No. 49, 21 | |||||
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Position: | Defensive back | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Camden, Arkansas, U.S. | November 6, 1947||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
College: | Texas A&M–Commerce | ||||
Undrafted: | 1970 | ||||
Career history | |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at PFR |
James Frederick Thrower (born November 6, 1947) is a former American football defensive back. In 2022 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. [1]
Thrower was born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1947. He attended Lincoln High School and played college football at Texas A&M–Commerce. [2] He also exceled at track and field and basketball, and was inducted into the university's athletic hall of fame. [1]
Thrower played professional football as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1970 to 1972. [2] [3] [4] He was fired by the Eagles in November 1972. [5]
He next played for the Detroit Lions during the 1973 and 1974 seasons. [2] While with the Lions, he was a backup to cornerback Lem Barney and also served as captain of the special team unit. He was also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. [6] During the 1975, was placed on the injured reserve list. The Detroit Free Press called him the captain of the injured reserve list. [7]
In three years in the NFL, Thrower appeared in a total of 46 NFL games, four of them as a starter. [2]
After retiring from football, Thrower worked for the Stroh Brewery Co. and later Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. He was also a leading fundraiser for the NAACP. [8]
Alexander Francis "Wojie" Wojciechowicz was an American football player in the National Football League (NFL) from 1935 to 1950. He was a two-way player who played at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. He has been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a founder and the first president of the NFL Alumni Association, and was the third player to receive the Order of the Leather Helmet.
Richard Lane, commonly known as Dick "Night Train" Lane, was an American football cornerback who played for 14 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Los Angeles Rams (1952–1953), the Chicago Cardinals (1954–1959), and the Detroit Lions (1960–1965).
Robert Yale Lary Sr. was an American professional football player, businessman, and politician. He played for 11 seasons as a safety, punter and return specialist for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and was also selected for the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.
Jack LeRoy Christiansen was an American professional football player who became a college and pro coach. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions as a safety and return specialist from 1951 to 1958. He helped lead the Lions to three NFL championships in 1952, 1953, and 1957 and was a first-team All-NFL player in six of his eight years in the league. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 and 1957 and in punt returns for touchdown in 1951, 1952, 1954, and 1956. His eight career punt returns for touchdowns was an NFL record until 1989 and remains the fourth best in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
Joseph Paul Schmidt is an American former professional football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1953 to 1965. He won two NFL championships with the Lions, and, between 1954 and 1963, he played in ten consecutive Pro Bowl games and was selected each year as a first-team All-Pro player. He was also voted by his fellow NFL players as the NFL's most valuable defensive player in 1960 and 1963, named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Norman Bailey Snead was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was selected in the first round of the 1961 NFL Draft with the second overall pick.
Maxie Callaway Baughan Jr. was an American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and the Washington Redskins. Baughan played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The 1948 NFL draft was held on December 19, 1947, at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh. This was the second year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery, with the previous year's winner Chicago Bears ineligible from the draw; it was won by the Washington Redskins, who selected halfback Harry Gilmer.
The 1950 NFL draft was held January 20–21, 1950, at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. With the league absorbing the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers from the All-America Football Conference, these three teams were combined with the other NFL clubs in a single ranking to determine the order of the draft.
The 1952 NFL draft was held on January 17, 1952, at Hotel Statler in New York. Selections made by New York Yanks were assigned to the new Dallas Texans.
Charles Emile "Gus" Dorais was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator.
Richard Anthony Stanfel was an American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a guard, and his college and professional career spanned more than 50 years from 1948 to 1998. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2016. He was also named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.
Stanley Hugh Campbell was an American football player. He played college football at Iowa State College from 1949 to 1951 and professional football as an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions in 1952 and from 1955 to 1958 and for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1959 to 1961 He concluded his football career with the American Football League's Oakland Raiders in 1962.
Lawrence Thomas Hand is an American former professional football defensive end who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions from 1965 to 1977. He was selected as the Lions' most valuable player in 1972.
LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson was an American football player and coach. He played college football for Washington State from 1948 through 1950. Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, principally as a linebacker, for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1954 and for the Washington Redskins from 1955 to 1957.
Lewis Glen Carpenter was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the University of Arkansas and professionally for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a halfback and fullback with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. He played on three NFL Championship teams, with Detroit in 1953 and with Green Bay in 1961 and 1962. After his playing career ended, Carpenter spent 31 years as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings (1964–1966), Atlanta Falcons (1967–1968), Washington Redskins (1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1970–1972), Houston Oilers (1970–1974), Green Bay Packers (1975–1985), Detroit Lions (1987–1988), and Philadelphia Eagles (1990–1994). Carpenter also coached the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football in 1996 and at Southwest Texas State University. He concluded his 47 years of playing and coaching football at the end of the 1996 season. Scientific tests on his brain diagnosed post-mortem that he had an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Vincent Joseph Banonis was an American football player. He played college football at the University of Detroit Mercy where he was selected as a first-team All-American in 1940. He also played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals from 1942 to 1950, and for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1953. He was a first-team All-NFL player three times and played on three NFL championship teams. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
The 1952 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 23rd season in the National Football League. The Lions won their second National Football League (NFL) championship, having won their first championship 17 years earlier in 1935. The team's co-captains were halfback Robert Hoernschemeyer and defensive tackle John Prchlik, and defensive end Jim Doran was selected as the team's most valuable player. In their third year under head coach Buddy Parker, the 1952 Lions compiled a 9–3 record during the regular season, finished in a tie with the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFL's National Conference, defeated the Rams in a tiebreaker game, and defeated the Cleveland Browns, 17–7, in the 1952 NFL Championship Game at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
Daniel Douglas Jilek was an American football linebacker and defensive end. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines (1973–1975) and professional football for the Buffalo Bills (1976–1979).
Patrick Henry Gibbs is a former American football defensive back who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).