Highlighted Year: Benny Boynton, 1921

Back, Rochester Jeffersons/Washington Senators

Age: 23 (Dec. 6)

1^st season in pro football

College: Williams

Height: 5’9”   Weight: 170

Prelude:

Boynton earned the nickname “The Purple Streak” at Williams College, where he was part of an undefeated (7-0-1) team and a consensus All-American as a freshman before entering the military during World War I. He returned to college in 1919 and was captain of the football team in addition to playing baseball and basketball. Boynton scored 141 points as a senior in 1920 on 22 touchdowns and 9 extra points to lead the nation, including a six-TD game against Trinity College. He was a Walter Camp All-American selection. Following college, he was recruited to play pro football for Rochester and, after appearing in three games, signed on with Washington later in the season.

1921 Season Summary

Appeared in three games with Rochester, two with Washington

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Scoring

Rushing TDs – 3 [8, tied with Pete Calac, Frank Fausch & Frank McCormick]

Receiving TDs – 0

Total TDs – 3 [9, tied with ten others]

Field Goals – 1 [8, tied with eight others]

PATs – 11 [3]

Points – 32 [7]

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-APFA: Buffalo Evening News

Jeffersons went 2-3 to finish tenth in the APFA.

Senators went 1-2 to finish twelfth in the APFA.

Aftermath:

Boynton played in only one game for Rochester in 1922, concentrating more on baseball. He returned to the NFL with the Buffalo Bisons in 1924 and again performed with distinction, scoring 59 points and receiving first-team All-NFL honors from Collyer’s Eye and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. It was his final season as a player, although Boynton went on to become a football referee for many years in his native Texas, most notably officiating in the first Cotton Bowl game. Overall, in a short but productive playing career, Boynton appeared in a total of 16 games and scored 91 points on 9 touchdowns, 22 extra points, and five field goals.

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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: Terry Allen, 1996

Running Back, Washington Redskins

Age: 28

7^th season in pro football (5^th active), 2^nd with Redskins

College: Clemson

Height: 5’10” Weight: 208

Prelude:

Allen twice led Clemson in rushing, and the entire ACC once, but a knee injury hindered his performance as a junior. Despite the injury, he chose to enter the 1990 NFL draft and was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round. Allen sat out his rookie year due to knee surgery but performed well in spot duty in 1991 as he rushed for 563 yards while averaging 4.7 yards-per-carry and providing outside speed. He broke out in ’92 with 1201 rushing yards and 13 TDs, plus another 478 yards and two touchdowns on 49 pass receptions, and impressed with his determination. However, Allen missed all of 1993 due to another knee injury that required surgery and, while he came back to rush for 1031 yards in ’94, the Vikings released him and he moved on to Washington. He performed well for his new team, gaining 1309 yards on the ground, catching 31 passes, and scoring 11 touchdowns.

1996 Season Summary

Appeared and in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 347 [2]

Most attempts, game – 31 (for 124 yds.) vs. Arizona 11/10

Yards – 1353 [6]

Most yards, game – 146 yards (on 27 carries) at NY Giants 9/15

Average gain – 3.9

TDs – 21 [1]

100-yard rushing games – 5

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 32      

Most receptions, game – 4 (for 30 yds.) at Arizona 12/15

Yards – 194

Most yards, game – 32 (on 3 catches) vs. Dallas 12/22

Average gain – 6.1

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 21 [1]

Points – 126 [5]

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: AP

1^st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Redskins went 9-7 to finish third in the NFC East.

Aftermath:

Allen played two more seasons with the Redskins, missing significant time due to injury, and rushed for 724 and 700 yards, respectively. He saw his last major action with New England in 1999 and rushed for 896 yards and eight TDs, moving on to New Orleans and Baltimore in 2000 and ’01 for spot duty in his last two seasons. Overall, Allen rushed for 8614 yards on 2152 carries (4.0 avg.) and caught 204 passes for 1601 yards, scoring a total of 79 touchdowns. Of those totals, 4086 rushing and 726 receiving yards came with Washington, along with 39 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

1968: Lions Obtain Munson from Rams in Six-Player Deal

On May 1, 1968 the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams swung a major trade. The Rams dealt QB Bill Munson and a third-round draft choice for 1969 to Detroit for QB Milt Plum, flanker Pat Studstill, HB Tom Watkins, and a ’69 first-round draft pick.

