Distant Memories: The Nfl's Best Ever Players of the 60'S and 70'S

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© 2010 Danny Jones. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 3/5/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4343-4351-2 (sc)

ISBN: 9781463463632 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

This book is dedicated to Tina and Holly.

I love you both. You give me love, happiness,

and joy everyday. Thanks for everything.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The first person I want to thank is my wonderful wife, Tina. She encouraged me to write this book. She did everything to help me. She proofread my stories and sent faxes to some of the players for me. Tina was a perfect secretary and research assistant for me. Thank you, Tina. You are my best friend and I love you more than anything. You certainly light up my life. I also want to thank my pretty dog Holly for letting me take the time to write this book. She laid beside me as I wrote these stories.

I would like to thank the football players for assisting me in my search in locating all of the other football brothers in this book. I really enjoyed talking with all of you. I think we all enjoyed our conversations talking together about your football careers and life. This book would have not been complete without your cooperation. I would like everyone who reads this book to know that all football players are part of a special fraternity. We are all brothers and friends with one another bonded together for a lifetime by friendship and trust. That’s more than I can say about any other friendship because they simply don’t last long.

I would like to thank the following football players in this book for helping me locate the other players: Roman Gabriel, Homer Jones, Floyd Little, Jim Marshall, Mercury Morris, Lance Rentzel, Duane Thomas, and Jack Youngblood. Your time and assistance was very much appreciated.

I would like to thank Mrs. Roman Gabriel for helping me locate Jack Snow. Roman helped me locate 3 players.

A big thanks to a special friend- I would like to thank Homer Jones for one of the most memorable moments of my life. In October of 1997, I spent 2 days in Texas visiting Homer. He drove about 120 miles to pick me up at the airport in Dallas. We had a wonderful time together. He drove me around Dallas, Texas and showed me the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium. He stopped his truck without me asking because he knew I wanted to take some pictures. Homer gave me the most extensive interview and we talked about his outstanding track and football careers. We talked about life too. We have some wonderful memories and a special friendship that will last forever. I will always cherish our time together. We had a picture taken together and I wanted to have it printed in this book. The highlight of my time with Homer was the look of appreciation on his face when I gave him a special gift- a pictorial scrapbook of his entire football career. I also gave him a videotape of his football career. I gave him a copy of his story in this book and he was very happy with it. That golden moment made everything worthwhile. We watched all of his football highlights. Homer told me that he felt like he had known me all of his life and he just had not seen me in a while. I feel the same way about him too. Homer is just about the best friend I ever had. Thank you, Homer, for everything. I appreciated the autographed pictures too. I hope all is well with you and your family.

I would like to thank Mercury Morris. He contacted Earl Morrall for me. Earl called me a few days later.

I would like to thank the NFL Alumni in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for their assistance in sending my correspondence to the following players: Dick Anderson, Gary Collins, Greg Cook, Carl Eller, John Gilliam, Harold Jackson, Roy Jefferson, Floyd Little, Don Meredith, Earl Morrall, Mercury Morris, Jake Scott, Duane Thomas, and Jack Youngblood. Thanks to the NFL Alumni, some players were able to contact me.

I would like to thank the Kansas City Chiefs Media Relations department for locating Otis Taylor for me.

I would like to thank the Minnesota Vikings Media Relations department for their assistance in locating Jim Marshall for me.

I would like to thank the Philadelphia Eagles Alumni for helping me locate Roman Gabriel. The Philadelphia Eagles staff was kind enough to help me contact the Alumni. Thanks to them, Roman is one of my best friends.

I would like to thank the following players for their autographed pictures: Dick Anderson, Tommy Casanova, Gary Collins, Roman Gabriel, Harold Jackson, Roy Jefferson, Floyd Little, Mercury Morris, Jack Snow, Otis Taylor, Warren Wells, and Jack Youngblood.

Football players who declined comment: Greg Cook, Don Meredith, Jake Scott, Duane Thomas, and Gene Washington.

John Gilliam could not be located and/or did not contact me. Art Powell could not be located.

This book, Distant Memories- The NFL’s Best Ever Players of the 60’s and 70’s, is being published by AuthorHouse in 2007. It was previously published in 2005. My first publisher gave me poor service. They made 22 separate big time mistakes that cost me over 200 hours of my time to correct. They terminated my contract in January of 2007. I am glad they did. I didn’t want them to make a penny at my expense. I added a few things to this book. I hope you enjoy it.

