Lance Alworth

Lance Dwight Alworth (born August 3, 1940), nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Often considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time,[1][2][3][4] he played for 11 seasons, from 1962 through 1972, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the first player inducted whose playing career was principally in the AFL. Alworth is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His teammates called him Bambi because he had a baby face and could run like a deer.[5]

Lance Alworth
refer to caption
Alworth in 1969
No. 19
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1940-08-03) August 3, 1940
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Brookhaven
(Brookhaven, Mississippi)
College:Arkansas (1959–1961)
NFL Draft:1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
AFL Draft:1962 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:542
Receiving yards:10,266
Receiving touchdowns:85
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Born in Houston, Texas, Alworth was raised in Hog Chain, Mississippi.[6] He played football at Brookhaven High School before attending the University of Arkansas.[7][8] While in high school, he earned 15 letters.[8] Alworth's sister Ann was fast enough in the 50- and 75-yard dashes in track to be invited to the Olympic Games trials, though she declined the invitation.[8] After high school, Alworth was offered baseball contracts by the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates.[8]

College career

At Arkansas, the six-foot (1.83 m), 180-pound (82 kg) Alworth was a flanker[8] who led all colleges in punt return yardage in 1960 and 1961. He also was a track star competing in the long jump and running the 100 and 220-yard dashes (in 9.6 seconds and 21.2 seconds, respectively).[8] Alworth was a three-time Academic All-American, graduating with a degree in marketing as a pre-law student.[8] In 1962, Alworth was on multiple All-American teams: Look magazine, Associated Press, United Press International and Coaches.[8] Alworth was a key member of Arkansas teams that won, or shared, three consecutive Southwest Conference championships between 1959 and 1961, winning 25 games in that time span. The 1959 team won the 1960 Gator Bowl over Georgia Tech. Alworth was the MVP of the 1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, even though Arkansas lost the game, after he returned a punt for a touchdown. It would be the last time a punt was returned for a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl for fifty-one years until another Razorback, Joe Adams, returned a punt for a score in the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic. He is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Alworth is a member of the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame; he was named to the University of Arkansas' 1960's All-Decade Team, and the school's All-Century Team in 1994.

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

Alworth was chosen in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1962 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The American Football League's Oakland Raiders selected him with their first pick (ninth overall) in the second round of the 1962 AFL Draft, and then traded his rights to the San Diego Chargers in return for halfback Bo Roberson, quarterback Hunter Enis, and offensive tackle Gene Selawski.[9] Alworth opted to sign with the Chargers instead of the 49ers. The Chargers kept Alworth at flanker. His slender build, speed, grace, and leaping ability earned him the nickname "Bambi."[10]

In his rookie season, Alworth had just 10 receptions in 4 games (though three were for touchdowns). His second year was a different story, as he set franchise records in receptions (61), yards (1,205), and touchdowns (11),[11] earning the UPI's AFL Most Valuable Player award. He had 4 receptions for 77 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown, in San Diego's AFL championship win over the Boston Patriots. He was selected as an AFL Western Division All-Star for the first of seven consecutive seasons, as well as an AFL All-League flanker for the first of six seasons, selected by his peers from 1963 to 1966, and by newspaper wire services from 1967 to 1968.

Over the next six seasons (1964–1969), Alworth broke his own franchise receiving records several times, and also led the league in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and total touchdowns three times each. He shattered the record for most consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards (7, previously 3, now held by Jerry Rice with 11), and was the first player with back-to-back seasons averaging 100+ receiving yards per game, both of which led the league.[12] The 1966 season was particularly noteworthy, because he led the league in five categories. He still shares the record for the most regular-season games with 200+ yards receiving (5),[13] and had a franchise-record streak of 96 consecutive games with a reception.

Alworth formed a formidable tandem with Chargers quarterback John Hadl, and is considered by many to be the best wide receiver in all professional football during the 1960s. He is a member of the AFL All-Time Team. He was the first of only a few American Football League stars to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated,[10][14] which like other media of the 1960s, showed a distinct bias for the NFL. Sports Illustrated even went so far as to declare Alworth the "Top Pro Receiver" in December 1965,[10] this at a time when many claimed the AFL had inferior players. Alworth's productivity sharply declined in 1970 (35 catches for 608 yards), and he was traded to Dallas at the end of the season. See below for his numerous franchise records with the Chargers.

