Don Maynard

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Don Maynard
Position (s):
Wide Receiver
Jersey number (s):
13
born January 25, 1935 in Crosbyton, Texas, USA
Career information
Active : 1958 - 1973
NFL Draft : 1957 / Round: 9 / Pick: 108
College : University of Texas at El Paso
Teams
Career statistics
Games     186
Touchdown     88
Space gain     11834 yards
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Donald Rogers Maynard (* 25. January 1935 in Crosbyton , Texas ) is a former American American football poker players. He played as a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets .

youth

Don Maynard was born in Crosbyton. Due to the constant change of residence of his parents, his father was a cotton trader, he attended a total of 13 different schools, including five high schools . At school he was active as a basketball player and track and field athlete . Since his parents never stayed in one place for long, he didn't get a chance to play American football in high school until his senior year in Colorado City . He was used by his school team as a halfback .

Player career

College career

Donald Maynard joined Rice University for one semester after graduating from school before moving to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 1954 . There he played for the UTEP Miners Football . He was there as a halfback in the offense and as a Safety in the Defense used the team. In 1957 he was able to move into the Sun Bowl with his team , which however was lost 13-0 to the team from George Washington University . Maynard was elected to the league's selection team in his senior year of college.

Professional career

Don Maynard was drafted in the ninth round in 1957 by the New York Giants in 108th place . He finished his studies first before he joined the New York City team in 1958 . His rookie season was disappointing for him. In the team's offense he was used as a halfback, but was always in the shadow of Frank Gifford . He was therefore mainly given playing time as a kick-off and punt returner . The Giants were able to move into the NFL final against the Baltimore Colts this year . Maynard appeared four times in the final as a returner, but could not prevent the Giants' 23:17 defeat. After Maynard fell out with his coach Jim Lee Howell after the 1958 season , he was fired by the Giants. Maynard moved to the Canadian Football League (CFL) to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and was able to move into the Gray Cup with his new team in 1959 , which was lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 35:28 .

In 1960, Sammy Baugh took over as coach of the New York Titans, which were part of the newly formed American Football League. Maynard knew Baugh from his time as coach of a college team and asked him in writing for a contract with the Titans. Baugh accepted this and Maynard became the first player to sign with the New York City team. Baugh and his successor Bulldog Turner and Weeb Ewbank used Maynard as a wide receiver. In his first year with the Titans, he was able to achieve a space gain of 1265 yards with 72 pass catches . The Titans' performance, however, fell short of expectations. In 1963, the team was insolvent and was bought by an investor who renamed the team New York Jets. Before the 1965 season, the Jets managed to sign quarterback Joe Namath . In the same year Maynard set his first NFL annual high. He managed to utilize 14 passes for touchdowns . In 1967 he again set an annual record with a gain in space of 1,434 yards. The following year he was able to celebrate his greatest success with the jets. The team won eleven of 14 games in the regular season and beat the Oakland Raiders 27:23 in the AFL final . Maynard played superbly and caught six passes in the game, which he was able to use to a space gain of 118 yards and two touchdowns. In the subsequent 16: 7 Super Bowl victory of his team over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III , Maynard could not intervene decisively in the game due to an injury. The following year Maynard was able to move again with the Jets in the play-offs of the AFL, where the team, however, failed prematurely with 13: 6 to the Kansas City Chiefs .

Don Maynard was fired from the Jets in 1973 and subsequently joined the St. Louis Cardinals . He was only used twice for the Cardinals. In 1974 he moved to the World Football League for the Houston Texans , who moved that same year and were renamed Shreveport Steamer . Maynard ended his career after that game year.

Honors

Don Maynard played four times in the AFL All-Star Game , the final game of the best players of the season. He has been elected to the All-AFL five times and is a member of the AFL All-Time Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the Texas Sports Hall of Fame , the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, and the University of Texas at El Paso Sports Hall of Fame. The New York Jets honor him in their venue, the MetLife Stadium , on the Ring of Honor and no longer give his shirt number.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Annual statistics of the New York Giants 1958
  2. ^ Statistics NFL final 1958
  3. ^ Annual statistics of the New York Jets 1968
  4. Statistics AFL final 1968
  5. Statistics Super Bowl III
  6. Annual statistics of the New Yorks Jets 1969
  7. ^ Statistics divisional play-off game Jets vs. Chiefs 1969

Web links