Related Research Articles
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence. It was more successful than earlier rivals to the NFL with the same name, the 1926, 1936 and 1940 leagues, and the later All-America Football Conference.
James Larry Grantham was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for the New York Titans/Jets of the American Football League (AFL) and later National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels. He also played pro ball for the Florida Blazers of the World Football League (WFL).
Bill Mathis was an American professional football player who was a running back for the New York Titans/Jets in the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He started his professional career with the Titans, and played his entire career with the AFL's New York franchise. One of four Titans who remained with the New York Jets to play in and win a Super Bowl, Mathis led the AFL in carries in 1961 and was selected by his peers to the Sporting News 1961 AFL All-League team. He was an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1961 and 1963. Mathis had a collarbone broken in the third game of 1961, against the Boston Patriots. He played in the next game, and in fact in all the remaining games of the season.
Samuel Cowart III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning consensus All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Cowart was a Pro Bowl selection in 2000.
Walter Edward Michaels was an American professional football player and coach who was best remembered for his six-year tenure as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s New York Jets from 1977 to 1982. In 1977, Michaels was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame and into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Baseball Category with the Class of 1997.
Timothy McDonald is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. McDonald played college football for the USC Trojans, and was honored as a two-time All-American and two-time team most valuable player (MVP). A second-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, McDonald played professionally for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1987-1992) and San Francisco 49ers (1993-1999) of the NFL. Upon the conclusion of his playing career, McDonald entered coaching, most recently serving as the defensive backs coach for the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
Everson Collins Walls is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. During his 14 seasons, he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also a three-time All-Pro selection. Walls won a Super Bowl with the Giants after the 1990 season. He played college football for the Grambling State Tigers.
Tony Steven Casillas is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 through 1997. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, winning an NCAA national championship in 1985, when he also won the Lombardi Award and was the UPI Lineman of the Year. Casillas was also part of the Dallas Cowboys back to back victories in Super Bowl XXVII and XXVIII, both against the Buffalo Bills. In 2004, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Gary Michael Jeter was a professional American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). An All-American at the University of Southern California in 1976, Jeter was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round in the 1977 NFL Draft.
Raymond Lewis Abruzzese Jr. was an American college and professional football player.
The tuck rule was a controversial rule in American football used by the National Football League from 1999 until 2013. It stated:
NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.
John B. Sample Jr. was an American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts (1958–1960), Pittsburgh Steelers (1961–1962), and Washington Redskins (1963–1965), and in the American Football League (AFL) for the New York Jets (1966–1968), winning three league championships.
Willie Tennyson West is an American football former defensive back. He played for nine seasons professionally: for the NFL St. Louis Cardinals; and for the American Football League (AFL)'s Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. He was an AFL All-Star for the Bills in 1963, and for the Dolphins in 1966. On November 2, 2007, he was inducted into University of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.
James Clark Hudson was a professional American football defensive back. He was one of the first players to ever win a national championship in college and a Super Bowl as a professional. Hudson played for the New York Jets from 1965 to 1970, playing in both the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He started in Super Bowl III for the Jets, and made a key interception just before the end of the first half.
Thomas Alvin Janik was an American football player. Born in Poth, Texas, he attended the Texas College of Arts and Industries—now known as Texas A&M University–Kingsville— where he was an all-conference running back and punter. He was inducted to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. Janik was a safety for nine seasons of professional football. He played for the American Football League (AFL)'s Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Boston Patriots, and for the NFL's Patriots. He was an AFL All-Star in 1965, when he played for the AFL Champion Bills, and again in 1967.
Laverne Joseph Torczon or LaVerne Joseph Torczon, also known as Tarzan Torczon, was an American football defensive end. He played college football at the University of Nebraska, and played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills, the New York Titans/Jets, and the Miami Dolphins. He was the Sporting News selection as an AFL All-League defensive end in 1960 and played in the 1961 AFL All-Star game.
William M. Yearby was an American football player. He played college football as a defensive lineman at the University of Michigan from 1963 to 1965 and was selected as an All-American in 1964 and 1965. He played professional football for the New York Jets of the American Football League (AFL) in 1966.
Corey Franklyn Sawyer is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for Florida State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets of the NFL, the Memphis Maniax of the XFL, and the Tampa Bay Storm and Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League (AFL).
Kevin L. Williams is a former professional American football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played four seasons for the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans.
Jacob Tanner Ceresna is an American football defensive end for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Cortland. Ceresna has also been a member of the New York Jets, Ottawa Redblacks, Edmonton Eskimos and New York Giants.
References
- ↑ Bill Baird
- ↑ "Bill Baird athletic career, photos, articles, and videos | Fanbase". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-01-01.
 | This biographical article relating to an American football defensive back born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |