Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 51

twnr LU to LU QC CREME DE 1 CREME IE Ot CREME NFL career leaders co cr 3 t- Gail Cogdill gained the most yards receiving in Lions history many of them on catches that amazed his teammates in 1960-68. "I always was sort of acrobatic," he says. 7 uetron uons Lions' greatest? Cogdill Gail Cogdill is a picture of contentment at home in Vancouver, with his rookie-year helmet and Lions memories. TOP ASSERS (yards) Kenton Marino Johnny Unitas Joe Montana 47,003 43,040 40,720 40,239 37,268 TOP PASSERS (rating) Joe Montana Steve Young Dan Marino Jim Kelly Roger Staubach 93.1 93.0 88.1 86.0 83.4 TOP PASSERS (TPs) Fran Tarkenton Dan Marino Johnny Unitas Sonny Jurgensen 342 298 290 255 TOP RECEIVERS (yards) James Lofton Steve Largent Charlie Joiner Art Monk Don Maynard 14,004 13,089 12,146 12,026 11,834 RECEIVERS (catches) J'Art Monk 888 Steve Largent 819 Names Lofton 764 Charlie Joiner 750 I Jerry Rice 708 TOP RECEIVERS (TPs) rJerry Rice 118 100 99 Steve Largent I DonHutson NFL season leaders With year and number PASSING YARDS Danlarino, Miami Dan-f outs, S.D. 1984 5,084 1981 4,802 1986 4,746 Miami TOUCHDOWN PASSES Danllarino, Miami 1984 48 Dan jtoino, Miami 1986 44 Geowe Blanda, Hou.

1961 36 Y.A. ittle, NY Giants 1963 36 RECEIVING YARDS C. Hinnigan, Hou. 1961 1,746 Lane Alworth, S.D. 1965 1,602 "Jerry Rice, S.F.

1986 1,570 RECEPTIONS Sterling Sharpe, G.B. 1993 112 Sterling Sharpe, G.B. 1992 108 Art ffonk, Wash. 1984 106 I TOUCHDOWN CATCHES Rice, S.F. 1987 22 Mark Clayton, Miami 1984 18 Don-Hutson, G.B.

1942 17 ElroyHirsch.LARams 1951 17 Bill Groman, Houston 1961 17 Jerry Rice, S.F. 1989 17 NFL top games PASSING YARDS 554: Norm Van Brocklin, Los Angeles vs. NY Yanks, Sept. 28, 1951 i TOUCHDOWN PASSES 7rSid Luckman, Chicago Bears vs. MY Giants, Nov.

14, 1943 B7MAdrian Burk, Philadelphia vs. Washington, Oct. 17, 1954 7: George Blanda, Houston vs. NY Titans, Nov. 19, 1961 7: Y.A.

Tittle, NY Giants vs. Washington, Oct. 28, 1962 7: Joe Kapp, Minnesota vs. Baltimore, Sept. 28, 1969 COMPLETIONS 42: Richard Todd, NY Jets vs.

San Francisco, Sept. 21, 1980 (60 attempts) RECEIVING YARDS 336: Willie Anderson, LA Rams vs. New Orleans, Nov. 26, 1989 (OT, 15 catches) RECEPTIONS 18: Tom Fears, Los Angeles vs. Green Bay, Dec.

3, 1950 (189 yards) TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS 5: Bob Shaw, Chicago Cardinals vs. Baltimore, Oct. 2, 1950 5: Kellen Winslow, San Diego vs. Oakland, Nov. 22, 1981 5: Jerry Rice, San Francisco vs.

Atlanta, Oct. 14, 1990 99-YARD PASSES Frank Filchock to Andy Farkas, I' Washington vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 15, 1939 George Izo to Bobby Mitchell, Washington vs. Cleveland, Sept.

15, 1963 1 Karl Sweetan to Pat Studstill, Detroit vs. Baltimore, Oct. 16, 1966 Sonny Jurgensen to Gerry Allen, Washington vs. Chicago, Sept. 15, 1968 Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch, LA Raiders vs.

Washington, Oct. 2, I 1983 Ron Jaworski to Mike Quick, I Philadelphia vs. Atlanta, Nov. 10, 1985 LONGEST PASS WITHOUT TP i lim Unri In DnhKw hAnrira Qfl yards, St. Louis vs.

