to be a solid performer. Brown spent three years with the Saints before retiring in 1980. Overall, he appeared in 137 games over ten seasons and intercepted 38 passes, 31 of them with the Falcons, two of which were returned for TDs.

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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 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

Highlighted Year: Rich Camarillo, 1989

Punter, Phoenix Cardinals

Age: 30 (Nov. 29)

9^th season in pro football, 1^st with Cardinals

College: Washington

Height: 5’11” Weight: 185

Prelude:

Following two years at Cerritos Junior College in California, Camarillo transferred to the Univ. of Washington and averaged 39.3 yards on 115 punts in 1979 and ’80. He joined the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1981 and spent seven seasons with them. Camarillo proved to be an excellent directional punter with good hang time. He received second-team All-NFL recognition from NEA in 1982 and was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice in ’83, when he was also chosen to the Pro Bowl. Camarillo was released by the Patriots following the 1988 season, having punted 468 times for a 42.6-yard average. He spent ’89 with the Rams where his average dropped to a career-low 39.5 yards over the course of nine games, after which he was again released. Camarillo signed with the Cardinals as a free agent for 1989.

1989 Season Summary

Appeared in 15 of 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Punting

Punts – 76 [10, tied with Hank Ilesic]

Most punts, game – 8 at Dallas 10/29, vs. Denver 12/16

Yards – 3298 [8]

Average – 43.4 [1]

Best average, game – 48.6 (on 7 punts) at LA Rams 11/19

Punts blocked – 0

Longest punt – 58 yards

Passing

Attempts – 1

Completions – 1

Yards – 0

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 0

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: AP

2^nd team All-NFC: UPI

Pro Bowl

Cardinals went 5-11 to finish fourth in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Camarillo’s excellent 1989 season, in which he put 21 punts inside the 20 with only six touchbacks, was the first of five with the Cardinals, which were his best. He was a Pro Bowl selection after three consecutive seasons, when he was also a first-team All-NFC choice of Pro Football Weekly and UPI, and received consensus first-team All-NFL recognition in 1992. Camarillo had a career-high 45.3 average in ’91 and, moving on to the Houston Oilers in 1994, set a then-league record with 35 punts inside the 20 (along with Pittsburgh’s Mark Royals). He spent one more year with the Oilers in ’95, which effectively concluded his NFL career although he was active for one game with the Raiders in 1996 but added nothing to his punting statistics. Overall, over the course of 16 seasons, Camarillo averaged 42.7 yards on 1027 punts, with 346 punts for a 43.7-yard average coming with the Cards. He received consensus first-team All-NFL honors twice, first- or second-team all-conference recognition after four other seasons, and was chosen to five Pro Bowls.

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Highlighted Years features players who were 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

Highlighted Year: Raymond Chester, 1983

Tight End, Oakland Invaders

Age: 34

13^th season in pro football, 1^st in USFL & with Invaders

College: Morgan State

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 232

Prelude:

In the market for a tight end, the Raiders took Chester in the first round of the 1970 NFL draft (24^th overall), impressed with the speed he brought to the position. He moved directly into the starting lineup and responded by catching 42 passes for 556 yards (13.2 avg.) and seven touchdowns, receiving Rookie of the Year honors from NEA and second-team All-AFC as well as Pro Bowl recognition. Chester went to the Pro Bowl after the 1971 and ’72 seasons, after which he also received first-team All-AFC honors, although his numbers were below those of his first year. But while his output was 62 catches over those two seasons, 15 of them went for touchdowns. He was dealt to the Baltimore Colts for DE Bubba Smith in 1973 and, over the course of five seasons with the Colts, caught 148 passes for 2122 yards and 11 TDs. Chester returned to the Raiders in 1978 and, in ’79, achieved NFL career highs in pass receptions (58) and yards (712) while earning a fourth Pro Bowl selection. His second stint with the Raiders came to an end in 1981, but after sitting out a year he signed with the Invaders of the new USFL for the Spring of ’83.

1983 Season Summary

Appeared in all 18 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 68 [4] 

Most receptions, game – 7 (for 101 yds.) at Michigan 3/19, (for 120 yds.) at Denver 3/28, (for 100 yds.) at Los Angeles 4/3

Yards – 951 [7]

Most yards, game – 120 (on 7 catches) at Denver 3/28

Average gain – 14.0 [17]

TDs – 5 [10, tied with eight others]

100-yard receiving games – 3

Scoring

TDs – 5

Points – 30

Postseason: 1 G (USFL Semifinal playoff at Michigan)

Pass receptions – 4

Pass receiving yards – 41

Average yards per reception – 10.3

Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-USFL: League, Sporting News, College & Pro Football Newsweekly, Pro Football Weekly

Invaders went 9-9 to finish first in the USFL Pacific Division. Lost USFL Semifinal playoff to Michigan Panthers (37-21).

Aftermath:

Chester retired following his lone USFL season. For his 12-year NFL career, he caught 364 passes for 5013 yards (13.8 avg.) and 48 touchdowns and was chosen to four Pro Bowls.

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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 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

Highlighted Year: Don Geyer, 1937

Halfback/Fullback, Cincinnati Bengals

Age: 23

1^st season in pro football

College: Northwestern

Height: 5’10” Weight: 192

Prelude:

Geyer was a member of the Northwestern team that won the Big Ten title in 1936 and was selected to the East-West Shrine and College All-Star games. He joined the Bengals (no relation to the current NFL franchise, other than being the namesake), who entered the second major-league American Football League in its second season.

1937 Season Summary

Appeared in all 7 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Scoring

TDs – 4 [5, tied with Butch Beatty, Al Nichelini & Jerry Donnell]

Field Goals – 4 [1]

Extra Points – 5

Points – 41 [1]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-AFL: League

Bengals went 2-3-2 to finish fourth in the AFL.

