Dicky Moegle

Richard Lee Maegle (born Moegle;[1] September 14, 1934 – July 4, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Rice University, where he was a consensus All-American in 1954.

Dick Moegle
refer to caption
Moegle on a 1955 Bowman football card
No. 47
Position:Safety, Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1934-09-14)September 14, 1934
Taylor, Texas, U.S.
Died:July 4, 2021(2021-07-04) (aged 86)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Taylor (TX)
College:Rice
NFL Draft:1955 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:73
Interceptions:28
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Moegle attended Taylor High School, where he played football and basketball. He accepted a scholarship from Rice University and attended as a 16-year-old freshman. His play was limited in his sophomore season (1952), after he was lost with a hand cut he suffered trying to open a classroom window that was stuck.[2]

In 1953, he teamed up with fullback Dave "Kosse" Johnson (the nation's second leading rusher), to win a share of the Southwest Conference title with the University of Texas, while registering 833 rushing yards with a 7.3-yard average, which led the nation. In the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic against Alabama, Moegle was involved in one of college football's most famous plays. With Rice leading 7–6, Moegle broke through on a sweep from Rice's five-yard line, and was running down the sideline in front of Alabama's bench on his way to a touchdown. Alabama's Tommy Lewis, without putting on his helmet, jumped off the bench and tackled Moegle. Seeing what happened, referee Cliff Shaw awarded a 95-yard touchdown on the play, and Rice went on to win the game 28–6.[3] Moegle finished with 265 rushing yards, which was a Cotton Bowl Classic record until the 2008 game when Missouri's Tony Temple rushed for 281 yards.[3] He finished with game records of 265 yards on 11 carries for an average of 24.1 yards per attempt and 3 touchdowns.[4] Moegle and Lewis later appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to talk about the play.

As a senior, he rushed 905 yards and led the nation in punt returns. He finished his college career after setting 26 school records, including career touchdowns (22), interceptions in a game (3) and total points in a season (72).

In 1979, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1970, he was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1980, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Moegle was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (10th overall) of the 1955 NFL Draft. He entered the league as a 20-year-old rookie and was moved between the offense and the defense, but still recorded 6 interceptions. In 1956, he became the starter at safety, posting 6 interceptions.[5]

In 1957, he posted 8 interceptions. The next year, he played in only 4 games after injuring his knee against the Philadelphia Eagles. In 1958, he played in 8 games.

On March 13, 1960, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a first-round draft choice (#6-Jimmy Johnson).[6]

Pittsburgh Steelers

In 1960, he was named the starter at safety and registered 6 interceptions. On December 22, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for offensive tackle Dick Klein and safety Bill Butler.[7]

Dallas Cowboys

After being acquired by the Cowboys in part for being a famous player in the state of Texas,[8] he was named the starter at safety in 1961. At the end of the season, he had surgery on his right foot. On July 30, 1962, he was waived after re-injuring his foot in training camp.

Personal life

During his playing days, his last name was spelled "Moegle"; because it was constantly mispronounced, he changed his name to "Maegle" to be more phonetically correct in 1962.[9] He was a color announcer for the Houston Oilers and a manager of the Tidelands and Tides II hotels.

He died on July 4, 2021, at his home in Houston, Texas.[1][10]

See also

References
  1. Goldstein, Richard (July 8, 2021). "Dicky Maegle Dies at 86; Football Star Remembered for a Bizarre Tackle". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2021. Richard Lee Moegle (he later legally changed his surname to reflect its correct pronunciation) was born on Sept. 14, 1934, in Taylor, Texas, about 30 miles northeast of Austin.
  2. Bohls, Kirk (December 24, 1993). "Maegle almost attended Texas instead of Rice". The Gadsen Times. Cox News Service. Retrieved July 10, 2019 – via news.google.com.
  3. Heller, Dick (January 1, 2007). "Refs didn't Cotton to off-bench stop". The Washington Times. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  4. "Dick Moegle Brilliant In Rice Cotton Bowl Wion". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  5. "Moegle Eyes Twin Roles With Cowboys". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  6. "Frisco Trades Moegle To Pitt". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  7. "Cowboys Get Moegle". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  8. "Cowboys Swap 2 For Moegle". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  9. "Moegle Becomes Maegle In Court". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  10. Chen, Howard (6 July 2021). "Former Rice football legend, NFL great Dicky Maegle passes away". click2houston. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
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