Danny Jones

A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On February 13, 2000, I received a telephone call from Hudson Old of the East Texas Journal in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He was writing a story about Homer Jones for the February edition. He had interviewed him and Homer told him all about me and showed Mr. Old the football scrapbook I gave Homer. So, Mr. Old decided to call me and we had a delightful conversation. He was interested in what I had done for Homer and thought it would be a nice human interest story for his paper. He wrote a story about Homer and me called, Distant Memories recalls NFL greats. I sent him a picture of Homer and me to print in his story. I told Mr. Old that Homer and Bob Hayes revolutionized the passing game of Pro Football in the 60’s. We talked about Homer’s career and he asked me a few questions about my glorious football playing days. I was very happy to know that Homer Jones was in the spotlight and receiving recognition for his outstanding track and NFL career. Mr. Old is the first person to promote my book, Distant Memories. I would like to thank Hudson Old for writing a wonderful story about Homer Jones and me and for helping me promote my book.

Danny Jones

FOREWORD TO THE BOOK DISTANT MEMORIES

Distant Memories: The NFL’s Best Ever Players of the 60’s and 70’s is much more than a book about pro football. It’s about a dying breed of heroes from a disappearing era- a vibrant, funny and telling history of a period of time that seems even further away than it actually is.

Danny Jones has crafted an engaging, informative and in-the-trenches look at a group of legendary players from the 60’s and 70’s, as well as an up-close look at the teams they played for. And in so doing, he’s woven these characters and stories together in such a way as to perfectly capture a bygone era of sports, when football began to replace baseball as our national pastime.

Distant Memories is a good book for bedtime reading, easy to pick up where you left off and very entertaining even if you are not into sports. And for those die-hard sports fans, Jones’ personal stories provide a keen insight into the mind of the athlete, as these players try to dissect how and why they did what they did so well.

This is a book about players from another generation, and it’s refreshing to remember what the game was like before the post-strike, post-lockout, post-multimillion-dollar contract cynicism that’s so rampant today. And yet Distant Memories is surprisingly current. It’s still fascinating to get a glimpse of the sacrifices that athletes make to entertain us, and even more fascinating to see the humanity behind the facemasks.

Lance Rentzel

September 1, 2003

Lance Rentzel

A SPECIAL THANKS TO LANCE RENTZEL

A special thanks to my good friend and football idol, Lance Rentzel. I would like to thank Lance Rentzel for everything. We have spent a lot of time talking together. He has been my biggest help in assisting me with this book. Lance gave me some good business advice about my book and shared his knowledge on writing skills. He encouraged me and offered his time to help me. Lance assisted me as a friend on details and organization and said he would help me in any way he could. He kept his promise. Lance also helped me with business details relating to this book. He is a great mentor. Lance informed me to look for something you can’t ordinarily see and character growth when writing a story. He is so right. I asked Lance to write the foreword to my book. Lance is my #1 hero and I wore #19 just like he did during my football playing days. I still wear #19 today. I reminded Lance that I continued the tradition and the legacy of #19. We both enjoyed that moment. I sent Lance about a dozen pictures and asked him to autograph them for me. He signed each one with a personal, special appreciation. Lance also sent me a new picture and wrote, To my good friend Danny Jones. It sure made me feel good when I received it. That was a special moment for me. We have become good friends. Thank you, Lance, for all of your help. I certainly appreciate it. You taught me more than anyone about football and the art of catching passes. You sure did that better than anyone I have ever seen. All those football pictures that I sent you from my scrapbooks are to thank you for being a great hero and friend to me. I know you appreciate them. I will always be here for you. I hope you and your family are doing well. Lance helped me locate Bob Hayes and Jack Youngblood.

Your friend,

Danny Jones

ABOUT THE BOOK

The 26 men featured in this book have one thing in common: They were all great football players. These legends were the superstars of the NFL and AFL during the glorious 60’s and the fun-loving 70’s. However, only 2 of these legends are in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. These stars revolutionized the game of Pro Football with their brilliant performances and were Pro Football’s biggest gate attractions. As the years go by, and the 60’s and 70’s have become a distant memory, these outstanding football players and mavericks have been unappreciated and forgotten. These heroes and legends of the fall contributed to the success of the NFL and made Pro Football the most popular and exciting sport in America. Distant Memories- The NFL’s Best Ever Players of the 60’s and 70’s focuses on Pro Football’s forgotten stars and legendary heroes from the glorious past. It’s about pioneers and great players from yesteryear.

I have chronicled the careers of 26 football players and have provided you a glimpse back at their best seasons, longest touchdowns, and the big plays of their illustrious careers. All of these players had caliber Hall of Fame talent and most of them should be in Canton, Ohio. These athletes were as talented and good as anybody who played their position. They were some of the most exciting players to ever play the game. These forefathers knew how to play football and were team players that knew how to win. They added character growth to Pro Football. All football fans from the 60’s and 70’s will fondly remember these superstars. Hopefully, this book will also educate younger readers about the players that made football the popular sport that it is today.

