Corvallis Gazette-Times from Corvallis, Oregon • 18

13 Gattte-Tiirs, Corvalti, Thursday. 0cmbw 25, 1980 Warfield says Jefferson best receiver in football backs have their best crack, "With some receivers, after a while, you realize you can call the plays but they won't necessarily do It," said Joe Gibbs. who played for Coryell at San Diego State and has been an offensive coordinator in college, with the St. Louis Cardinals and here, "With J.J,, this guy Wants to catch the ball." A native of Oak Cliff, a black section oi Dallas, Jefferson says he knew "in the first couple of games as sophomore that I was given more ability than some other guys." He says he wuld have found a way to an education and a job even if he had not been blessed pith ability, but his career came looking for him. At Roosevelt High in Dallas, he was known as John he dons his racquetball goggles (he caught a finger in his eye in 1978) Jefferson becomes a high-octane weapon.

People wanted to call him "The Jefferson Ahplane" the first time they saw him soar horizontally and make a one-hand grab before executing a three-point landing in the end zone. He said he would prefer and so it is, J. is a contradiction -quiet off the field, deferring to his extraverted wife, DeWanda, bis sweetheart from a rival high school in Dallas. Like good offensive coach, she claims to have orchestrated proposal of marriage: He; (sitting on couch) "Do youwant to get married?" SheJNo, no, that's not the way to do it You have to get down on your knees, like they do it in the movies." He: (jumps off couch, paces room, drops to knees) "Will you marry me?" She: (hugging Mm) "6f course, of course." Praise Is starting to accumulate from all directions for John Jefferson, the 24-year old receiver of the San Diego Chargers, a football team that has more in common with fwt-break basketball offense than with traditional ground-control football. In honor of Don Coryell, the Chargers' coach, the team is sometimes called "Air Coryell." Jefferson is one of three flagships in the record-breaking fleet.

This year Dan Fouts has completed ever 1,000 yards of passes to each of three receivers the first time in history this has happened. On almost any play Fouts can choose from among Charlie Joiner, a wise old pro; Kellen Winslow, a second-year man from Missouri who is one of the fastest and tallest tight ends yet invented; and Jefferson, who is neither overly fast nor overly big, but who catches everything. "John Jefferson is the best By George Vecsey Of Tie New York Timet SAN DIEGO John Jefferson did not pay attention to the slender stranger who stood unobtrusively at the edge of a pack of sportswriters. Jefferson operates well in a crowd, which is why ha catches footballs that other receivers could not, or would net, attempt to reach. He handled this crowd, too, and when the last question had been answered, the slender man was still standing there.

"John, I'm Paul Warfield," said the man who caught 427 passes in his own career. "I want to thank you for sending your picture to rny son. He really appreciated it I also want to say, you're a super receiver. I love to watch you play." Jefferson, who knows what Warfield contributed to the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins of the past generation, said softly: "Thank you. I remember No.

41 Thank you." receiver in pro football right now," Warfield said the other day after scouting the Chargers for his employer, the Browns. "He is a (earless competitor who makes catchts everywhere the middle, Ihe outside, deep. Whatever he catches, he's a threat to go all the way. To me, that is the mark of a great receiver. A lot of people can catch the ball, but he will go anywhere to get it." Warfield was also impressed that his son, 7 years old, had written a fan letter to Jefferson and had received an autographed picture.

Jefferson is the first player in the history of the National Football League to break 1,000 yards in each of his first three soasons. The three San Diego receivers acknowledge that their skills enhance one another; there are plenty of passes to go round. And few football teams have, ever had three receivers like Jefferson, Winslow and Joiner, "Charlie is the old master, a class guy, he can make great short cuts," says Joe Gibbs, the offensive coordinator. "Winslow is extremely intelligent be can play tight end, flanker or even running back. And J.J.

will go anywhere to catch the ball," All three receivers are adored in San Diego a.k.a. the Garden of Eden, a region whose clear sun, tow humidity and gentle harbors make people want to fish or jog or sail rather than let other people get their kicks for them. But as Air Coryell roared into the playoffs last year (the first time for the Chargers since 1965) San Diego residents decided that even sitting and watching a game could be fun. The most fun to watch is John Jefferson. Even more than Winslow and Joiner.

