Highlighted Year: Bob Hayes, 1965

Split End, Dallas Cowboys

Age: 23 (Dec. 20)

1^st season in pro football

College: Florida A & M

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 190

Prelude:

A world class sprinter, Hayes first achieved fame for setting a world record of 9.1 seconds in the 100-yard dash. He also set an Olympic record in winning the 100-meter dash in the 1964 Tokyo Games. He also won gold by anchoring the successful US effort in the 4X 100-meter relay. The recipient of a football scholarship to attend Florida A & M was chosen as a future pick by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL draft  (the Denver Broncos picked him in the 14^th round of the corresponding AFL draft). While he was a raw talent who needed to develop technique to complement his great speed, “Bullet Bob” moved into the starting lineup as a rookie.

1965 Season Summary

Appeared in 13 of 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 46 [13]          

Most receptions, game – 8 (for 177 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 10/10

Yards – 1003 [4]

Most yards, game – 177 (on 8 catches) vs. Philadelphia 10/10

Average gain – 21.8 [3]

TDs – 12 [1, tied with Dave Parks]

100-yard receiving games – 4

Rushing

Attempts – 4

Yards – -8

Average gain – -2.0

TDs – 1

Kickoff Returns

Returns – 17

Yards – 450 [16]

Most yards, game – 128 (on 4 ret.) vs. San Francisco 11/7

Average per return – 26.5 [6]

TDs – 0

Longest return – 66 yards

Punt Returns

Returns – 12 [15]

Yards – 153 [8]

Most yards, game – 47 (on 1 ret.) vs. Philadelphia 10/10

Average per return – 12.8

TDs – 0

Longest return – 47 yards

All-purpose yards – 1598 [4]

Scoring

TDs – 13 [3]

Points – 78 [11]

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-NFL: UPI

1^st team All-Eastern Conference: Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Cowboys went 7-7 second in the NFL Eastern Conference (tied with the New York Giants.  

Aftermath:

Hayes followed up by catching 64 passes for 1232 yards (19.3 avg.) and a league-leading 13 TDs in 1966 and was again selected to the Pro Bowl as well as receiving first-team All-NFL recognition from the Pro FootballWriters, NEA and the Associated Press. He went on to spend ten seasons eith the Cowboys. In addition to being a productive receiver that opposing defenses had to account for, “Bullet Bob was also a fine kick returner who led the league with a 20.8 punt return average in 1968.Overall with Dallas Hayes had 365 pass receptions for 7295 yards (20.0 avg.) and 71 touchdowns. In addition he returned 104 punts for an 11.1-yard average and three TDs and 23 kickoffs with a 25.3-yard average.He caught another 31 passes for 492 yards (15.9 avg.) in 15 playoff games that included two touchdowns. Hayes was traded to San Francisco in 1975 but was released after catching just six passes for119 yards,thus ending his career. He received first or second team All-NFL honors after four seasons and was selected to three Pro Bowls. Hayes was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2009.

--

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: Lou Groza, 1946

Tackle/Placekicker, Cleveland Browns

Age: 22

1^st season in pro football

College: Ohio State

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 215

Prelude:

Groza saw little college action before going into the military during World War II, but Paul Brown signed him for the Browns of the new AAFC for 1946. In his first season, he was used primarily as a placekicker who backed up on the offensive line.

1946 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 13 [1]

Most field goals, game – 3 vs. Miami 9/6

Field goal attempts – 29 [1]

Field goal percentage – 44.8

PATs – 45 [1]

PAT attempts – 47 [1]

Longest field goal – 51 yards vs. Chicago 11/17

Scoring

Field Goals – 13

PATs – 45

Points – 84 [1]

Postseason: 1 G (AAFC Championship vs. New York)

Field goals – 0

Field goal attempts – 3

PATs – 2

PAT attempts – 2

Punts – 2

Yards – 80

Average – 40.0

Awards & Honors:

2^nd team All-AAFC: UPI

Browns went 12-2 to finish first in the AAFC Western Divisionwhile leading the league in total yards (4244), touchdowns (55), and scoring (423 points). Won AAFC Championship over New York Yankees (14-9).