Los Angeles, Dec. 10, 1972 I Quarterbacks in Pro Football Hall of Fame Sammy Baugh, George Blanda, '-Terry Bradshaw, Dutch Clark, Jimmy Conzelman, Len Dawson, Paddy Driscoll, Dan Fouts, Otto Graham, Bob Griese, Arnie Herber, mill i iai i ij uuuuj iyiwwiv, Sonny Jurgensen, Bobby Layne, Luckman, Joe Namath, Ace Parker, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield. LA CREME College career leaders For major colleges only TOP PASSERS (yards) Ty Detmer, BYU 15,031 Todd Santos, S. Diego St.

11,425 Alex Van Pelt, Pitt 10,913 Kevin Sweeney, Fresno St. 10,623 Doug Flutie, Boston College 10,579 TOP PASSERS (rating) Ty Detmer, BYU 162.7 Jim McMahon, BYU 156.9 Steve Young, BYU 149.8 Robbie Bosco, BYU 149.4 Chuck Lona, Iowa 147.8 TOP PASSERS (TPs) Ty Detmer, BYU 121 David Klingler, Hou. 91 Troy Kopp, Pacific 87 Jim McMahon, BYU 84 Joe Adams, Tenn. St. 81 TOP RECEIVERS (yards) Ryan Yarborough, Wyoming 4,357 Aaron Turner, Pacific 4,345 Terance Mathis, New Mexico 4,254 Marc Zeno, Tulane 3,725 Ron Sellers, Florida St.

3,598 TOP RECEIVERS (catches) Aaron Turner, Pacific 266 Terance Mathis, New Mexico 263 Mark Templeton, Long Beach 262 Howard Twilley, Tulsa 261 David Williams, Illinois 245 TOP RECEIVERS (TPs) Aaron Turner, Pacific 43 Ryan Yarborough, Wyoming 42 Clarkston Hines, Duke 38 Terance Mathis, New Mexico 36 Elmo Wright, Houston 34 College season leaders Passing yards: Ty Detmer, Brigham Young, 5,188 (1990). TP passes: David Klingler, Houston, 54 (1990). Receiving yards: Howard Twilley, Tulsa, 1,779 (1965). Catches: Manny Hazard, Houston, 142 (1989). TP catches: Manny Hazard, Houston, 22 (1989).

Most TP passes, same passer and receiver: 19 Elvis Grbac to Desmond Howard, Michigan, 1991; 19 Andre Ware to Manny Hazard, Houston, 1989. Most consecutive games catching a TD pass: 10 Desmond Howard, Michigan, 199. College top games Passing yards: 716 David Klingler, Houston vs. Arizona State, Dec. 2, 1990.

690 Matt Vogler, Texas Christian vs. Houston, Nov. 3, 1990. 631 Scott Mitchell, Utah vs. Air Force, Oct.

15, 1988. 622 Jeremy Leach, New Mexico vs. Utah, Nov. 11, 1989. 621 Dave Wilson, Illinois vs.

Ohio State, Nov. 8, 1980. TP passes: 11 David Klingler, Houston vs. Eastern 17, 1990. Passing Attempts: 79 Matt Vogler, Texas Christian vs.

Houston, Nov. 3, 1990. Completions: 48 David Klingler, Houston vs. Southern Methodist, Oct. 20, 1990.

Receiving yards: 349 Chuck Hughes, Texas-El Paso vs. North Texas, Sept. 18, 1965. Receptions: 22 Jay Miller, Brigham Young vs. New Mexico, Nov.

3, 1973. TP receptions: 6 Tim Delaney, San Diego State vs. New Mexico State, Nov. 15, 1969. Great combinations College passing combinations voted consensus All-America in same season: 1925-26: Benny Friedman to Bennie Oosterbaan, Michigan.

1932: Warren Heller to Joe Skladany, Pittsburgh. 1 934: Dixie Howell to Don Hutson, Alabama. 1949: Bob Williams to Leon Hart, Notre Dame. 1964: John Huarte to Jack Snow, Notre Dame. 1971: Pat Sullivan to Terry Beasley, Auburn.