The 26-year-old Munson (pictured above) had played collegiately at Utah State, where he was only converted to quarterback as a senior. He was chosen by Los Angeles in the first round of the 1964 NFL draft and, while having an unorthodox passing style and not a lot of experience at the position, Munson started 18 games in his first two seasons and pushed Roman Gabriel, the top pick in 1962, for playing time. A knee injury knocked him out of action in 1965 and Head Coach George Allen committed to Gabriel in 1966 and ’67. Munson played out his option and was on the verge of becoming a free agent. As part of the trade, he received a long-term deal from the Lions plus an assurance that he would start.

“We had to give up a lot to get him,” said Detroit Head Coach Joe Schmidt. “But I definitely felt that we needed a new quarterback and in my book Munson was the best one available.”

The Lions were in rebuilding mode, having gone 4-7-2 in Schmidt’s first season as head coach. All told, the team gained just 1826 passing yards. Milt Plum, who split time with Karl Sweetan, was on the downside in his eleventh NFL season and sixth with the Lions and had thrown just 172 passes in 1967, for 925 yards and four touchdowns while giving up eight interceptions. No longer a viable starting quarterback in Detroit, for the Rams he fit into Coach Allen’s plan for an experienced backup who would fit well in a conservative offense.

Similarly, the other veteran players the Lions gave up were not suited to a rebuilding project. 29-year-old Pat Studstill was valued for his punting as well as pass receiving, and had been a Pro Bowl selection in 1966 after catching 67 passes for 1266 yards. But injuries had reduced his production to 10 catches in ’67. Tom Watkins, 30, was used primarily to return kicks, although he gained 361 rushing yards in 1967. He had led the NFL in kick returning with a 34.4-yard average in ’65, but was on the downside of his career and the Lions had promising new blood at running back.

Munson performed well in an offense that had many new starters for 1968, including rookie WR Earl McCullouch and TE Charlie Sanders, although the arrival of another rookie, QB Greg Landry out of Massachusetts, provided a competitor. Munson ranked seventh in the NFL passing statistics while throwing for 2311 yards and 15 touchdowns and giving up just eight interceptions. After getting off to a 3-2-1 start, the Lions lost four straight games before tying the Saints and ended up at 4-8-2.

Detroit improved to 9-4-1 in 1969, but Munson broke his throwing hand and missed half of the season. Landry showed off his potential and the two quarterbacks split the starting job in ’70. While both were good at throwing the ball, the 6’2”, 210-pound Munson was a classic pocket passer who was low key and injury prone while Landry was far more mobile and a more effective leader. Collectively, the two performed well, even if they didn’t go to the air often, hitting on 56.8 percent of their passes and tossing 19 touchdowns as the Lions went 10-4 and reached the playoffs. But Landry emerged as the full-time starter in 1971 and Munson tossed just 73 passes over the next two seasons. He returned to the lineup in 1973 when Landry was injured for half the year and led the club to four wins in a 6-7-1 season. Gaining the favor of new Head Coach Rick Forzano, Munson started for most of ’74 and did well enough, completing 56.8 percent of his passes for 1874 yards and eight TDs while giving up seven interceptions. He lasted just five games in 1975, with both he and Landry going down with season-ending knee injuries in the same game, and in ’76 Munson moved on to the expansion Seattle Seahawks, finishing out the remainder of his long career as a journeyman backup.  Overall with the Lions, Munson completed 716 of 1314 passes (54.5 percent) for 8461 yards and 56 touchdowns while giving up 42 interceptions. The team went 24-21-3 in his starts.

