Lance Alworth
| Lance Alworth | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Wide Receiver |
Jersey numbers: 24, 19 |
| born August 3, 1940 in Houston , Texas | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1962 - 1972 | |
| NFL Draft : 1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 by the San Francisco 49ers | |
| AFL Draft : 1962 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9 by the Oakland Raiders | |
| College : University of Arkansas | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Captured passports | 542 |
| the resulting gain in space | 10,266 yards |
| Touchdowns | 87 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Lance Dwight Alworth (* 3. August 1940 in Houston , Texas ) Nickname: "Bambi" , is a former American American football player . He played as a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) for the San Diego Chargers and in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys .
youth
Lance Alworth was born in Houston to Parrish and Richard Alworth. His father worked in the oil industry in the company of the American politician Ross S. Sterling and his mother was a teacher. Alworth moved with his family to Hog Chain , Mississippi , as a child . He visited in Brookhaven the high school . In addition to American football, he played baseball and basketball there , but was also active as a track and field athlete . He has received several awards from his high school for his athletic achievements. Immediately after graduating from high school, he received contract offers from the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates , two teams from Major League Baseball (MLB). At the intervention of his father, who thought it would make sense to study, Alworth turned down the offers. He married at the age of 17, which initially made it difficult for him to study at a college .
Player career
College career
Alworth originally wanted to study at the University of Mississippi , but was turned down by that college because he was already married. He therefore joined the University of Arkansas in 1959 . For the "Arizona Razorbacks" of the football team of his college he ran as a running back , but was also used in the team's defense . The future coach of the Dallas Cowboys Barry Switzer also played in his new team . Alworth was also active as a track and field athlete and baseball player in college. In the years 1959 to 1961 he won the championship of the Southeastern Conference with his team . In 1960 he played with his team in the Gator Bowl against the team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and won 14: 7. The following year Alworth lost 7-6 in the Cotton Bowl Classic to Duke University . After the season, he played the college all-star game in Hawaii and was voted All-American . In the following year 1962 he lost with his team in the Sugar Bowl against the University of Alabama 10-3. Alworth finished his studies with a business degree.
Professional career
In 1962, Lance Alworth was drafted second in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers . The Oakland Raiders from the American Football League drew him in the second round in ninth place in the AFL Draft , but had no interest in his subsequent commitment and gave the rights to him in exchange for three other players to the San Diego Chargers. The assistant coach of the Chargers Al Davis offered Alworth a contract with an annual income of 30,000 US dollars and this decided to accept the offer. Sid Gillman , coach of the Chargers, used Alworth, who had switched to the position of wide receiver , initially only sporadically in his rookie year , in addition there was a knee injury that Alworth had sustained in training. Only the following 1963 season brought Alworth's sporting breakthrough. On October 20, 1963, the Chargers played against the reigning AFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs . Alworth was repeatedly staged in the game by his quarterback Tobin Rote . He caught nine passes for a gain of space of 232 yards and was able to use two of them for touchdowns . The Chiefs left the field with a 38:17 defeat and Alworth had clearly drawn attention to himself. By the end of the regular season , the Chargers had won eleven of 14 games, with the eleven touchdown passes caught by Alworth making a noticeable contribution. The move into the AFL Championship Game was the consequence. Opponents in the final were the Boston Patriots , who never had a chance to win in their 51:10 defeat. Alworth contributed a touchdown to his team's victory. In 1964, Alworth caught 13 touchdown passes in the current season, making it the AFL's annual best. He should be able to do this in the next two years. In the same year he moved with the Chargers against the Buffalo Bills for the second time in the AFL final. Due to an injury, he could not be used in the game and the Chargers lost 20: 7. In 1965, Alworth moved to the championship game for the third year in a row with the Chargers. This time he was able to play, but was not able to prevent the 23-0 defeat against the Bills. Although Lance Alworth repeatedly demonstrated his ability in the next few years with record performances, he achieved the AFL annual bests in 1966 and 1968 for the space gained by catching passports, should he no longer be able to move into the final with the Chargers.
1970 did not go well for Lance Alworth. He struggled with injuries throughout the season, as well as personal problems (he had divorced his first wife in 1969). The difficulties took their toll and he only caught 35 balls during the regular season. The Chargers decided to give Alworth in exchange for three players to the Dallas Cowboys.
For Alworth, it seemed like a bad decision at first. The Cowboys were known more for their good defense than their offense . The motto of their coach Tom Landry was to control the ball as long as possible, which meant that the passing game was not always in the foreground. Alworth was therefore used in Dallas from the 1971 season primarily as a blocker and was rarely alluded to by quarterback Craig Morton or his successor on the position of starting quarterback Roger Staubach . Even so, he should celebrate his greatest triumph with the Cowboys. After a record of eleven wins in fourteen games, the team from Texas moved into the play-offs , where they first defeated the Minnesota Vikings 20:12. In the NFC Championship Game , the Cowboys were able to assert themselves 14: 3 against the San Francisco 49ers, which meant the move into the Super Bowl . Opponents in Super Bowl VI were the Miami Dolphins trained by Don Shula . Alworth was able to use a pass from Staubach in the second quarter of the game to make it 10-0. The Cowboys then left the field with a 24: 3 victory. In 1972, Alworth was to draw national attention again. The Cowboys had again qualified for the finals and met in the Divisional Play-Off game on the San Francisco 49ers . The Texans fell behind early in the game and Alworth managed to shorten this with a touchdown to 21:13 for the Cowboys. Ultimately, the Cowboys left with a 30:28 win, but lost in the championship game against the Washington Redskins 26: 3. Lance Alworth retired after the 1972 season.
Off the field
Alworth divorced his first wife in 1969. He has two children with her. In 1970 he married for the second time. He has a child with his second wife. Two other children died prematurely.
Origin of the nickname
Lance Alworth was called "Bambi" by his fellow players . The nickname had its origin in a Walt Disney film and was based on the comic figure of the same name . Alworth owes its nickname to his big browed eyes and his deer-like running style .
After the career
After his playing career, Alworth founded a real estate company specializing in commercial real estate. The company went bankrupt in 1976. He now runs a storage company in California .
Honors
Lance Alworth played seven times in the AFL All-Star Game , the final game of the best players of the season. He was elected to the All-AFL seven times . In 1963 he was AFL Player of the Year . He is a member of the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team , the AFL All-Time Team , the College Football Hall of Fame , the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame , the San Diego Hall of Champions, the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. As the first player of the AFL he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1978) . His shirt number 19 is no longer awarded by the San Diego Chargers.
Web links
- Lance Alworth in the San Diego Hall of Champions (PDF; 281 kB)
- Short biography ( Memento from May 31, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- Short biography II
- Biography of Lance Alworth (PDF; 37 kB)
Individual evidence
- ^ Statistics for the Chargers vs. Chiefs game on October 20, 1963
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Chargers 1963
- ↑ Statistics AFL final 1963
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Chargers 1964
- ↑ Statistics AFL final 1964
- ↑ Annual Chargers Statistics 1965
- ↑ Statistics AFL final 1965
- ↑ Annual statistics of the cowboys 1971
- ↑ Statistics NFC Championship Game 1971
- ↑ Statistics Super Bowl VI
- ↑ Annual statistics of the cowboys 1972
- ↑ Statistics Divisional Play-Off Game Cowboys vs. 49ers 1972
- ↑ Statistics NFC Championship Game 1972
- ^ Lance Alworth Company
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alworth, Lance |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Alworth, Lance Dwight |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 3, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Houston , Texas |