1967 Jets Halfback Profiles

EMERSON BOOZER
Halfback
No. 32
Maryland State
"As the 1966 season unfolded, Emerson Boozer began to emerge as the exciting breakaway runner the Jets have been seeking for years. By year's end, he was running at full gallop. He finished tenth in the league in rushing with 455 yards gained on 97 carries for a 4.7 average and five touchdowns. The 5-11, 207-pound halfback also had the club's three longest runs of the campaign, clicking off gains of 54, 46 and 39 yards.
He was the Jets' sixth-round draft choice after the 1965 season and played college ball at Maryland State."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967


BILL MATHIS
Halfback
No. 31
Clemson
"In 1966, Bill split the halfback duties with Emerson Boozer. The good running back is one of the three remaining players from the 1960 team."

-1967 Topps No. 96


ABNER  HAYNES
Halfback
No. 28
North Texas
"One of the greatest backs ever produced at North Texas State, a school which has gained considerable renown for producing topflight professionals, Abner Haynes was the Missouri Valley Conference's 'Back of the Year' in both 1958 and 1959.
A quick, elusive running back with 1,890 yards on 347 carries, Haynes excelled also as a receiver with 46 receptions for 579 yards, and as a defender. He scored a total of 158 points during his three seasons at North Texas."

-1960 Fleer No. 73

"Mr. Big of the AFL in 1960: Abner Haynes, a 23-year-old all-duty durable halfback who learned it all at tiny North Texas State. Ab gained more yards than all other league backs, finishing No. 1 in rushing with 875 yards and taking the leadership in punts returned, gaining 215 yards with 14. He was also fifth in pass receptions, going 576 yards with 55, and No. 8 in bringing back kickoffs, earning 434 yards with 19- all of these jobs leading to his selection as player of the year."

-1961 Pro Football Handbook

"This small but durable performer was named Player of the Year in the inaugural AFL season. Abner led the league in rushing with 875 yards on 156 carries and in punt returns with 14 for 215 yards. He caught 55 passes for 576 yards, scored 12 touchdowns for 72 points and returned 19 kickoffs for 434 yards.
A workhorse of the first order, Abner carried the ball 27 times in one game last year."

-1961 Fleer No. 203

"Snaked-hipped Ab, a 'one-man gang,' was the AFL Player of the Year in 1960. He led the league in rushing (5.6-yard average) and punt runbacks. Abner caught 55 passes."

-1961 Topps No. 133

"Slick as a sleet-coated highway is Abner Haynes, particularly when he's in full flight on a sweep. First among ball-carriers in 1960, he was No. 3 in '61 with 841 yards on 179 carries. His nine touchdowns by land tied for the top AFL mark and his five in one game (vs. Oakland) is a one-game standard. The 25-year-old Dallas dynamiter added another three tallies as a receiver and gained 558 yards with 34 receptions."

-Don Schiffer, 1962 Pro Football Handbook

"The American Football League's Player of the Year in 1960, Ab missed three games in 1961 due to injuries, but still accumulated enough yardage to finish third in the league's rushing race. Fleet, shifty Haynes sprinted 841 yards on 179 carries for an average of 4.7. He ranked sixth in punt returns, hauling in 19 and running them back at the pace of 10.3 yards per return.
In 1961, Haynes was also sixth in scoring. He ran for nine touchdowns, caught three touchdown passes and finished with 78 points."

-1962 Fleer No. 25

"The man with the most moves with or without the ball is Abner Haynes, 25, the deer-swift smoothie who set the circuit mark of 19 touchdowns in 1962 while operating as a halfback and a flanker man. He was No. 2 in rushing, going 1,049 yards in 221 attempts; he also kept busy as a returner of punts and kickoffs.
Haynes is considered the most exciting runner around and has been an All-AFL choice for three years. He now lives in Dallas."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1963

'Abner is undoubtedly the outstanding star bred within the AFL. He was the most valuable player in its first year and has continued to be a unanimous all-league selection.
Abner runs with a deceptively long stride that effectively sheds tacklers. Last season he paced the AFL with 19 touchdowns and finished second in rushing with 1,049 yards on 221 carries. He also grabbed 39 passes when the Texans put him out on the flank."

-1963 Fleer No. 48

"What made Abner Haynes stop rushing after he gained 1,049 yards in rushing and paced AFL scorers in 1962? The sudden slump of the 26-year-old flash was totally unexpected and his '63 credentials were the lowest in a four-year career that has earned him All-AFL plaudits three times. Reduced to second-string flanker status after he couldn't shape up in his early games, he carried only 99 times for 352 yards and took 33 passes for 470 yards, far below his combined rushing-passing statistics of 1,622 in 1961."

-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964

"The first great player in the AFL, Abner Haynes hopes to bounce back to top form after a mediocre 1963 season. His rushing yardage dropped to 352 on only 99 carries. In 1962, he gained 1,049 yards- runnerup to league leader Cookie Gilchrist.
He's also a top pass catcher, grabbing 33 last season for 470 yards. Counting kickoff and punt returns, Haynes has been responsible for 6,932 yards in four years. A college hero at North Texas State, he holds the AFL record with 19 touchdowns in one season."

-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964

"Abner was the first big-name star produced by the American Football League. The shifty running back takes great pleasure in teasing his would-be tackler and breaking into the clear for a big gain.
A top runner and pass receiver, Ab had his best year in 1962. During that season he scored 114 points as he picked up 1,049 yards rushing. In '61, he scored five touchdowns in one game!"

-1964 Topps No. 98

"A return to near-perennial form by Abner Haynes couldn't have been better timed. His acquisition by  Denver gives the running game added legs.
After a record-shattering season in 1962, when he scored 19 touchdowns and gained 1,622 yards by rushing and pass-catching, he tailed off suddenly and drastically in '63; he picked up only 352 yards. But with the Chiefs last season, he finished fifth in the league in the league in rushing with 713 yards on 137 carries.
He's still one of the most breathtaking runners in the AFL."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1965

"Obtained from the Kansas City Chiefs for Jim Fraser, Abner is one of the greatest stars in the AFL. He holds the all-time AFL rushing record of 3,830 yards for five seasons. He is the fourth highest scorer in AFL history and tops all players in the league in touchdowns. Abner was the AFL Player of the Year in 1960.
A perfect halfback, Abner is swift, shifty and a brilliant runner."

-1965 Topps No. 53

"One of the pioneer players in the AFL, Abner is a perfect halfback. He is fast, elusive and has good balance. He tops all players in the AFL in runs scored.
Abner was the top kickoff return specialist last year. He averaged 26.5 yards in 34 attempts."

-1966 Topps No. 35

"At 30, Abner Haynes may not be the same whirlwind he was when he became the AFL's first Player of the Year in 1960, but he still was good enough last season to pace the Broncos in total offense. He gained 304 yards rushing and picked up another 480 on the receiving end of passes for an aggregate of 784 yards.
He's a shifty, unpredictable runner and a sure-fingered pass catcher. Abner now ranks third on the all-time list of AFL rushers with 4.284 yards; he's scored more touchdowns on the ground than anyone else in the league- 44.
Before coming to Miami in 1967, he played for Dallas and Denver. In 1962 he  gained 1,049 yards rushing and 573 receiving, along with a combined total of 19 touchdowns."

-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967

"Swift and extremely shifty, Abner is the third leading ground-gainer in American Football League history. He was the player of the year in 1960, his rookie season."

-1967 Topps No. 35