1980: Mark Herrmann to Dave Young, Purdue. 1983: Steve Young to Gordon Hudson, Brigham Young. 1990: Ty Detmer to Chris Smith, Brigham Young. Heisman passers Passers who have won the Heisman Trophy, including triple-threat backs in the early years: 1935: Jay Berwanger, Chicago 1937: Clint Frank, Yale 1938: Davey O'Brien, TCU 1939: Nile Kinnick, Iowa 1940: Tom Harmon, Michigan 1941: Bruce Smith, Minnesota 1942: Frank Sinkwich, George 1943: Angelo Bertelli, N. Dame 1944: Les Horvath, Ohio State 1946: Glenn Davis, Army 1947: Johnny Lujack, N.

Dame 1948: Doak Walker, SMU 1950: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State 1951: Dick Kazmaier, Princeton 1956: Paul Hornung, Notre Dame 1962: Terry Baker, Oregon State 1963: Roger Staubach, Navy 1964: John Huarte, Notre Dame 1966: Steve Spurrier, Florida 1967: Gary Beban, UCLA 1970: Jim Plunkett, Stanford 1971: Pat Sullivan, Auburn 1984: Doug Flutie, Boston Coll. 1986: Vinny Testaverde, Miami 1989: Andre Ware, Houston 1990: Ty Detmer, Brigham Young 1992: Gino Torretta, Miami 1993: Charlie Ward, Florida State Heisman receivers Receivers who have won the Heisman Trophy: 1936: Larry Kelley, Yaie 1949: Leon Hart, Notre Dame 1972: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, 1987: Tim Brown, Notre Dame 1991: Desmond Howard, Mich. the sun-baked crust of the Stanford University practice field, the Lions stood in clusters, pausing in their work to watch one of then- own do his thing one more time. It was always that way when Gail Cogdill, the best pass catcher the Lions have ever had, came on the field to run and reach out for balls thrown in his direction. He was the only football player I've ever seen who caused teammates to interrupt then-own work to watch him do his.

Cogdill was incredible. He was born and raised in a dirt-floor home in the West, and grew into a high school football sensation who flashed the bounce of an acrobat and the sure, tender touch of a juggler. At Washington State, as evidence of his speed and agility, he won the Pacific Coast Conference hurdles championship. But he was more widely recognized for his unusual football abilities. Although his position was split end, he was a superb and willing blocker.

The Lions were preparing to face the 49ers on this hot fall day in 1962. Milt Plum, the quarterback, stepped back into his end zone and prepared to throw the ball as Cogdill raced along the left sideline. "Hey, I remember that play like it was yesterday," Cogdill, 57, said from his home in Vancouver, Wash. "How could I forget it?" Plum reached back, then heaved the ball far upfield, angling toward the sideline, where defensive back rjk athers at Cedar Point on I GJ probably paid little heed to I rr i i i GEORGE PliSCAS V. --aw 1 many of today's receivers do and scored more touchdowns.

But nobody else did it so spectacularly. And nobody among Lions pass catchers ever gained more yards. "Every team today seems to have at least one great receiver," Cogdill said. "They seem to be smaller men physically. It's hard to name a favorite, but I've always felt that Green Bay's guy (Sterling Sharpe) is as good as anybody anywhere." Following his retirement from football in 1968, Cogdill made a career in sales after spending five years mining gold in the West.

Married for a second time, he has six children. "Do you want to hear about my best catch?" he said. I thought many of us around the Lions had seen it. But apparently not. "When I was in college, we played a game at the University of Houston," Cogdill said.

"We had the ball on their 25-yard line, and the quarterback shot me a pass on a slant deep over the middle. "The ball was way out in front of me, so I made a long leap at it sort of flying flat-out through the air chasing it. I caught it on my fingertips. "And then, my momentum just flipped me right over in a complete midair somersault. I landed on my feet and just kept running straight into the end zone." It was another of Cogdill's one-of-a-kind catches.

"I could hear people screaming," Cogdill said. "They couldn't believe what they had seen. I almost couldn't believe it myself." Alas, it had happened before the development of television tape- "It was shown on the Movietone newsreels in a lot of theaters across the country," Cogdill said. "Maybe I ought to chase down a copy of it someday." Maybe Pro Football's Hall of Fame should do it for him. 3 Dame's 1913 game at Army.

