1983: Jim Kelly Signs with USFL

The Houston Gamblers, one of the United States Football League’s six expansion franchises for its second season, made a major acquisition on June 9, 1983 as prize QB Jim Kelly from the Univ. of Miami signed a contract.

Kelly had been chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL draft as part of a much-heralded quarterback class that included Stanford’s John Elway and Dan Marino of Pittsburgh. While contract terms were not released at the time of the signing, it was later revealed to be a five-year fully-guaranteed deal for $3.3 million. While they were at it, the Gamblers also signed Kelly’s roommate at Miami, RB Mark Rush, who had been Minnesota’s fourth-round draft pick (he lasted five games with Houston before being released).

“Kelly is more ready to play pro football than some of the others because of the type of offense he was under in college,” explained Gene Burrough, Houston’s general manager.

Playing under Head Coach Howard Schnellenberger at Miami, who utilized a pro-style passing offense, Kelly set school records for pass completions (376), passing yards (5228), and TD passes (31), but his college career was curtailed when he suffered a separated shoulder against Virginia Tech in the third game of the 1982 season. Already given a clean bill of health, but with the USFL season not set to start until February of 1984, he would have that much more time to fully heal.

While the Gamblers were coached by Jack Pardee, the offensive coordinator was Darrel “Mouse” Davis, architect of the “run-and-shoot” offense at Portland State. Houston lost its opening game, 20-17 to the Tampa Bay Bandits, and Kelly passed for 229 yards and a touchdown while giving up two interceptions. But the following week, on a Monday night, the Gamblers blasted the San Antonio Gunslingers, another first-year club, and Kelly threw for 309 yards and a TD while running for two more. The Gamblers got off to a 3-1 start, stumbled for two losses, and then went on to a 13-5 record that placed first in the Central Division. Moreover, the offense was nothing short of sensational, averaging 34.3 points per game on the way to racking up 618 points, which were 79 more than the runner-up, and scoring 79 touchdowns over the course of 18 games.

Kelly significantly exceeded rookie expectations, topping the circuit in pass attempts (587), completions (370), yards (5219), and touchdowns (44), although also in interceptions (26). In addition, he rushed for 493 yards on 85 carries (5.8 avg.) and five TDs. Two of his receivers, Richard Johnson (115 catches, 1455 yards, 15 TDs) and Ricky Sanders (101 receptions, 1378 yards, 11 TDs) finished first and second in pass receptions. For his efforts, Kelly was a consensus first-team All-USFL selection and was named Player of the Year by the league. That the Gamblers fell short in the first round of the playoffs against the Arizona Wranglers took little luster off of the season of accomplishments.

The Gamblers were without “Mouse” Davis in 1985, who became the head coach of the Denver Gold, but it did not slow down Kelly and the offense. In the opening game against the Los Angeles Express and another heralded young quarterback, Steve Young, Kelly had a remarkable performance in a 34-33 come-from-behind win. His 574 passing yards not only far exceeded the existing USFL record but also the NFL mark of 554 set in 1951 by Norm Van Brocklin of the Rams. He went to the air 54 times, completed 35, and five were good for touchdowns.

Kelly maintained high production through another outstanding season until he was sidelined for the last four games with a knee injury, yet he still topped the USFL in pass attempts (567), completions (360), yards (4623), and TD passes (39). He again received consensus first-team All-USFL honors. And while Kelly returned for the postseason, Houston was once more eliminated in the first round.

The 1985 season proved to be the end of the line for the USFL. A planned move to the autumn in 1986 was aborted when an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL led to a favorable ruling but, essentially, no cash award (one dollar, times three), something that was desperately needed by the USFL. The Gamblers had been merged with the New Jersey Generals during the offseason in a move that was to put Kelly in the same backfield with star RB Herschel Walker, but it was not to be. He left the USFL having thrown for 9842 yards and 83 TDs in just two seasons and 32 games.

Kelly went on to the NFL and the Buffalo Bills, who retained his rights. He stayed with Buffalo for eleven years, passing for 35,467 yards and 237 touchdowns, and performing well in a fast-paced, no-huddle offense that was similar to the one he had so much success with in the USFL. The club won four straight AFC Championships between 1990 and ’93 and Kelly, who received consensus first-team All-NFL honors once and was chosen to five Pro Bowls, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.    

1966: Rams Obtain Irv Cross from Eagles

On June 8, 1966, while the main focus of pro football followers was on the announcement of the AFL-NFL merger, the Philadelphia Eagles parted ways with Pro Bowl CB Irv Cross, who was sent to the Los Angeles Rams for DB Aaron Martin and HB/flanker Willie Brown.