Dallas Cowboys

On May 19, 1971, Alworth was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, for his final two seasons. In exchange, the Chargers received Tony Liscio, Pettis Norman, and Ron East.[15]

In Super Bowl VI following the 1971 season, he scored the game's first touchdown, which was a 7-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach in the Cowboys' 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins.[16] Alworth would later call the two receptions he made in Super Bowl VI (one that converted a third and long and the other for the touchdown) the two most important catches of his career.

NFL career statistics
Legend
Won the AFL championship
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fum
GPGSRecYdsY/RY/GLngTDAttYdsY/ALngTD
1962SD 441022622.656.567311717.01700
1963SD 1414611,20519.886.185112147.02100
1964SD 1212611,23520.295.0821336020.03523
1965SD 1414691,60223.2114.485143–12–4.0–102
1966SD 1313731,38318.9106.478133103.3400
1967SD 1111521,01019.491.8719155.0500
1968SD 1414681,31219.393.780103186.01000
1969SD 1414641,00315.771.67645255.01600
1970SD 14133560817.443.480400—000
1971DAL 12113448714.340.62622–10–5.0–400
1972DAL 1471519513.013.9302122.0200
Career13712754210,26618.974.98585241295.43525

Postseason
Year Team Games Receiving Fum
GPGSRecYdsY/RY/GLngTD
1963SD 1147719.377.04810
1965SD 1148220.582.02500
1971DAL 3357815.626.03010
1972DAL 2235518.327.52810
Career771629218.341.74830

Legacy

Alworth finished his 11 AFL/NFL seasons with 543 receptions for 10,266 yards. He also rushed for 129 yards, returned 29 punts for 309 yards, gained 216 yards on 10 kickoff returns, and scored 87 touchdowns (85 receiving and 2 rushing).

In 1972, he was inducted to the San Diego Hall of Champions. In 1977, he was inducted in the Chargers Hall of Fame. In 1978, he became the first San Diego Charger and the first player who had played in the AFL to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[17] He chose to be presented at the Canton, Ohio ceremony by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, his former position coach at San Diego, who had much to do with the success of the AFL.

Alworth's number 19 was retired by the Chargers in 2005.[18] In 1970, he was selected as a member of the AFL All-Time Team, and in 1994, he was named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, the only player to be named to both teams.

In 1979, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 1988, he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

In 1999, he was ranked number 31 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, making him the highest-ranking Charger and the highest-ranking player to have spent more than one season in the AFL.

In 2014, he was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.[19]

NFL records
  • Most games with 200+ receiving yards: 5 (tied with Calvin Johnson)
  • Fastest to 5,000 career receiving yards (52 games, tied with Justin Jefferson) [20]
  • Fastest to 6,000 career receiving yards (62 games)
  • Fastest to 7,000 career receiving yards (72 games, tied with Julio Jones) [21]
  • Fastest to 8,000 career receiving yards (83 games) [22]
  • Most receiving yards in first 50 games: 4,785 [23]
  • Most receiving yards in first 75 games: 7,532
  • Most touchdown receptions, 70+ yards, career: 12
  • Most consecutive seasons, 11+ TD receptions: 4 (1963–1966; tied with Marvin Harrison, 1999–2002; Art Powell, 1963–1966)
  • Most consecutive seasons, 12+ TD receptions: 3, (1964–1966; tied with Jerry Rice, 1989–1991 and 1993–1995; Marvin Harrison, 1999–2001 and 2004–2006; Terrell Owens, 2000–2002; Cris Carter, 1997–1999)
  • Most consecutive seasons, 13+ TD receptions: 3, (1964–1966; tied with Jerry Rice, 1989–1991 and 1993–1995; Terrell Owens, 2000–2002)