4 I DON Dick LeBeau was racing side-by-side with Cogdill. The next few seconds froze the entire team in awe. As the ball reached the end of its flight, Cogdill still was several yards away. But, mimicking a swimming racer, he dived flat-out in a belly flop. The ball hit his hands as he slammed into the hard dirt.

The ball popped loose, Cogdill bounced forward a few yards and, still flat-out and flying a foot or so above the ground, reached up and the ball plopped into his hands again. He stood up, grinning, and awaited the applause of his teammates. LeBeau couldn't believe what he had seen. Nor could other teammates Joe Schmidt, Alex Karras, Night Train Lane, Wayne Walker. "Hey, do that again," LeBeau said.

Nobody doubted for a minute that, if need be, Gail Cogdill, a bright-eyed innocent in a crew that included remnants of the Lions' champions of the 1950s, could indeed do it again. At the end of the 1962 season, when they finished 11-3 and second behind Green Bay for the third straight year FROM THE PAST: Lake Erie the two young 1 1 inii tvm Bf? Knute Rockne scores Vv RYANSpecial to the Free Press in the Western Conference, Cogdill's teammates honored him as their most valuable player. "When I was drafted by the Lions," Cogdill said, "I knew nothing about them. And when I found out who these people were and what they had accomplished, I was scared and wondered how I could play among them." One thing Cogdill knew: He could catch a football better than anybody else, and he could do it in a way that brought new excitement to the game. "I always was sort of acrobatic," he said.

"Actually, that catch at Stanford wasn't the best I ever made. You want to hear about my favorite catch?" He was never a shy one, thankfully, because Cogdill gets little recognition among current Lions, perhaps because owner William Clay Ford is the only member of the organization who was with the team in Cogdill's time, 1960-68. Not only here, but all around the NFL of the 1960s Cogdill was recognized as one of the best pass catchers in NFL history. Others might have caught more passes OORAIS ROUE 1 Mf on a TD pass from Gus Dorais in Notre uieguarus paying caiui wiui a luuiuau )) the summer of 1913. Certainly, as lifeguards go, their size was less than attention-getting.

The lad who threw the plump ball in such a smooth spiral, Gus Dorais, stood only 5-feet-7, 145 pounds. And the kid who galloped through the sand to gather in these tosses was 5-8, 165. Still, Knute Rockne had been a starting end on two unbeaten teams at Notre Dame. When summer ended, the senior season with new coach Jesse Harper. Together, they launched a revolution in college football.

Gus Dorais recalled, Army's "guards and tackles were tumbling into us to stop line bucks and plunges. Instead, Dorais stepped neatly back and flipped the ball to an uncovered end or halfback. "The press and the football public hailed this new game, and Notre Dame received credit as the originator of a style of play that we simply systematized." Five years later, Rockne replaced Harper and created a legend as a coach. (Sy Jack Saylor 1913, at West Point Rockne and Dorais talked Harper into using their new talents. The Irish came out passing, shocking the Cadets in the first game between the teams.

Dorais, who later coached the Lions and the University of Detroit, completed 14 of 17 passes for 243 yards in a 35-13 victory. No one had ever thrown like that before. Rockne made a 40-yard reception, the longest completion to that day. On Notre Dame's first possession, Rockne Receivers in Pro Football Hall of Fame I Lance Alworth, Red Badgro, Raymond Berry, Fred Biletnikoff, Guy Chamberlin, Mike Ditka, Tom Fears, Ray Flaherty, Len Ford, Frank I Gifford, George Halas, Bill Hewitt, Elroy Hirsch, Don Hutson, Dante Lavelli, John Mackey, Don Maynard, Wayne Millner, Bobby Mitchell, i Lenny Moore, Pete Pihos, Jackie Smith, Charley Taylor, Paul Warfield. The forward pass had been legalized in 1906, but it was attempted sparingly in the next few years.

A regulation ball was adopted in 1912 22V2-23 inches around the middle, compared to 20-21Vi today and Dorais and Rockne practiced with it the next year in Ohio. Before Notre Dame played Army Nov. 1,.