It was the second trade by the Eagles to the Rams of a disgruntled defensive Pro Bowler during the turbulent offseason as discontent rose against Head Coach/GM Joe Kuharich. LB Maxie Baughan’s demand to be sent elsewhere was accommodated several weeks earlier. The 26-year-old Cross had been with the Eagles for five seasons, but threatened to quit unless traded.

Drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round out of Northwestern in 1961, Cross was thrust into the starting lineup when star CB Tom Brookshier suffered a broken leg in the eighth game. He intercepted two passes, recovered two fumbles, and suffered three concussions during the season. Cross remained in the starting lineup in 1962 and showed improvement as he intercepted five passes. By 1964, he was chosen to the Pro Bowl for the first of two consecutive seasons and was noted for his tackling ability as well as coverage skills. Thus far with the Eagles, he had intercepted 15 passes, one of which he returned for a 94-yard touchdown. He also was Philadelphia’s primary kick returner in ’65, running back 25 kickoffs for a 26.5-yard average and 14 punts at a 5.6-yard rate.

As for the players the Eagles received for Cross, Willie Brown was 24 and a third-year player who was drafted by the Rams in the third round in 1964 out of USC. He had primarily been used to return kicks and, as a halfback, rushed for 133 yards on 44 carries in ‘65. The Eagles had hopes of using him as a flanker. Aaron Martin, also 24, went undrafted out of North Carolina College and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 1964, who tried him on offense, but was released during the preseason after which the Rams picked him up. He started the ’65 season at cornerback and intercepted two passes before suffering a broken left arm in the fourth game that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

The Rams, coming off of a 4-10 record (their seventh straight losing season) had a new head coach in the defense-minded George Allen, formerly an assistant under George Halas with the Bears (who did not let him go without a court battle). Allen inherited an excellent defensive line but the remainder of the unit needed bolstering. The addition of Baughan at outside linebacker was a plus and it was hoped that Cross could help in a defensive backfield that had one star in FS Ed Meador and inexperienced players at the other positions. 

Cross proved to be a good fit at right cornerback for the Rams, who improved to 8-6 in their first year under Coach Allen. He paired up well with young CB Clancy Williams on the other side and, while he intercepted only one pass, he returned it 60 yards for a touchdown, and continued to impress with his tackling.

Cross was with Los Angeles for three seasons, and with the outstanding defense leading the way, the Rams went 11-1-2 in 1967, reaching the postseason for the first time since 1955, and 10-3-1 in ’68. He intercepted a total of six passes and was also used to return kicks, averaging 7.5 yards running back 29 punts and 30.1 yards on 16 kickoff returns.

Cross was traded back to the Eagles in 1969 in the deal that brought All-Pro OT Bob Brown to LA. He was a player/coach in his final season, and after retiring as a player was an assistant coach in 1970 before moving to the broadcast booth. He became a fixture on "The NFL Today" on CBS from 1975 to ’89.  

As for the Eagles, the result of the transaction was disappointing. Willie Brown lasted one year with the club, catching no passes and returning a handful of kicks with mediocre results. Aaron Martin spent two seasons with Philadelphia, intercepted two passes and returned a punt for a touchdown, but was nothing special in the defensive backfield.

Highlighted Year: Steve Christie, 1998

Placekicker, Buffalo Bills

Age: 31 (Nov. 13)

9^th season in pro football, 7^th with Bills

College: William & Mary

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 185

Prelude:

A native of Canada, Christie was a highly-sought soccer prospect coming out of high school but was recruited by William & Mary to be a kicker. He set school records for field goals (57), field goal percentage (68.7), and points (279) and was also an accomplished punter. For his efforts, he was a three-time All-ECAC selection. Undrafted out of college, Christie joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990 and was successful on 23 of 27 field goal attempts. He received first-team All-NFC honors from UPI and Pro Football Weekly. After a second season with the Bucs, he signed with the Bills as a free agent in 1992. Christie connected on 24 of 30 field goal attempts in 1992 and was 9-of-10 in his first postseason, which included the game-winning kick in the dramatic come-from-behind win over the Oilers in the Wild Card round and five in the AFC Championship against Miami. A lesser year in ’93 was followed by his career high for field goal percentage (85.7) in 1994 as he made good on 24 of 28 attempts and kicked a Super Bowl-record 54-yard field goal in the postseason. He remained consistent and in 1997 was 24-of-30 on field goals (80 %) and was successful all 21 of his extra point attempts.

