Trailblazers and Unsung Heroes: A License to Thrill All-Time Football Greats of Yesteryear

By Danny Jones

Trailblazers and Unsung Heroes: A License To Thrill- All-time Football Greats of Yesteryear, focuses on forgotten stars from the glorious past. Author Danny Jones has dedicated most of his life, over 50 years preserving the legacy and memories of all-time legendary players from the past. They were outstanding players who somehow flew under the radar and slipped through the cracks of immortality. Most of these stars had the talent and credentials to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame- but are not. Many of these guys were trailblazers, pioneers, and unsung heroes in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Seven out of 10 players in this book have waited over 40 years and still aren’t in Canton, Ohio. A few of them have passed away.

These unsung heroes defined an era with their brilliant performances. They were the biggest gate attractions in Pro Football. These legends of the fall have become distant memories. They were dedicated professionals who didn’t play for money. These mavericks of yesteryear played because they loved the game. This book takes a glimpse back at the most memorable moments and best seasons of their illustrious careers. All 10 of these guys had a license to thrill. Hopefully, it’s time for them to finally receive the recognition they deserve. I hope all of you get chosen to the Hall of Fame soon. That includes all 101 of the football legends I wrote about. Enjoy the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546255680

Danny Jones

Danny Jones is 68 years old (born in 1953) and lives with his wife, Tina in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Danny's love and passion for football began during the early60's- Pro Football's golden decade. 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 illustrious 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 hero and 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. The reason for these books is to give former NFL stars of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's the recognition they deserve so they can be chosen to the Hall of Fame where they should be. Danny has written 5 football books, including his new book, Trailblazers and Unsung Heroes (2018).His other books are Distant Memories, More Distant Memories, Lost Treasures from the Golden Era of America's Game, and Heroes of Yesteryear (2017). Danny has also written an e-book about the football career of superstar Gale Sayers (2021). Details on Danny's football books can be found on his website: www.starsofthenfl.com or http:www.prweb.com/releases/2015/12/prweb13135291htm

Book preview

© 2018 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.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/20/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5569-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5568-0 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

TO THE ONES WHO MATTER MOST

This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Tina, my beautiful dog, Holly, and my pretty cat Rambo. I love you more than anything in the world. I wouldn't last a day without you. You give me happiness and joy every day. You light up my life and always make me smile. I am truly blessed. Thank you so much. Tina is the best wife and sweetest person in the world. Rambo is the most lovable and prettiest cat ever and I just wanted to tell her that I love her more than anything. She knows that and I know she loves me too. Rambo stands alone in her beauty and elegance and believe me, she wrote the book on cuteness. Thanks for coming into our lives. This book is also dedicated to my brothers Scotty and Jeff and to my pretty sister Becky. I love them very much and no matter what's happening in our lives that will never change. I think about them every day. I would like to thank my good friend Homer Jones. He is always pulling for me and cares about my happiness. His support and kindness means the world to me. That's why Homer is my best friend and hero.

THANKS

I would like to thank the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio for the use of their facilities as I did my research. I wanted to recheck and confirm the information that I already had to make sure the data I had on my end was correct. I was able to gather some new information, which is always fun and helpful. I would like to thank my beautiful wife, Tina. She reviewed this book with me and found some corrections for me. She was very patient and understanding as she always is. Thank you so much Tina. I appreciated your help and assistance very much.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Danny Jones is 65 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. He played amateur and semi- pro football for over a decade in the 70's and 80's. Danny was a wide receiver and compiled some outstanding statistics during his illustrious 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 hero and 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, and pretty cat, Rambo. The reason for these books is to give the former NFL stars of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's the recognition they deserve so they can be chosen to the Hall of Fame where they should be.

Danny has written 5 books, including his new book, Trailblazers and Unsung Heroes: A License to Thrill- All-time Football Greats of Yesteryear (2018). His other books are Distant Memories: The NFL's Best Ever Players of the 60's and 70's and More Distant Memories: Pro Football's Best Ever Players of the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and Lost Treasures from the Golden Era of America's Game: Forgotten Heroes and Legends of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. The book, Heroes of Yesteryear: Pro Football's Dying Breed of Players from a Bygone Era was published in 2017.

Details on Danny's football books can be found on his website

www.starsofthenfl.com or http:www.prweb.com/releases/2015/

12/prweb13135291.htm

ABOUT THE BOOK

This book is about trailblazers, unsung heroes, and stars who had a license to thrill from a bygone era in Pro Football. Some of these players have been forgotten for over 40 years (7 of them). A few others, have been for over 25 years. Some of the best players in Pro Football history are in this book, and yet, they have been forgotten by the Hall of Fame. Why? Is it politics, favoritism, prejudice, or a buddy-buddy thing? Whatever it is, these legends aren’t in Canton, and the voting process isn’t working. Replace the Board of Selectors and change the culture and mindset. This voting process is similar to a government assembly line. Nothing gets done right. These guys have been ignored by the media and press and overlooked by the Seniors Committee of the Hall of Fame, whose job it is to make sure some of the senior players get in. Making the guys of yesteryear wait over 40 years is insulting and insensitive. Frank Clarke, Bobby Joe Conrad, Bowd Dowler, Elbert Dubenion, Cookie Gilchrist, Charley Hennigan, John Jefferson, Keith Lincoln, Greg Pruitt, and George Webster- all of these stars were caliber Hall of Fame players with credentials.