As for the players the Rams received for Munson, Milt Plum saw scant action for the Rams, throwing just 12 passes all season behind the Pro Bowler Gabriel. Tom Watkins saw no action at all, being waived before the season and finishing his career with one game for Pittsburgh. Pat Studstill had just seven catches but handled the punting and averaged 39.6 yards on 81 kicks. His punting kept him with the club for four years.

More useful was RB Larry Smith (pictured at right), who the Rams chose with the eighth overall choice in the first round of the 1969 NFL draft out of Florida. The 6’3”, 220-pound halfback led the team in rushing as a rookie with 599 yards and also caught 46 passes for another 300 yards. His performance dropped off thereafter due to chronic injuries, but he lasted for five seasons in LA before moving on to Washington.

The Lions sent the third round draft pick they received from the Rams on to the Cardinals four months later in a deal for WR Billy Gambrell. Gambrell, a five-year pro who was a backup for the Cards, caught 28 passes for 492 yards (17.6 avg.) and seven touchdowns in his only year with Detroit.

Highlighted Year: Tony Banfield, 1961

Cornerback, Houston Oilers

Age: 24 (Dec. 18)

2^nd season in pro football & with Oilers

College: Oklahoma State

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 185

Prelude:

Banfield was a running back as well as defensive back in college and gained 1183 yards from scrimmage over three seasons and scored 15 touchdowns. Undrafted in 1960, he signed with the Oilers of the new AFL, who originally tried him in the offensive backfield before shifting him to cornerback. He showed promise as a rookie, intercepting three passes although hindered by ankle and leg injuries. While lacking ideal speed, he proved to be adept as a ball hawk and at breaking up passes.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 8 [4, tied with Bob Zeman]

Most interceptions, game – 2 vs. Oakland 9/9, vs. San Diego 12/3

Int. return yards – 136 [7]

Most int. return yards, game – 58 (on 1 int.) vs. NY Titans 11/19

Int. TDs – 0

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Championship at San Diego)

Interceptions – 1

Int. return yards – 0

TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-AFL: League, AP, UPI, Sporting News

2^nd team All-AFL: NY Daily News

Oilers went 10-3-1 to finish first in the AFL Eastern Division. Won AFL Championship over San Diego Chargers (10-3).  

Aftermath:

Banfield followed up by being a consensus first-team All-AFL selection in each of the next two seasons, although a knee injury limited his use during the second half of the 1963 season and he split time with Mark Johnston. He missed the entire ’64 season while rehabbing from the injury and, while he returned, he was a lesser performer in 1965, his last season. In an outstanding, if injury-shortened, career with the Oilers, Banfield intercepted 27 passes and received first-team All-AFL honors three times.

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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: Mike Alstott, 1997

Fullback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Age: 24 (Dec. 21)

2^nd season in pro football & with Buccaneers

College: Purdue

Height: 6’1”   Weight: 244

Prelude:

Alstott rushed for a school-record 3635 yards at Purdue, with a season high of 1436 in 1995, and also scored 42 touchdowns (39 rushing, three receiving). He was chosen by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft and rushed for 377 yards on 96 carries as a rookie while catching 65 passes for 557 more yards. He split time with RB Errict Rhett, but had a new backfield mate in ’97 in rookie RB Warrick Dunn, creating a highly effective tandem.

1997 Season Summary

Appeared and in 15 of 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 176

Most attempts, game – 18 (for 95 yds.) vs. Miami 9/21

Yards – 665

Most yards, game – 95 yards (on 18 carries) vs. Miami 9/21

Average gain – 3.8

TDs – 7 [13, tied with eight others]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 23      

Most receptions, game – 4 (for 20 yds.) vs. Miami 9/21, (for 34 yds.) at Green Bay 10/5

Yards – 178

Most yards, game – 50 (on 3 catches) vs. San Francisco 8/31

Average gain – 7.7

TDs – 3

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 0

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 10 [12, tied with Jamal Anderson, Corey Dillon & Raymont Harris]