Aftermath:

Groza became a starting tackle during the1947 season and excelled there, if not as visibly as he did with his kicking. With Cleveland joining the NFL in 1950, he led the league in field goals (13) and field goal percentage (68.4), kicked the game-winning field goal in the NFL title game, and was named to the Pro Bowl for the first of six straight seasons. He again led the league in field goals in 1952 (19) and ’53 (23) and was successful on 88.5 % of his attempts in the latter year. Groza receivedleague MVP recognition from TheSporting News in 1954when he led the NFL with16 field goals out of 24 attempts for a league-leading 66.7 percentage and along with 37 extra points ranked third in scoring  with 85 points. The best placekicker of his era, “The Toe” also continued to be an outstanding tackle. He was again a consensus first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 1955, led the NFL in field goals in 1957 (15) and was named to the Pro Bowl in ’57, ’58, and ’59 for a total of 9 in all. 1959 marked his last season as a tackle and he retired for a year in 1960 due to a back injury. He returned as strictly a placekicking specialist in 1961 and led the league in field goal pct. that year (69.6) and again in 1963 (65.2). He finally retired for good following the 1967 season at age 43 and after a total of 21 years (four in the AAFC, 17 in the NFL). At the time, he was the NFL career leader in games played (216), scoring (1349 points), field goals (234), and extra points (641). Adding in his AAFC totals, he played in 268 games, scored 1608 points, and kicked 264 field goals and 810 extra points. The Browns retired his #76 (which he wore for the last 15 years of his long career) and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1974.

--

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: Boomer Esiason, 1987

Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

Age:  26

4^th season in pro football & with Bengals

College: Maryland

Height: 6’4”   Weight: 220

Prelude:

Taken by the Bengals in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft, the left-handed Esiason replaced Ken Anderson as the starting quarterback in ’85. An accurate passer with a strong arm and good mobility, he led the league in TD percentage (6.3) in 1985 with 27 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in ’86 after passing for 3959 yards and averaging 8.4 yards per attempt as the Bengals improved to 10-6.

1987 Season Summary

Appeared and started in 12 of 15 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 440 [3]

Most pass attempts, game – 53 vs. Pittsburgh 11/22

Completions – 240 [6]

Most pass completions, game – 30 vs. Pittsburgh 11/22

Yards – 3321 [2, 1^st in AFC]

Most passing yards, game – 409 vs. Pittsburgh 11/22

Completion percentage – 54.5

Yards per attempt – 7.5 [10]

TD passes – 16 [11]

Most TD passes, game – 2 on six occasions

Interceptions – 19 [2, tied with Mark Malone]

Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Pittsburgh 11/22

Passer rating – 73.1

400-yard passing games – 1

300-yard passing games – 5

200-yard passing games – 9

Rushing

Attempts – 52

Most attempts, game – 10 (for 5 yds.) vs. San Francisco 9/20, (for 77 yds.) at Atlanta 11/15

Yards – 241

Most yards, game – 77 yards (on 10 carries) at Atlanta 11/15

Yards per attempt – 4.6

TDs – 0

Punting

Punts – 2

Yards – 68

Average – 34.0

Punts blocked – 0

Bengals went 4-11 in the strike-shortened season (three games were played with replacement players) to finish fourth in the AFC Central.

Aftermath:

Esiason followed up with an MVP season in 1988as he led the league in passing with a 97.4 rating and Cincinnati won the AFC title. He had another Pro Bowl season in 1989, with nearly identical numbers to ’88, although the team’s record dropped to 8-8. After three disappointing seasons in 1990, ’91, and ’92, he was traded to the New York Jets and was selected to a fourth Pro Bowl in 1993, although his performance dropped off in the second half of the year. The next two years with the Jets, a team in flux, were mediocre and Esiason moved on to the Arizona Cardinals, where he threw for 522 yards in one game but otherwise had an inconsequential season. He returned to Cincinnati for one last, good year in a part-time role in 1997 (five starts, but a 106.9 passer rating with 13 TDs and just 2 INTs) before retiring to the broadcast booth. Overall, Esiason passed for 37,920 yards with 247 TDs against 184 interceptions.

--

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: Beattie Feathers, 1934

Halfback/Defensive Back, Chicago Bears

Age: 25

1^st season in pro football

College: Tennessee

Height: 5’10” Weight: 185

Prelude:

In college, Feathers starred as a halfback and punter, rushing for 1888 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns, and was a consensus first-team All-American selection in 1933. Both fast and elusive, he signed with the Bears in 1934 and had a sensational rookie season, benefiting from an outstanding supporting cast that notably included FB Bronko Nagurski, whose blocking often helped to spring Feathers on long gains.