I have always wanted to write a book like this. Since I was a former amateur football player and have the knowledge and resources about football, I thought I would be the right person to write this book and do it with class and style. I have watched every football player in this book play every week and have seen all of the weekly highlight shows. I have followed their entire careers and I have seen every touchdown they scored. I watched all NFL and AFL games on TV in the 60’s and 70’s. In 1970, when the AFL and NFL merged to become one league, I watched every game on TV during the 70’s. That was a special era. I can remember my golden Sunday mornings and early afternoons when I played football during the 70’s. I always hurried home from my games so I could watch the NFL on TV. You can ask my wonderful mother. She knew where I was every Sunday afternoon during the football season when I was young. I would like the players in this book to finally receive the recognition they deserve for their outstanding accomplishments. I wanted this book to be a little different. My goal was to make this book entertaining by giving the readers more than statistics and numbers. I wanted to give you an insight on a player’s style, personality, and character growth. I was able to go 1-on-1 with the legends and I think the Questions and Answers section will be very enjoyable for you to read.

These legendary heroes and mavericks provided excitement and happiness to millions of fans across America. These players are lost treasures and have simply been forgotten as time goes by. They were brilliant players and dedicated professionals. Their place in Pro Football history is secure regardless of any Hall of Fame status. It was these trailblazers, legends, and other stars from the glorious past that made Pro Football our national pastime and America’s game. They were just too good to be forgotten. Enjoy your trip down memory lane.

Danny Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Danny Jones is 55 years old (born in 1953) and lives with his wife, Tina, in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Danny’s love and passion for football began during the early 60’s- Pro Football’s golden decade when football was still a glorious game. He played amateur and semi-pro football for over a decade during the 70’s and 80’s. Danny was a wide receiver and compiled some outstanding statistics during his career. He caught 302 passes for 5,519 yards and 66 touchdowns. Danny scored 15 touchdowns of 40 or more yards. He wore #19 like his football idol- star receiver Lance Rentzel of the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams.

Danny enjoys the simple pleasures of life. He cherishes time spent with his loving wife, Tina, and his cute dog, Holly. Danny has written 2 football books. His other book is titled, More Distant Memories- Pro Football’s Best Ever Players of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. At the present time, Danny is planning to write other books on Pro Football’s best ever players from the glorious past.

A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO THE GUYS

Distant Memories is dedicated to all the great players in this book. You guys were my heroes growing up during the glorious 60’s and the fun-loving 70’s. I hope you enjoy the book. I did my best to compile a complete and entertaining story of your careers. I just wanted to tell you that you were 26 of the NFL’s best ever football players. You played the game the way it is meant to be played. Money wasn’t an issue with you and all of you guys had heart. That’s something money can’t buy. You provided excitement and happiness to millions of football fans across America.

Only 2 of you guys are in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. I think most of you should be enshrined in Canton. I sincerely hope that someday you will be. Your place in NFL history is secure. It was you guys that made the game. You played with heart, desire, and dedication. You made the sacrifices, paid the price, played when injured, and did what it took to win. Like the great football players that all of you were, you played to have fun too. You were class professional athletes. Thanks for setting a good example for a younger generation of future football players such as myself. Thanks for the great memories.

Danny Jones

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

FOREWORD TO THE BOOK DISTANT MEMORIES

A SPECIAL THANKS TO LANCE RENTZEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A SPECIAL DEDICATION TO THE GUYS

DICK ANDERSON

TOMMY CASANOVA

GARY COLLINS

GREG COOK

CARL ELLER

ROMAN GABRIEL

JOHN GILLIAM

BOB HAYES

HAROLD JACKSON

ROY JEFFERSON

HOMER JONES

FLOYD LITTLE

JIM MARSHALL

DON MEREDITH

EARL MORRALL

EUGENE MERCURY MORRIS

ART POWELL

LANCE RENTZEL

ON THE SIDELINES WITH

LANCE RENTZEL

JAKE SCOTT

JACK SNOW

OTIS TAYLOR

DUANE THOMAS

GENE WASHINGTON

WARREN WELLS

TRAVIS WILLIAMS

JACK YOUNGBLOOD

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

DICK ANDERSON

Position: Safety

Height: 6’2"

Weight: 196 lbs.

1968-1977: Miami Dolphins

College: Colorado

Dick Anderson was one of the best defensive backs in NFL history. He was a sensational football player. Dick was a complete all-around defensive back and could defend against the pass and play the run with equal flair. He was intelligent and had tremendous anticipation. Dick was outstanding in man-to-man coverage and played brilliantly in Miami’s complicated zone defense. He was also a sure tackler and a