Points – 60

Postseason: 2 G

Rushing attempts – 18

Most rushing attempts, game – 11 vs. Detroit, NFC Wild Card playoff

Rushing yards – 89

Most rushing yards, game – 68 vs. Detroit, NFC Wild Card playoff

Average gain rushing – 4.9

Rushing TDs – 2

Pass receptions – 1

Pass receiving yards – 12

Average yards per reception – 12.0

Pass Receiving TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP

Pro Bowl

Buccaneers went 10-6 to finish second in the NFC Central and qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card. Won NFC Wild Card playoff over Detroit Lions (20-10). Lost NFC Divisional playoff to Green Bay Packers (21-7).

Aftermath:

Alstott followed up with consensus first-team All-NFL selections in 1998 and ’99, rushing for a career-high 949 yards in the latter year. While not a particularly good blocker, he provided a power-running alternative to Dunn and was named to six straight Pro Bowls. His running style led to injuries that lowered his production from 2000 on, although he remained effective between the tackles and a good receiver out of the backfield. A neck injury limited Alstott to five games in 2003 and, in his last four years, he didn’t carry the ball more than 67 times or gain more than 230 yards, although he was still useful in spots. Overall, in an 11-year career that was spent entirely with the Bucs, Alstott ran for 5088 yards on 1359 carries (3.7 avg.) and caught 305 passes for 2284 more yards (7.5 avg.), scoring a franchise-record total of 71 touchdowns. He gained another 341 rushing yards, with seven TDs, and 161 pass receiving yards on 21 catches in the postseason. Alstott received first-team All-NFL honors three times in addition to the six Pro Bowl selections.

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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

1972: Vikings Obtain Gilliam & Draft Picks from Cards for Cuozzo

On April 26, 1972 the Minnesota Vikings traded discontented QB Gary Cuozzo to the St. Louis Cardinals for WR John Gilliam and two draft choices, which were second and fourth picks for 1973.

The 31-year-old Cuozzo had played out his option and was due to become a free agent on May 1 and had demanded a trade. After being the primary starter in 1970, he had split time with Norm Snead, who was obtained from Philadelphia with the hope that he might supplant Cuozzo, and Bob Lee in ’71. While Snead was traded to the Giants three months earlier, it was as part of the deal that brought QB Fran Tarkenton back to Minnesota – a clear indication that Cuozzo was not part of the team’s plans.

Undrafted out of Virginia in 1963, Cuozzo had originally been a backup to Johnny Unitas for four seasons with the Colts. While he didn’t see much action, he had a five-touchdown passing performance against the Vikings in 1965 that drew a great deal of favorable attention and the New Orleans Saints traded a first-round draft pick for him in ’67. Cuozzo was unable to hold onto the starting job with the first-year team and was dealt to Minnesota the following year, this time for two first-round picks. He couldn’t unseat starting QB Joe Kapp, finally taking over when the fiery Kapp left the club after the 1969 season. Smart (he was Phi Beta Kappa in college) and an accurate passer, he lacked arm strength and was not nearly the leader that his predecessor in Minnesota was.  Overall with the Vikings, Cuozzo completed 49.6 percent of his passes for 3552 yards and 18 touchdowns, giving up 23 interceptions. And while the club was 16-5 during his regular season starts, it had not been able to win in the postseason.

Head Coach Bob Hollway of the Cardinals indicated that Cuozzo would be the starting quarterback, ahead of Jim Hart and Pete Beathard, who both had trouble with consistency. St. Louis was coming off of a 4-9-1 record in 1971, which marked a big drop from the previous year, and quarterback was an area of concern.