These legends were the biggest gate attractions in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I have chronicled the careers of ten players and have provided you a glimpse back at their most memorable moments and the best seasons of their careers. You have an up-close and in-depth look at their accomplishments, statistics, and the longest touchdowns of their illustrious careers. This book is dedicated to the ten trailblazers and unsung heroes in this book as well as the other 91 players I have written about. This is my 5th book and I have covered the careers of 101 stars. I have done my best to help. I hope these icons get chosen to the Hall of Fame very soon. I hope you die-hard fans like the book and enjoy your trip into the glorious past.

FOREWORD TO THE BOOK

TRAILBLAZERS AND UNSUNG HEROES:

A LICENSE TO THRILL

ALL-TIME FOOTBALL GREATS OF YESTERYEAR

Trailblazers and Unsung Heroes: A License to Thrill– All-time Football Greats of Yesteryear, is a book about 10 players who have been forgotten and should perhaps be in the Hall of Fame– but are not. These stars have the credentials but have been overlooked by the Hall of Fame and the Seniors Committee. These legends were really outstanding football players. Most of them have been forgotten for over 40 years. Something is just not right. Most of these guys played in the golden era of the 1960’s. Many of these players didn’t receive the recognition they deserved as other players on their teams did. That’s why they are unsung heroes. They did all the hard work and never complained and it paid off for their teams. All 10 of these guys definitely had a license to thrill and were the biggest gate attractions in Pro Football. If you fans like statistics, I have a lot of them in this book. Once you read this book about these 10 heroes of yesteryear, you will find out just how brilliant they really were.

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE BOOK

FOREWORD TO THE BOOK

FRANK CLARKE

BOBBY JOE CONRAD

BOYD DOWLER

ELBERT DUBENION

COOKIE GILCHRIST

CHARLEY HENNIGAN

JOHN JEFFERSON

KEITH LINCOLN

GREG PRUITT

GEORGE WEBSTER

FRANK CLARKE

Position: Wide Receiver

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 210 lbs.

1957-1959: Cleveland Browns

1960-1967: Dallas Cowboys

College: Colorado

In the 60's, Frank Clarke became one of the NFL's all-time great receivers after he was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys. He wasted the first 3 seasons of his prime sitting on the bench in Cleveland. Frank was a big, clutch, fast receiver who could catch the bomb or make the crucial 3rd down play. In 1956, Frank was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round. He was a back-up receiver on the Browns roster for 3 years from 1957-1959 and caught only 10 passes and didn't score any touchdowns. In 1960, the Dallas Cowboys, an expansion team, signed him. In his first season in Dallas, he caught only 9 passes for 290 yards, averaged 32.2 yards per catch and scored 3 touchdowns on plays of 75, 32, and 76 yards from quarterback Eddie LeBaron. From 1961-1965, his prime years, Frank Clarke established himself as one of the top receivers in the NFL. He caught 42 touchdowns during this era. In 1961 and 1962, Frank led the NFL in highest yards per catch. He had a 22.4 average in 1961 and a 22.2 average in 1962. His greatest season was in 1962. He caught 47 passes for 1,043 yards and a NFL-high 14 touchdown catches. His 18.6 yards per catch lifetime is tied for 18th in NFL history. From 1961-1965, Frank was one of the first star players and receivers for the Dallas Cowboys. Billy Howton was the other Cowboys great receiver and from 1960-1963, they formed one of the best receiver combinations in the NFL. In 1962, Frank had his best game of his illustrious career against the Washington Redskins. He caught 10 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns of 58, 11, and 55 yards. The 241 yards was a Cowboys single-game record that would last until 1966 when Bullet Bob Hayes broke it with 246 yards.

At 6'1" and 210 lbs, Frank Clarke blended 9.7 speed, quickness, size, strength, great moves, sure hands, and outstanding athletic ability. He had all the attributes and tools that an athletic receiver needs. Frank could run great routes and had a knack for catching long touchdown bombs and coming up with the crucial 3rd down plays. He was an all-around receiver who could catch anything he could touch. In his impeccable career, Frank caught 16 touchdowns of 40 or more yards on plays of: 80, 76, 75, 75, 66, 66, 58, 57, 55, 53, 53, 52, 45, 44, 42, and 40 yards. Including his 56-yard touchdown run, that's 17 touchdowns. This proves that Frank Clarke is a deep threat and should be in the Hall of Fame. Like so many of the star receivers from the 60's and