He seems smaller than the statistics listed on the program 6 feet 1 inch tall and 198 pounds. He seems intelligently taciturn, but when reception" over his head at Oakland this year. Jefferson says he does not practice, or think about, brilliant moves. In fact, he and Winslow are both, known as hard workers who run their routes carefully, and listen to Joiner. "When I got up here, I thought maybe Charlie would be threatened by my being a' top draft choice," Jefferson recalls.

"But that's not the kind of man Charlie is. Right away, he told how to roll off my feet when making a cut, not to plant my foot and make a square turn, like they taught you In college." Joiner has been playing pro ball since 1969. long enough to teach him to scrunch up his expressive face and come on like the man. "He's the best receiver I have ever seen in going to the ball," Joiner says. "J.J, doesn't wait for the ball to come to him.

He goes and gets it. He's not as fast, as quick, as some other guys, but he'll fight every play." Courage is part of the flight plan. Even before New England's Dsn-yl Stingley suffered permanent paralysis when struck by Oakland's Jack Ti turn in 1978, receivers knew it was dangerous to extend themselves to catch passes over the middle where linebackers and defensive Since then, J.J. Improvises only in goggles and uniform. He shocked DeWartda and his teammates in his rookie year when, introduced in the starting offensive lineup, he pranced onto the field shaking his fists and giving the "We're No.

1" sign. By now Charger fans expect J.J. to come up with some new twist each time the offense is introduced running backwards, waving, perhaps cartwheels In. the future. When the game starts, J.J.

is no cheerUiJ.T. He is a dangerous member of the offense smart, tough and durable. By now, Jefferson has made so many acrobatic catches that the journalists who cover him rate his best plays the way some people rate great movies or great restaurants. Steve Bisheff of The San Diego Tribune recently listed J.J.'i five best catches: No. 1 A one-handed stab of a line drive for 1980 touchdown against Cincinnati.

No. 2: A one-handed palm-up catch of a lob against Oakland early this season. No. 3: A diving two-harttai "finger-tip special" that Ice the game against Kansas City last year. No.

4 A catch on his back in the end zone against Kansas City in 1978. No. 5: A "Willie Mays-type SPrinohill Donfaro Center Coll for Emergency Repair -Turing holiday 2381 Hickory NW Albany QO AQOO Mat SprtnghiU Mark CO'QO IJm 150 SW Monro 753 2233 Washington, his stepfather's name, but In his senior year he reverted to his father's name of Jefferson. The college scouts found him. Dick Vermeil, now with the Philadelphia Eagla, urged him to attend UCLA but Jefferson didn't wan.

to play in a veer offense. Jefferson did not want to play college ball In his home state became "everybody plays tht wishbone like Texas and Oklanuma, and they don't past enough." Instead, he chose Frank Kush and Arizona State, a coach and a program now under a cloud because of dubious coaching, academic and financial matters. Jefferson says, "Other people Just respected Kush, but 1 liked the man. He was good to me. Maybe some people re lazy and have to be pushed, but I got along with him." Chof.en 14th on the first round the 1978 college draft by Tommy Prothro, then the Chargers' coach, Jefferson became a starter immediately Coryell, who had Iwn dropped by St.

Louis a year before, was living here when Prothro lost three of his first foyr. games in 1978 and was dlsrf 1 sed. Coryell'i appointment has meant a new era in football aviation, helped by offense-oriented rule changes in the last year. (Sometimes Coryell disregards the rules. His team was penalized for making two shifts within the 25-yard line last week and Coryell aw-shucksed it this way; "Frankly, we make so many shifts we just ignore the rule.

It's a dumb rule As explained by Gibbs, the three receivers operate with nine basic plays, strung along a "tree" of patterns. Fo the Intelligent quarterbi with a (hick black beard that makes him resemble Bluto, Popeye enemy, has become the first pro quarterback to gain 4,000 yards in two straight He Is maturing in his ability to find which of his three receivers is not being given double coverage, although sometimes that doesn't stop Jefferson, either. A week ago against Seattle, Jefferson raced past a corner-back, faked a safety man Into the bay, and caught a touchdown pass five yards from the nearest defender. Hauling In his record number of passes, Jefferson has become a hero in San Diego, where he has bought home, appears on his talk show twice a week and is studying for a license to sell real-estate. Carson wins COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo.

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