1934 Season Summary

Appeared in 11 of 13 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 119 [9]

Yards – 1004 [1]

Yards per attempt – 8.4 [1]

TDs – 8 [1, tied with Dutch Clark]

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 6

Yards – 174 [6]

Yards per catch – 29.0

TDs – 1 [14, tied with many others]

Passing

Attempts – 12

Completions – 4

Yards – 41

TD passes – 2 [6, tied with nine others]

Interceptions – 2

All-Purpose yards – 1178 [1]

Scoring

TDs – 9 [1]    

PATs – 1

Points – 55 [5]

Missed postseason game due to injury

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: League, UPI, Chicago Daily News, Collyers Eye, Green Bay Press-Gazette

Bears went 13-0 to finish first in the NFL Western Division while leading the league in total yards (3802), rushing yards (2847), touchdowns (37), and scoring (286 points). Lost NFL Championship to New York Giants (30-13).

Aftermath:

Feathers, who suffered a shoulder injury that affected the remainder of his career, never came close to duplicating the success of his rookie year. In his three remaining seasons with the Bears, he gained a total of 842 rushing yards. His best single season during that period came in 1936, when he totaled 350 yards on 97 carries (3.6 avg.) and scored two touchdowns. Feathers spent two years with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938 and ’39, running for 115 yards in a part-time role, and ended his career with Green Bay in 1940. Overall, Feathers rushed for 1980 yards on 378 attempts (5.2 avg.) and caught 15 passes for 243 yards, scoring a total of 17 touchdowns. He holds the distinction of being the NFL’s first thousand-yard rusher and his 1934 yardage total remained the league record until 1947. Feathers went on to become a college football head coach at Appalachian State and North Carolina State and was also a baseball coach at the collegiate level.

--

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

1963: Big Fourth Down Play Spurs Steelers to Defeat of Cowboys

The Pittsburgh Steelers were fighting to remain in the NFL Eastern Conference race as they faced the Dallas Cowboys on December 8, 1963. Coached by Buddy Parker, the Steelers featured a capable offense led by strong-armed QB Ed Brown (pictured above) throwing primarily to split end Buddy Dial and flanker Gary Ballman and a running game led by FB John Henry Johnson. The defense was particularly strong at linebacker, where MLB Myron Pottios anchored a capable unit. Pittsburgh had gotten off to a 6-3-1 start but was coming off of two straight ties to be at 6-3-3 and in desperate need of a win to have any chance at finishing first in the conference.

Dallas was a struggling fourth-year expansion team under Head Coach Tom Landry.  QB Don Meredith was still in the developmental stage, splitting time with veteran Eddie LeBaron, and other players who would be part of the team’s future success were on the roster. But at 3-9, the Cowboys were not yet a formidable NFL presence.

It was a clear but windy day at the Cotton Bowl with 24,136 fans in attendance. The Cowboys scored the first two times they had the ball. On their first series, QB Eddie LeBaron completed a pass to TE Pettis Norman for 32 yards to the Pittsburgh 45. While a holding penalty hindered the advance, Dallas came away with a 53-yard field goal by Sam Baker (pictured at left), taking advantage of the brisk wind at his back.

The Steelers responded with a promising drive but a fumble by Ed Brown was recovered by DE George Andrie at the Dallas 37. The Cowboys drove 63 yards in ten plays and Don Meredith ran the last two yards for a touchdown. LeBaron fumbled the snap on the extra point attempt, thus causing the kick to be aborted, but the home team was ahead by 9-0.

Four plays into the second quarter, Brown went long for Buddy Dial, who made a leaping catch along the right sideline and eluded two defenders to go the distance for a 55-yard touchdown. Lou Michaels converted and the Dallas lead was cut to 9-7.

Late in the period, the Steelers came through with consecutive long passes to score again. Brown threw to Gary Ballman for 32 yards and then hit TE Preston Carpenter in the right corner of the end zone for a 28-yard TD. Michaels added the point after and the visitors were up by 14-9. The Steelers got one more shot with time running down in the first half as Brown connected with Dial for 48 yards and, with two seconds remaining, that set up a 24-yard Michaels field goal that made the score 17-9 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys got a break when a 15-yard face mask penalty on the Steelers moved them into scoring position. Baker was successful with a field goal from 46 yards to narrow the margin to 17-12. Later in the period, Dallas put together a 76-yard advance in eight plays. The biggest was a Meredith throw to Norman that gained 42 yards to the Pittsburgh five and, two plays later, it was Meredith again carrying around end for a four-yard touchdown. Baker converted and the Cowboys were back in front with a 19-17 lead. As the period was coming to a close, it appeared that the Steelers might score, but CB Don Bishop intercepted a Brown pass at the Dallas two to snuff out the threat.