1998 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 33 [3]

Most field goals, game – 4 vs. San Francisco 10/4, at NY Jets 11/8, at Cincinnati 12/6

Field goal attempts – 41 [1]

Most field goal attempts, game – 5 vs. San Francisco 10/4

Field goal percentage – 80.5 [16]

PATs – 41 [7, tied with Ryan Longwell & Todd Peterson]

PAT attempts – 41 [8, tied with Todd Peterson]

Longest field goal – 52 yards at Cincinnati 12/6

Scoring

Field Goals – 33

PATs – 41

Points – 140 [2, 1^st in AFC]

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Wild Card playoff at Miami)

Field goals – 1

Field goal attempts – 1

PATs – 2

PAT attempts – 2

Longest field goal – 33 yards

Bills went 10-6 to finish third in the AFC East and qualified for the postseason as a Wild Card. Lost AFC Wild Card playoff to Miami Dolphins (24-17).  

Aftermath:

Christie spent two more seasons with Buffalo for a total of nine before a preseason groin injury in 2001 led to his being placed on injured-reserve and then released. He departed the Bills having achieved franchise records with 234 field goals out of 299 attempts (78.3 %) and 309 extra points, with four misses, for a total of 1011 points. Christie joined the San Diego Chargers during the 2001season and stayed on for another two years before finishing his career with the Giants in 2004. Overall, Christie was successful on 336 of 431 field goal attempts (78.0 %) and 468 of 473 PATs for a total of 1476 points.

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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: Matt Stover, 2000

Placekicker, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 32

11^th season in pro football, 10^th active & with Browns/Ravens

College: Louisiana Tech

Height: 5’11” Weight: 178

Prelude:

Stover was successful on 64 of 88 field goal attempts in college, his longest coming from 57 yards, and he also punted during his senior year with a 34.1-yard average. He was chosen by the New York Giants in the 12^th round of the 1990 NFL draft but, following a good preseason, spent the ’90 regular season on injured reserve due to a quadriceps pull. Stover joined the Cleveland Browns in 1991 and was steady in his first active pro season, hitting on 16 of 22 field goal attempts, including a 55-yarder that was the longest in the AFC that year, and 33 of 34 PATs. He also adapted well to the field conditions and winds at Municipal Stadium. It proved to be the first of five seasons with the Browns, who became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, and Stover continued on with the renewed franchise. Along the way he made good on 26 of 28 field goal tries in 1994 for a NFL-leading 92.9 percentage, earning second-team All-AFC honors from UPI. Through 1999 he had scored 884 points on 202 field goals and 278 extra points.

2000 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 35 [1]

Most field goals, game – 5 at Jacksonville 10/8

Field goal attempts – 39 [1]

Most field goal attempts, game – 5 at Cleveland 10/1, at Jacksonville 10/8

Field goal percentage – 89.7 [6]

PATs – 30 [17, tied with John Hall]

PAT attempts – 30 [17, tied with John Hall]

Longest field goal – 51 yards at Washington 10/15, vs. Pittsburgh 10/29

Scoring

Field Goals – 35

PATs – 30

Points – 135 [2, 1^st in AFC]

Postseason: 4 G

Field goals – 6

Most field goals, game – 3 at Oakland, AFC Championship

Field goal attempts – 8

Most field goal attempts, game – 4 at Oakland, AFC Championship

PATs – 11

Most PATs, game – 4 vs. NY Giants, Super Bowl

PAT attempts – 11

Longest field goal – 47 yards vs. NY Giants, Super Bowl

Awards & Honors:

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

1^st team All-AFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Ravens went 12-4 to finish second in the AFC Central and qualify for a Wild Card playoff slot. Won Wild Card playoff over Denver Broncos (21-3), AFC Divisional playoff over Tennessee Titans (24-10), AFC Championship over Oakland Raiders (16-3), and Super Bowl over New York Giants (34-7).   

Aftermath:

Stover, who was successful on 30 of 35 field goal attempts in 2001, continued on for another eight seasons with the Ravens through 2008. He departed as the franchise leader in field goals (354) and scoring (1464 points). Stover was signed by the Indianapolis Colts during the 2009 season due to an injury to PK Adam Vinatieri and, in ten games, was successful on 9 of 11 field goal attempts and all 33 PATs and finished up his 19-season career with a Super Bowl appearance. Overall, Stover kicked 471 field goals out of 563 attempts (83.7 %), which ranked fourth in NFL history at the time, and 591 extra points, with just three misses, for a total of 2004 points, also the fourth highest league total up to that point. He added another 25 field goals, out of 31 tries, and 31 PATs in 16 playoff games. Stover received first-team All-NFL recognition once and was chosen to one Pro Bowl.