Chargers franchise records
  • Receiving yards, season: 1,602 (1965)
  • Receiving touchdowns, season: 14 (1965; tied with Tony Martin)
  • Yards per reception, season: 23.2 (1965)
  • Yards per reception, career (min. 50 receptions): 19.4
  • Yards per game, season: 114.4 (1965)
  • Yards per game, career: 86.3
  • Seasons with 1000+ receiving yards: 7 (1963–1969)
  • Consecutive seasons with 1000+ receiving yards: 7 (1963–1969)
  • Seasons with 10+ receiving TDs: 5
  • Consecutive games with a reception: 96 (September 7, 1962 – December 14, 1969)
  • Games with 100+ receiving yards, career: 41
  • Games with 100+ receiving yards, season: 9[24]
  • Games with 200+ receiving yards: 5 (only 3 other such games in franchise history)
  • Games with 100+ receiving yards, and 1+ TDs: 36

Personal life

Alworth and his third wife, Laura, whom he married in 1997,[25] live in San Diego. He has six children, one who died in infancy.[26]

In the early 1980's, Alworth founded All-Aboard Mini Storage, with self-storage facilities throughout California.[27] He sold the company to Extra Space Storage in 2013 for $196 million.[28][29]

Alworth's first wife, the former Betty Jeanne Allen, later married Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker. Alworth's grandson, Brian Driscoll, is an offensive lineman at University of California, Berkeley.[30]

See also

References
  1. Kenyon, David (October 3, 2018). "The Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  2. Harrison, Elliot. "Ten best receivers of all time". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  3. Tallent, Aaron (February 18, 2022). "25 Greatest Wide Receivers in NFL History". AthlonSports.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  4. Patuto, Greg (May 15, 2020). "Ranking The 20 Greatest NFL Wide Receivers Of All Time". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  5. "Lance Dwight "Bambi" Alworth (1940–)". encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  6. Lance Dwight "Bambi" Alworth (1940–) at The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture
  7. "Lance "Bambi" Alworth". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  8. Eiland, William U (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P (ed.). Great Athletes. Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 1-58765-008-8.
  9. Sinn, Donn (December 28, 2002). "More Did You Know". 49ers.com. San Francisco Forty Niners. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  10. Shrake, Edwin (December 13, 1965). "They All Go Bang! At Bambi". Sports Illustrated. p. 32.
  11. finishing second in the AFL to Art Powell in the latter two categories.
  12. In the 1965 and 1966 seasons. Prior to this, only 10 players had ever had a 100+ yards/game season. Julio Jones holds the record with four consecutive seasons (2013-).
  13. Tied with Calvin Johnson, who also has a 200+ yard playoff game to his credit.
  14. Center, Bill (January 5, 2014). "No finer Chargers WR than Lance Alworth". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  15. Buck, Ray (February 29, 2008). "Trading wasn't always so difficult in the NFL". Star-Telegram. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  16. "Super Bowl VI Box Score: Dallas 24, Miami 3". Nfl.com. February 7, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  17. "Alworth AFL's first Hall of Fame member". Star-News. July 27, 1978. p. 4–D. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  18. Scholfield, Steve (July 14, 2005). "Chargers to honor AFL icon Alworth". North County Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012.
  19. Allen (August 28, 2014). "Nine Razorbacks to be inducted into SWC Hall of Fame". NashvilleSportsMix. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  20. "Odell Beckham Jr. Becomes the Second-Fastest Player in NFL History to Achieve This Feat". October 23, 2018.
  21. "Archived copy". www.pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. "See Julio Jones snatch a TD catch over Malcolm Butler". October 23, 2017.
  23. "Inside the Numbers: Odell at 50 games".
  24. Also second place, and twice tied for fourth.
  25. "Lance Dwight "Bambi" Alworth (1940-)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  26. Hall, Grant (December 24, 2006). "Alworth Still Going Strong At 66 - Arkansas - Scout". arkansas.scout.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  27. "Extra Space Storage - Press Releases". Ir.extraspace.com. June 17, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  28. "All Aboard Mini Storage Sells Self-Storage Portfolio For $195.1 Million To Extra Space Storage". modernstoragemedia.com. September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  29. "Extra Space Agrees to Buy 20 Self-Storage Facilities for $196M". insideselfstorage.com. June 17, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  30. Faraudo, Jeff (November 8, 2022). "Cal Football: Brian Driscoll Talks About His Hall of Fame Grandpa - Lance Alworth". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
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