John Gilliam (pictured at top) was 26 and was a teammate of Cuozzo’s with the Saints in 1967, who had drafted him in the second round. He scored the first regular season touchdown in franchise history on the opening kickoff of the ’67 season, but the remainder of his tenure with the club was unremarkable and he was obtained by the Cards in 1969. With his great speed in a better offense, he broke out in St. Louis, catching 52 passes for 997 yards (19.2 avg.) and nine TDs in his first year with the club. Gilliam followed up with 45 receptions for 952 yards (21.1 avg.) and five touchdowns in ’70 and was coming off of a 1971 season with 42 catches for 837 yards (19.9 avg.). He led the team in receiving yards in each of his three seasons and in receptions in the last two. With WR Bob Grim having been traded to the Giants along with Snead, a spot was open in the Minnesota lineup for Gilliam.

Cuozzo (pictured above) proved to not be the answer in St. Louis. He started six games, only one of which resulted in a win for the Cards, while splitting time with Hart and unheralded Tim Van Galder (Pete Beathard was traded to the Rams during the preseason). He completed just 43.7 percent of his passes for 897 yards and five touchdowns while giving up 11 interceptions. It marked the end of the line for his pro career as he retired to practice dentistry.

Gilliam had much more success in Minnesota. He caught 47 passes for 1035 yards (22.0 avg.) and seven touchdowns and earned the first of four straight Pro Bowl selections, matching his number of seasons with the Vikings (he jumped to the Chicago Winds of the WFL in 1975, but when the team folded at the end of August after five games he returned to Minnesota in time for the regular season). He had a total of 165 catches for 3297 yards (20.0 avg.) and 27 TDs for the Vikings and added another 14 receptions for 261 yards (18.6 avg.) and five scores in the postseason. Gilliam moved on to the Atlanta Falcons in ’76, where his production dropped off significantly in his next-to-last year.

The 1973 second round draft choice that Minnesota also obtained was used to take Jackie Wallace, a defensive back from Arizona, while the fourth round pick was passed on to Kansas City (who used it to take Emporia State DE John Lohmeyer). Wallace started at cornerback in place of the injured Bobby Bryant and also returned kicks before moving on to the Colts, who shifted him to safety for two years, and eventually the Rams, where he led the league with 52 punt returns for 618 yards in 1978.

Highlighted Year: Ken Easley, 1983

Safety, Seattle Seahawks

Age: 24

3^rd season in pro football & with Seahawks

College: UCLA

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 205

Prelude:

Highly regarded after an outstanding college career, Easley was taken by the Seahawks in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1981 NFL draft. He immediately moved into the starting lineup at strong safety and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1982. In his first two years, he intercepted seven passes as he demonstrated excellent ball-hawking skills to go along with his solid tackling.

1983 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Interceptions – 7 [6, tied with eight others]

Most interceptions, game – 1 on seven occasions

Int. return yards – 106 [13]

Most int. return yards, game – 48 (on 1 int.) vs. Dallas 12/4

Int. TDs – 0

Sacks – 3

Most sacks, game – 1 at Cleveland 10/2, at LA Raiders 10/30, at Denver 11/20

Fumble recoveries – 3

Punt Returns

Returns – 1

Yards – 6

TDs – 0

Postseason: 3 G

Sacks – 1

Interceptions – 0

TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly

1^st team All-AFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Seahawks went 9-7 to finish second in the AFC West and qualify for the postseason as a Wild Card entry. Won AFC Wild Card playoff over Denver Broncos (31-7) and AFC Divisional playoff over Miami Dolphins (27-20). Lost AFC Championship to Los Angeles Raiders (30-14).

Aftermath:

Easley followed up with a 1984 season in which he led the league with 10 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press as well as receiving consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors. An injury suffered while returning a kick cost Easley three games in 1985, but he was still an outstanding and disruptive performer when healthy and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection for the third straight year as well as a Pro Bowl honoree for the fourth straight. Continued ankle trouble hindered him further in ’86 and he had surgery. Easley came back to gain a fifth Pro Bowl selection in the strike-interrupted 1987 season but, due largely to acrimony related to his role in the players’ strike, he was traded to the Cardinals in the offseason. He never played for the Cards, however, when a physical revealed a kidney condition that forced his retirement. In seven seasons, Easley intercepted 32 passes and set the standard at his position, but his outstanding career came to a too-early end.

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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