Al Worley

Elvin "Al" Worley (August 8, 1946 – December 14, 2020) was an American football player and coach, a defensive back for the University of Washington Huskies from 1966–68.[1] Worley was named a consensus All-American in 1968,[2] when he set an NCAA record of 14 interceptions in a season.[3] He played for one season for the Seattle Rangers of the Continental Football League in 1969.[4]

Al Worley
Biographical details
Born(1946-08-08)August 8, 1946
Chelan, Washington
DiedDecember 14, 2020(2020-12-14) (aged 74)
Eugene, Oregon
Alma materUniversity of Washington
Playing career
1965–1968Washington
1969Seattle Rangers
Position(s)Defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1970Washington (assistant)
1971–1974Northern Arizona (assistant)
unknown–1979Portland State (assistant)
1979–unknownYokosuka Base Seahawks (HC)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • Consensus All-American (1968) AP, UPI, AFCA, FN
  • CFL All-league (1969)

High school

Born in Chelan, Washington[5] and raised in Wenatchee, Worley grew up in a family with ten children.[1][6] He attended Wenatchee High School and was a three-sport standout in football, basketball, and baseball, finishing as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer in basketball.[6] Worley stated he was lightly recruited and "I was surprised that Washington even offered me a scholarship. I was not what you'd call a widely recruited athlete. I was an all-nothing in high school."[6]

Worley was selected as the "Panther Best" award recipient his senior year and is a member of the Wenatchee High School Athletic Hall of Fame.[7]

College career

After playing split end during his freshman year at Washington in 1964, assistant coach Ed Peasley told head coach Jim Owens that "Al Worley will never play varsity football at the University of Washington."[6] Dave Williams, Washington's All-America tight end and a future first round NFL draft pick, disagreed, stating "That kid in the red shirt gives me more trouble than anybody else."[6] Worley was a redshirt in 1965, suffering a broken hand.[6] He saw playing time in the secondary in the 1966 and 1967 seasons, progressing to a full-time starter for the 1968 season as a fifth-year senior.[6]

For the 1968 team, Worley recorded three interceptions in Washington's 21–17 victory at Wisconsin, two with Wisconsin inside Washington's 10-yard line, setting a conference single-game record.[6] Against Idaho at Husky Stadium, Worley recorded four of Washington's school-record eight interceptions in a 37–7 victory, which re-established his conference single-game record.[6]

Worley finished the 1968 season with an NCAA record 14 interceptions.[3] In 2014, his record was tied by Gerod Holliman of Louisville.[8] Worley's record season was accomplished in a 10-game season, while Holliman played in a 12-game regular season plus a bowl game and with his team facing twice as many pass attempts.[9][10]

Professional career

Worley's size did not draw interest from the American Football League or Canadian Football League, so he signed with the Seattle Rangers of the Continental Football League in May 1969.[6] Worley was a 1969 CFL Pacific Division All-Star at safety[11] with the Seattle Rangers, which folded after the season.[12]

Later years

Worley was a part-time Washington assistant and a substitute teacher in Seattle.[6] Worley then became a full time coach at Northern Arizona from 1971 to 1974 under head coach Ed Peasley.[6][13] He was later an assistant at Portland State under head coach Mouse Davis.[6][14] In 1979, Worley became head coach of the Yokosuka Base Seahawks, a U.S. Navy service team in Japan.[6] Worley settled in Hawaii and worked as a facilities and projects manager.[6]

In 2015 and 2016, Worley was nominated for induction to the College Football Hall of Fame.[15][16] He was named to the University of Washington's All-Century Team and was inducted into the school's hall of fame[17]

Worley retired in 2015 and moved to Eugene, Oregon. He died there in 2020 at the age of 74.[5]

See also

References
  1. Hewins, Jack (October 25, 1968). "Al Worley nation's best". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 22.
  2. "The Dawg House: All Americans". Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  3. "Official 2006 NCAA Divisions I-A and I-AA Football Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 19. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  4. "NWFL: Continental Football League". Retrieved 2007-12-10.
  5. "Elven Thomas Worley: August 8, 1946 - December 14, 2020", The Wenatchee World, December 26, 2020
  6. David Eskenazi (2015-07-14). "Wayback Machine: Worley's feat still resonates | Sportspress Northwest". Sportspressnw.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  7. "Al Worley". Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  8. Huguenin, Mike (November 29, 2014). "Louisville's Gerod Holliman ties single-season interception mark". College Football 24/7. NFL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  9. "Player Card: Gerod Holliman". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  10. Barber, Justin (2015-08-18). "Pads of the Hands: eINT%, or DB Interceptions Per Passes Targeted for his or her Coverage Assignment". Padsofthehands.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  11. "Continental Football League (1965-1969)". Gnfafootball.org. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  12. "Seattle Rangers". Gnfafootball.org. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  13. "2012 Northern Arizona Football Media Guide by NAU Athletics". issuu. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  14. "Eugene Register-Guard - Google News Archive Search".
  15. "2016 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Released > National Football Foundation > NewsDetail". Collegefootball.org. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  16. "UW's Al Worley, WSU's Jason Hanson nominated for College Football Hall of Fame". The Seattle Times. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
  17. Vorel, Mike (January 5, 2021), "UW Huskies All-American and NCAA record-holder Al Worley dies at 74", The Seattle Times
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