George Sauer Jr.

Receptions:	309
Receiving yards:	4,965
Touchdowns:	28

George Sauer Jr.
No. 83
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	November 10, 1943; Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died:	May 7, 2013 (aged 69); Westerville, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College:	Texas
AFL draft:	1965 / Round: Red Shirt 5 / Pick: 36; (By the New York Jets)
Career history
	New York Jets (1965–1970); New York Stars (1974);
Career highlights and awards
	Super Bowl champion (III); AFL champion (1968); 3× All-AFL (1966, 1967, 1968); 4× AFL All-Star (1966–1969); AFL receptions leader (1967); National champion (1963);
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:
Receptions:	309
Receiving yards:	4,965
Touchdowns:	28
	Player stats at PFR

Last updated August 01, 2024

George Henry Sauer Jr. (November 10, 1943 – May 7, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for six seasons with the American Football League (AFL)'s New York Jets, and later played in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns. His father, George Henry Sauer Sr., played for the Green Bay Packers from 1935 through 1937.

Biography

Sauer played college football for the Texas Longhorns as a wide receiver. He was a member of the undefeated 1963 Longhorns, and of the 1964 Longhorns that defeated previously unbeaten Alabama in the 1965 Orange Bowl.^[2] After being teammates at Texas, Sauer and quarterback Jim Hudson continued as teammates for the New York Jets for five seasons, 1965 through 1969. Sauer led the American Football League (AFL) in receptions in the 1967 season. In 1968, he started and caught eight passes for the Jets in the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game, helping defeat the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts. His eight receptions and 133 yards led all receivers in that game.

Sauer retired at the peak of his career following the 1970 NFL season because he considered professional football dehumanizing.^[2] In a 1971 interview with the Institute for the Study of Sport and Society, Sauer said, "When you get to the college and professional levels, the coaches still treat you as an adolescent. They know damn well that you were never given a chance to become responsible or self-disciplined. Even in the pros, you were told when to go to bed, when to turn your lights off, when to wake up, when to eat and what to eat. You even have to live and eat together like you were in a boys’ camp."^[2] Sauer's father, on the subject of his son's retirement, stated, "He definitely does not like to be regimented."^[2]

In spite of his disillusionment about playing professional football, Sauer returned to play for the New York Stars of the World Football League in 1974. That season, Sauer caught 38 passes for 547 yards, good for 14.4 yards per catch and three touchdowns.

After retiring, Sauer pursued writing and completed a novel. He also coached a minor league football team in the late 1970s. As of 1994, the same year as his father's death, Sauer was a textbook graphics specialist living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He died on May 7, 2013, in Westerville, Ohio, of congestive heart failure, having suffered from Alzheimer's disease.^[2]

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Super Bowl champion
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
Year	Team	GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1965	NYJ	14	11	29	301	10.4	33	2
1966	NYJ	14	14	63	1,079	17.1	77	5
1967	NYJ	14	14	75	1,189	15.9	61	6
1968	NYJ	14	14	66	1,141	17.3	43	3
1969	NYJ	14	14	45	745	16.6	40	8
1970	NYJ	14	12	31	510	16.5	67	4
Career		84	79	309	4,965	16.1	77	28

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References

↑ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
1 2 3 4 5 Litsky, Frank (May 10, 2013). "George Sauer, Jets Receiver and Rebel, Is Dead at 69". The New York Times .

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[1] "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.

[NYT-2] 1 2 3 4 5 Litsky, Frank (May 10, 2013). "George Sauer, Jets Receiver and Rebel, Is Dead at 69". The New York Times .

[1]

[2]

v t e New York Jets Super Bowl III champions
11 Jim Turner 12 Joe Namath (MVP) 13 Don Maynard 15 Babe Parilli 22 Jim Hudson 23 Bill Rademacher 24 Johnny Sample 26 Jim Richards 29 Bake Turner 30 Mark Smolinski 31 Bill Mathis 32 Emerson Boozer 33 Curley Johnson 34 Lee White 35 Billy Joe 41 Matt Snell 42 Randy Beverly 43 John Dockery 45 Earl Christy 46 Bill Baird 47 Mike D'Amato 48 Cornell Gordon 50 Carl McAdams 51 Ralph Baker 52 John Schmitt 56 Paul Crane 60 Larry Grantham 61 Bob Talamini 62 Al Atkinson 63 John Neidert 66 Randy Rasmussen 67 Dave Herman 68 Michael Stromberg 70 Karl Henke 71 Sam Walton 72 Paul Rochester 74 Jeff Richardson 75 Winston Hill 80 John Elliott 81 Gerry Philbin 83 George Sauer 85 Steve Thompson 86 Verlon Biggs 87 Pete Lammons
Head coach: Weeb Ewbank
Coaches: Walt Michaels Clive Rush Buddy Ryan Joe Spencer