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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

1991: Down by 17, Monarchs Rally Past Knights in WLAF Playoff Game

The World League of American Football Semifinal playoff game on June 2, 1991 featured the London Monarchs, representatives of the European Division and the league’s winningest team with a 9-1 record, and the New York/New Jersey Knights, 5-5 finishers in the North American East Division.

The Monarchs, under Head Coach Larry Kennan, featured an efficient offense that rarely turned the ball over and an aggressive defense. QB Stan Gelbaugh (pictured above) was the league’s top-rated passer with a 92.8 rating and also topped the developmental circuit in passing yards (2656) and touchdown throws (17, tied with Orlando’s Kerwin Bell). RB Judd Garrett topped the WLAF in pass receptions with 71 and WR Jon Horton gained a league-high 931 yards on his 43 catches.

New York/New Jersey was coached by Darrel “Mouse” Davis, the chief architect of the “run-and-shoot” offense, and had the league’s leading ground gainer in RB Eric Wilkerson. The Knights had lost both regular season contests against the Monarchs, but received a break in being able to host the Semifinal game rather than travel to London. Due to soccer matches scheduled at Wembley Stadium, the Monarchs were forced to go on the road despite having the better record.

There were 23,149 fans in attendance at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands. The Knights ran into trouble early when center Pete Scott went out with a back injury, forcing changes on the offensive line, but they still managed to take an early lead when Kendall Trainor kicked a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, New York/New Jersey added to the lead as QB Jeff Graham threw to WR Kip Lewis for a 13-yard touchdown. Trainor added the extra point to make it 10-0.

It was Graham connecting with Lewis again a few minutes later, this time for a 49-yard TD and, with Trainor’s point after, the Knights held an improbable 17-0 lead. The Monarchs began to mount their comeback as Gelbaugh threw to WR Andre Riley for a six-yard touchdown to finally get on the board and then to RB Judd Garrett for a 21-yard TD. Both were followed by Phil Alexander conversions. On the final play of the first half, Trainor kicked a 48-yard field goal and New York/New Jersey took a 20-14 edge into halftime.

Early in the third quarter, London scored again on a one-yard touchdown toss from Gelbaugh to TE Pat Davis and Alexander’s extra point gave the Monarchs their first lead of the day at 21-20. Still in the third quarter, Gelbaugh fired his fourth scoring pass, this time to WR Jon Horton, who leaped to pull it in and went the distance for a 68-yard TD. With the successful conversion by Alexander, the visitors were now in front by 28-20.

The Knights had been moving the ball well and finally added points on a six-yard touchdown run by Eric Wilkerson. The attempt for a two-point conversion failed but London’s lead was cut to 28-26.

Down by two points in the fourth quarter, the Knights advanced into London territory but turned the ball over on a first down play at the 24 when Graham fumbled the snap and LB Marlon Brown recovered for the Monarchs. On their next series, once again the home team advanced into London territory and again turned the ball over. Facing third-and-four at the visitors’ 25, the Knights went to the air and Graham’s throw was intercepted by CB Corris Ervin at the seven with 3:38 remaining to play.

The Monarchs, having twice dodged bullets on their end of the field, responded with a touchdown on a pass from Gelbaugh to Horton that covered 78 yards. Alexander converted and it was more than enough to clinch the result, but London scored one more TD on a three-yard carry by RB David Smith with 51 seconds left on the clock to win by a final score of 42-26.

The Monarchs had the edge in total yards (518 to 418), first downs (25 to 21), and time of possession (34:05 to 25:55). While the Knights moved the ball well through the air, they also turned the ball over five times, to four suffered by London, and the Monarchs recorded nine sacks, to three by New York/New Jersey. The Monarchs missed scoring opportunities on three failed field goal attempts by Alexander while Trainor made good on two of three for the home team. There were many penalties, with 11 flags thrown on London at a cost of 78 yards and eight tossed against the Knights for 69 yards.

Stan Gelbaugh completed 25 of 41 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. Jon Horton, with the two long scoring catches, had 8 pass receptions for 225 yards. FB Jeff Alexander rushed for 123 yards on 21 carries.

For the Knights, Jeff Graham was successful on 19 of 35 throws for 399 yards and two TDs while also giving up three interceptions. Kip Lewis had a big performance in defeat with 9 pass receptions for 245 yards and the two early touchdowns. Eric Wilkerson led the club in rushing with 47 yards on 10 attempts.

The win over the Knights put London in the WLAF Championship game, the World Bowl, against the Barcelona Dragons. The Monarchs won a 21-0 shutout to achieve the league’s first title. New York/New Jersey came back with a better record at 6-4 in 1992, but failed to qualify for the postseason.

Highlighted Year: Scott Case, 1988

Cornerback, Atlanta Falcons

Age: 26

5^th season in pro football & with Falcons

College: Oklahoma

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 178

Prelude:

Case starred as a free safety at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M, which won a national junior college championship during his freshman year, and transferred to Oklahoma, where he was shifted to cornerback and intercepted eight passes as a senior in 1983. He was chosen by the Falcons in the second round of the ’84 NFL draft and moved into the starting lineup at strong safety in his second year, intercepting four passes and gaining credit for 95 tackles. Case moved to cornerback in 1986 with good results, displaying savvy and toughness if not great speed. After four seasons with the Falcons, he had intercepted nine passes and accumulated over 250 tackles.

1988 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 10 [1]

Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Green Bay 11/6, vs. Tampa Bay 11/27

Int. return yards – 47

Most int. return yards, game – 13 (on 2 int.) vs. Tampa Bay 11/27

Int. TDs – 0

Sacks – 1

Fumble recoveries – 0

Tackles – 65

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: AP

1^st team All-NFC: UPI

Pro Bowl

Falcons went 5-11 to finish fourth in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Following a lesser season in 1989 due to nagging injuries, Case moved back to free safety in ’90 and continued to overachieve until diminishing skills, especially speed in pass coverage, cost him his starting job in 1994, his last year with Atlanta when he was used primarily as a nickel back. Case spent one last season with the Dallas Cowboys in ’95, ending his career with a Super Bowl appearance. Overall, he played in 178 games, starting 124 of them, and intercepted 30 passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Case also recovered seven fumbles and was credited with 7.5 sacks as well as over 900 tackles. 1988 remained the only season in which he received postseason honors.

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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: Bobby Joe Conrad, 1963

Flanker, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 28 (Nov. 17)

6^th season in pro football & with Cardinals

College: Texas A & M

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 195

Prelude:

The versatile Conrad played at quarterback, halfback, and fullback in addition to end in college and was part of the 1956 Texas A & M team that won the Southwest Conference title. He also starred in the 1958 College All-Star Game upset of the Detroit Lions, kicking four field goals and intercepting a pass. Conrad was chosen by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the ’58 NFL draft but was traded to the Cards prior to the season and was used in the defensive backfield as a rookie, intercepting four passes, as well as for returning punts and placekicking. He was shifted to offense in 1959 and backed up at halfback for two seasons, rushing for a career-high 328 yards in ’59, before being moved to flanker in 1961, where he broke out with 30 catches for 499 yards (16.6 avg.) and two touchdowns. Conrad had a bigger year in 1962, hauling in 62 pass receptions for 954 yards (15.4) avg. and four TDs as part of a productive tandem with split end Sonny Randle.

1963 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 73 [1] 

Most receptions, game – 8 (for 112 yds.) vs. Green Bay 10/20

Yards – 967 [6]

Most yards, game – 122 (on 6 catches) vs. Philadelphia 12/8

Average gain – 13.2

TDs – 10 [4, tied with Gail Cogdill & Frank Clarke]

100-yard receiving games – 2

Rushing

Attempts – 1

Yards – 0

TDs – 0

Punt Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 1

Average per return – 1.0

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 10 [6, tied with four others]

Points – 60 [15, tied with four others]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP, UPI, NY Daily News

2^nd team All-NFL: NEA

Cardinals went 9-5 to finish third in the NFL Eastern Conference.

Aftermath:

Conrad followed up with 61 catches for 780 yards (12.8 avg.) and six touchdowns in 1964 and achieved Pro Bowl recognition. Consistent if not especially fast or flashy, he remained a capable possession receiver for the Cards through 1968, a total of 11 seasons, before finishing up with the Dallas Cowboys in 1969. Overall, he caught 422 passes for 5902 yards (14.0 avg.) and 38 TDs, with 418 of those catches for 5828 yards and all of the TDs coming with the Cardinals. Conrad also returned 33 kickoffs for a 24.6-yard average and 51 punts for an average of 9.1 yards and two TDs. As a placekicker he booted 14 field goals out of 33 attempts and made good on 95 of 99 extra points which, combined with his 42 touchdowns, accounted for a total of 389 points. Conrad received first-team All-NFL recognition once, second-team honors after one other season, and was selected to one Pro Bowl.

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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