Aftermath:

Geyers’ pro football career was brief as the league folded following the 1937 season (although the Bengals continued on as an independent team in ‘38). He was an assistant coach at the Univ. of Cincinnati and later enlisted in the Navy during World War II.

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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 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

Highlighted Year: Bill Kellagher, 1947

Fullback/Defensive Back, Chicago Rockets

Age: 27

2^nd season in pro football & with Rockets

College: Fordham

Height: 5’11” Weight: 205

Prelude:

Kellagher was a member of the Fordham team that appeared in the 1941 Cotton Bowl. Following service as a Marine during World War II, he joined the Rockets of the new AAFC in 1946. As a fullback on offense, he rushed for 178 yards and three touchdowns and caught two passes.

1947 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 42

Yards – 243 [20]

Yards per attempt – 5.8

TDs – 0

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 3

Yards – 22

Yards per catch – 7.3

TDs – 0

Interceptions

Interceptions – 6 [1, tied with Tom Colella & Len Eshmont]

Return yards – 77 [7]

TDs – 0

Rockets went 1-13 to finish fourth in the AAFC Western Division.

Aftermath:

Kellagher played one more season for the Rockets, gaining 97 yards on 33 carries and scoring a TD, and had no interceptions on defense. He moved to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1949 but was a late preseason cut and spent his final season with the Bethlehem Bulldogs of the minor league AFL, rushing for 158 yards. For his three years in the AAFC, Kellagher gained 518 yards on 124 rushing attempts (4.2 avg.) and caught five passes for 58 yards, scoring four touchdowns. His six interceptions in 1947 were also his AAFC career total.

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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 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

1961: Colts Obtain Joe Perry from 49ers

On February 14, 1961 the Baltimore Colts gave up an undisclosed draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for 34-year-old FB Joe Perry, who had spent 13 seasons with the 49ers going back to the All-America Football Conference.

“I’m not at all disgruntled,” said Perry in reaction to the trade. “The Colts can rest assured that when I report I’ll be in tip-top condition and I’ll give them my very best because that’s how I play football.”

Perry was the NFL’s career rushing leader at the time with 7246 yards on 1451 carries, averaging just short of five yards per attempt. He had not come out of a major college football program, having gone into maritime service during World War II and thus playing service football and at Compton Junior College. He attracted the attention of the 49ers, then in the AAFC, and signed with them in 1948. An in-between runner at 6’0”, 200 pounds who lacked the power of a classic fullback or the outside finesse of a halfback, Perry nevertheless had great speed (hence his nickname “The Jet”). He shared the fullback job with Norm Standlee as a rookie, rushed for 562 yards, and topped the league in rushing touchdowns with 10. In ’49, he was the AAFC’s leading ground gainer with 783 yards while averaging 6.8 yards-per-carry.

The 49ers moved to the NFL in 1950 and Perry remained their top ball carrier, and he was also an effective receiver out of the backfield on screen passes. The addition of HB Hugh McElhenny in 1952, a potent outside threat, made Perry even more effective and he was a Pro Bowl selection for the first of three straight seasons. He also led the NFL in rushing with 1018 and 1049 yards in 1953 and ’54, becoming the first back in league history to have thousand-yard totals in consecutive seasons, and he was a consensus first-team All-NFL choice after each of those years and received MVP recognition from UPI in 1954.

The yardage totals were lower thereafter, although still solid and with high average gains, and Perry began to show some signs of wear, appearing in all 12 games only once more. He remained a key component of the offense until 1960, when he ran the ball just 36 times for 95 yards and a TD. San Francisco began jettisoning veteran talent in an effort to re-tool, ultimately including McElhenny and QB Y.A. Tittle, and the Colts were in the marketplace for a fullback.

Baltimore had won back-to-back NFL titles in 1958 and ’59, and in addition to the passing of QB Johnny Unitas and outside ball-carrying and receiving of flashy HB Lenny Moore, FB Alan Ameche provided the power running between the tackles. However, an Achilles tendon injury that required surgery had sidelined Ameche during the 1960 season and, with his future in doubt (he would in fact be forced to retire), the Colts were in need of a replacement. The Colts dropped their last four games, missing out on a potential third straight title and finishing at 6-6, and the lack of a dependable inside running game was a key component in the collapse.

While there was skepticism initially as to how much Perry could resolve the problem at his age and lesser size, he did make an immediate impact in the opening game of the 1961 season when he rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries as the Colts came from 14 points behind to defeat the Rams 27-24. It proved to be his highest yardage total of the season, but he did compile two more hundred-yard efforts and provided reliability as well as a renewed durability and enthusiasm. For the year, he totaled 675 yards on 168 carries for a 4.0 average and three touchdowns. He also caught 34 passes for 322 yards, an average of 9.5 yards per reception, and scored another TD. Baltimore was better on offense (rising from eleventh in rushing yards to third), but problems on defense allowed for only a modest improvement to 8-6 for the year.

Perry suffered a knee injury that required surgery during a 1962 preseason game but made a remarkable recovery to appear in 12 games for the Colts, running for 359 yards on 94 attempts (3.8 avg.) and pulling in 22 passes for 194 yards (8.8 avg.). While Perry reported to the Baltimore training camp for 1963, he was finally slowing down at age 36 and was released. He returned to the 49ers, where he was a backup in his final year (and was able to qualify for a player pension).   

Jim Brown surpassed Perry as the NFL’s career rushing leader in 1963, but Perry retired at number two with 8378 yards. Adding in his AAFC totals, he gained 9723 yards on 1929 carries (5.0 avg.) with 71 touchdowns, and compiled another 2021 yards on 260 pass receptions (7.8 avg.) and 12 more TDs. Perry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.