In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were called for having too many players on the field during a punt by the Steelers, but while the resulting five-yard pickup brought Michaels on to the field to try for a 49-yard field goal, the kick was blocked by Bishop, thus preserving the two-point Dallas lead.

Pittsburgh got the ball back following a punt by the Cowboys, but the situation looked bleak. With the game, and season, on the line, and backed up to his own 16 with four minutes left to play and facing fourth-and-14, Brown passed to end Red Mack (pictured at right) out of punt formation for a gain of 42 yards. Four plays later and facing fourth-and-one, Coach Parker gambled on passing up a field goal attempt and John Henry Johnson picked up the needed yardage. Finally, HB Theron Sapp, in for the injured Dick Hoak, broke away for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining. Michaels added the field goal and, in a dramatic turn of events, the visitors were in front by five points.

The Cowboys went to the shotgun formation on the ensuing series but flanker Frank Clarke fumbled after catching a pass from Meredith at the Dallas 34 and SS Clendon Thomas recovered to nail down Pittsburgh’s 24-19 win.

The Steelers led in total yards (426 to 263) and first downs (19 to 15). Their attack was balanced, with 211 yards coming on the ground and 219 through the air. Pittsburgh turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by the Cowboys. The difference nearly came down to placekicking, as Lou Michaels was one of three on field goals with one blocked and Sam Baker was a perfect two-for-two from long distances.

Ed Brown completed just 8 of 18 passes, but they were good for 219 yards and two touchdowns along with one interception. Theron Sapp, picked up from the Eagles during the season, rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries that included the winning TD while John Henry Johnson contributed 68 yards on 21 attempts. Preston Carpenter had three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown and Buddy Dial caught two passes that were good for 103 yards and a score.

For the Cowboys, Don Meredith saw most of the action at quarterback and was five-of-10 for 105 yards with no TDs or interceptions, and he also ran the ball six times for 18 yards and two touchdowns. HB Amos Bullocks topped the runners with 85 yards on 24 attempts and FB Amos Marsh ran the ball 9 times for 48 yards and had a 35-yard catch. Pettis Norman led the club with two pass receptions for 74 yards.

“We knew it was more important than ever to win this one, but it seemed like we just couldn’t get going,” said Theron Sapp. “The turning point was that pass to Red Mack from punt formation. We found new life from that play.”

Pittsburgh’s win set up a showdown with the New York Giants the following week for the Eastern Conference Title. This was a controversial development because the ties, which were not counted in the won-lost percentage at that time, would potentially allow the 7-3-3 Steelers to finish ahead of the 10-3 Giants. However, it became a moot point when the Giants won handily and Pittsburgh dropped all the way to fourth place at 7-4-3. Dallas finished up fifth with a 4-10 record.

As for the two unlikely heroes in Pittsburgh’s dramatic win at Dallas, Theron Sapp’s 119-yard rushing performance was his career high in what was the most productive of seven NFL seasons. He gained a total of 431 yards in 10 games with the Steelers, giving him 452 on 104 carries on the year when combined with his time with the Eagles. In his remaining two seasons with Pittsburgh, he accumulated a total of just 69 rushing yards. Red Mack also had his best season in 1963, catching 25 passes for 618 yards and three touchdowns. He had caught eight passes apiece in each of his first two years with the Steelers in 1961 and ’62 and, in his remaining three seasons that included stints with Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Atlanta, had a total of 11 more pass receptions.

Highlighted Year: Todd Sauerbrun, 2001

Punter, Carolina Panthers

Age: 28

7^th season in pro football, 1^st with Panthers

College: West Virginia

Height: 5’10” Weight: 211

Prelude:

Sauerbrun averaged 46.2 yards on 177 punts in college, including a NCAA-record 48.4-yard average in 1994 when he was a consensus first-team All-American. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft and spent five years with them, although he was limited to three games in ’98 due to a knee injury, and averaged 42.2 yards on 328 punts. Sauerbrun was a second-team All-NFC choice by UPI in 1996. He spent a season with Kansas City in 2000, where he averaged 44.6 yards on 82 punts, before signing with the Panthers in 2001.

2001 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Punting

Punts – 93 [3]

Most punts, game – 10 vs. NY Jets 10/28

Yards – 4419 [1]

Average – 47.5 [1]

Best average, game – 55.8 (on 6 punts) at Washington 10/21

Punts blocked – 1 [3, tied with five others]

Longest punt – 73 yards

Rushing

Attempts – 1

Yards – 0

Average gain – 0.0

TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

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

1^st team All-NFC: Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Panthers went 1-15 to finish fifth in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Sauerbrun followed up by again leading the NFL with a 45.5-yard average in 2002 and topped the NFC for a third straight time in 2003 by averaging 44.6 yards. With exceptional leg strength, he improved on his directional punting and also in not out-kicking the coverage. However, off-field issues led the Panthers to trade him to Denver in 2005, where he averaged 43.8 yards on 72 punts. Sauerbrun received a four-game suspension in ’06 for use of illegal supplements and was cut upon his return. He spent two games with the Patriots in 2006 and returned to the Broncos in ’07, his last year in the NFL. Sauerbrun finished his pro career with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL in 2009, punting 16 times for a 36.7-yard average. Overall, he punted 889 times in the NFL for an average of 44.1 yards. His greatest success came with the Panthers, where he averaged 45.5 yards on 350 punts. In a career that came to be overshadowed by controversy, he received consensus first-team All-NFL honors twice, some first- or second-team recognition after another season, and was selected to three Pro Bowls.

--

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: Cookie Gilchrist, 1963

Fullback, Buffalo Bills

Age: 28

8^th season in pro football, 2^nd in AFL & with Bills

College: None

Height: 6’3”   Weight: 250

Prelude:

Ever inclined to follow his own path, Gilchrist showed up at the Cleveland Browns’ training camp directly out of high school. He failed to make the team and, foregoing college, went to Canada instead where he played for seven years with three teams in the CFL. Big, fast, and multi-talented, Gilchrist excelled on both offense and defense, but also wore out his welcome with each club. He came to the Bills for the 1962 season and moved directly into the starting lineup at fullback as well as handling the team’s placekicking. Gilchrist led the AFL in rushing with 1096 yards and scored a total of 128 points on 15 touchdowns, 8 field goals, and 14 PATs. He was named AFL Player of the Year by the Associated Press and UPI and received consensus first-team All-AFL honors. Injuries hindered his performance in ’63, although he came on strong in the second half of the season.

1963 Season Summary

Appeared in all 14 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 232 [1]

Most attempts, game – 36 (for 243 yds.) vs. NY Jets

Yards – 979 [3]

Most yards, game – 243 yards (on 36 carries) vs. NY Jets

Average gain – 4.2 [5]

TDs – 12 [1]

200-yard rushing games – 1

100-yard rushing games – 3

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 24      

Most receptions, game – 5 (for 36 yds.) vs. San Diego 11/17

Yards – 211

Most yards, game – 58 (on 3 catches) vs. Denver 11/9

Average gain – 8.8

TDs – 2

Passing

Attempts – 1

Completions – 1

Yards – 35 [19]

TD passes – 0

Interceptions – 0

Scoring

TDs – 14 [2]

Points – 84 [4]

Postseason: 1 G (AFL Eastern Division playoff vs. Boston)

Rushing attempts – 8

Rushing yards – 7

Average gain rushing – 0.9

Rushing TDs – 0

Pass receptions – 1

Pass receiving yards – 11

Average yards per reception – 11.0

Pass receiving TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-AFL: NY Daily News

2^nd team All-AFL: AP, UPI

AFL All-Star Game

Bills went 7-6-1 to tie for first place in the AFL Eastern Division. Lost Divisional playoff to Boston Patriots (26-8).

Aftermath:

Gilchrist led the AFL in rushing for a second time in 1964 (981 yards) in a title-winning year for the Bills, but became embroiled in conflict with Coach Lou Saban, was briefly suspended from the team, and in the offseason was dealt to the Denver Broncos. He again led the AFL in rushing attempts (252) as he ran for 954 yards in 1965. However, there was more turmoil and Gilchrist was traded to the expansion Miami Dolphins during the ’66 season where, playing on bad knees, he gained 262 yards in eight games. He returned to Denver in 1967 but saw scant action and retired. Altogether, Gilchrist rushed for 9204 yards (4911 in the CFL, 4293 in the AFL), caught 196 passes for 2203 more yards (86 for 1068 yards in the CFL, 110 for 1135 yards in the AFL), and scored 78 TDs (35 in the CFL, 43 in the AFL). An outstanding blocker as well as runner from scrimmage, he received consensus first-team All-AFL honors three times and was selected to four AFL All-Star Games.

--

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