DON MAYNARD
Flanker
No. 13
Texas Western
THE GAME I'LL NEVER FORGET
"There's no question in my mind as to the game I'll never forget. It was the biggest game I've ever been in. It was the New York Jets against the Oakland Raiders in Shea Stadium for the American Football League Championship on a cold, windy day, December 29, 1968, before more than 62,000 win-starved New York fans.
Some of my teammates might pick the next game, our Super Bowl victory over the Baltimore Colts as their most memorable game. We went into that contest 17 to 20-point underdogs and came out the winners. But to me the game against Oakland was bigger. If we hadn't won that one there would have been no Super Bowl for us. To me there just wasn't as much pressure riding on the Baltimore game as there was with the Oakland game. The way I figured it just getting into that game we already had $7,500 won. That took a lot of the pressure off.
Everything was riding on the game with Oakland. They were the defending AFL champions. They had experience under their belts. They had already played in the pressure of championship games and the Super Bowl. That kind of experience is awfully important in championship games. It can keep you on an even keel when you get hit by a bad break or two.
For the Jets, this was our first championship game of any kind. For our first few years in the league we were a pretty weak team. Now, we were rebuilt, but we were still young in a lot of spots.
The Jet-Raider games were always pretty much of a knockdown and dragout affair. We always seemed to go at each other pretty good, and we weren't in the best of health. The last time we played the Raiders, back in the middle of November, I had a real big day, catching 10 for more than 225 yards, but they scored something like twice in the last nine seconds to beat us 43 to 32 after it looked like we had it wrapped up.
Joe Namath got hit late in that game by Ben Davidson, their big defensive end, and got a fractured jaw on the play. After that game one of the writers asked Joe about it and he told him, 'I must have done it eating breakfast this morning.'
So Joe was hurt, and George Sauer, our split end, missed the last three games with an injury and missed out on the reception leadership by a couple of catches. I missed the last three games with a pulled hamstring and lost the receiving yardage title by 15 yards, but when you're winning those things aren't that important.
We figured we could move the ball on them, but we knew we were going to have to play good defense to beat them because with Daryle Lamonica throwing to receivers like Fred Biletnikoff and Warren Wells, and with runners like Hewritt Dixon and Pete Banaszak, they could put a lot of points on the board in a hurry.
The wind is a fierce thing in Shea Stadium and we figured that at time it would be like a twelfth man on the field for us. We knew the wind, knew how tricky it could be, and there was no way the Raiders could know it the way we did.
It was at our back in the first quarter. The Raiders won the toss and elected to receive, giving us the wind. Our defense stopped them and Joe put us right to work.
I had a big day against their cornerback, George Atkinson, the first time against them. They were primarily a man-to-man team then with a lot of bump-and-run so Joe decided to work on him. We started with the quick outs and sideline passes. He threw four times in that opening drive and three of them were to me. On the last one I ran a sideline pattern in the end zone and Joe hit me for about 14 yards and a touchdown.
Our defense stopped them without a score and we moved the ball upfield to the Oakland 26 before we stalled out. From there, Jim Turner kicked a 33-yard field goal to make it 10-10 and it started to look easy. But after you've been in football a while you know that the good teams come clawing back just when they have to.
Oakland did. Now they had the wind and Lamonica drove them in. He hit Biletnikoff for 29 yards and a touchdown. Biletnikoff had a great day. He caught something like 10 passes for 190 yards against us. But we stopped him when we really had to.
It was our turn again. We worked the ball down the Oakland 29 and on fourth down Turner backed up and kicked a field goal into the swirling crosswind from 36 yards out. Blanda hit one for them just before the half from 26 yards away and we went into the locker room ahead 13 to 10.
We took the second-half kickoff but couldn't get a score and then Lamonica drove them deep into our territory. One of the keys to the game, I think, was when our defense stopped them on our two and made them settle for a tying field goal by Blanda from the nine-yard line.
That goal-line stand was a big tonic to the offense and Namath rolled us in for a score to take the lead again, hitting our tight end Pete Lammons for the touchdown from about 20 yards out.
It was comforting going into the fourth quarter when we had the wind at our back again with the touchdown lead, but Oakland narrowed the gap when they drove down inside our 15. But once again our defense held. They were magnificent all day. Lamonica ended up with 401 yards passing, but produced only one touchdown out of all that yardage. They were forced to settle for another field goal by Blanda.
Then things took a big turn. We were nursing the ball upfield, running with Matt Snell and Emerson Boozer, throwing the short, control passes, but I guess we went to the well once too often.
The call was a short out. I ran straight down about nine yards and made a sharp cut to the sideline, but this time Atkinson was ready. He stepped in front of me, picked off the pass on about our 37 and ran it back to the five before Joe knocked him out of bounds. One play later Pete Banaszak banged over for the touchdown.
There was a big letdown on our bench when we came off the field after that interception, but I knew we could come back. While we were waiting for the kickoff I went over to Joe and told him I thought I could beat Atkinson deep. He said, 'OK, as soon as we get back in.' One thing about Joe, he's got confidence. Nothing will ever shake it, either.
Earl Christy gave us a good return out to our 32 and on the first play, Joe hit George Sauer for a first down on the 42. We got back in the huddle and he looked at me as much to say, 'Now?' and I shook my head, 'Now!'
For most of the game, Atkinson was playing right up on the line bumping me at the snap of the ball. Now he was laying off about five yards figuring he'd give us a couple of short ones if he had to, but he didn't want to get beat deep.
At the snap I took off. I gave a fast feint to the sideline, but mostly I just tried to fly right past him. We were shoulder to shoulder, Atkinson and me and Joe let it fly.
When I looked up the ball was coming on target to my inside shoulder, but just as I started to make my move to catch it a sudden gust of wind hit it and blew it to the other side. Somehow I shifted my hands and my head reached for it and felt my hands close around it. I was concentrating so hard on that ball I could feel the pebbly grain under my fingers. I was knocked out of bounds on the Oakland four-yard line, but we were sure in good shape.
On the very next play, Joe ran a play action, looked for Lammons who was covered, looked for Sauer who was covered, looked for Mathis who was covered. I ran about a four-second delayed hook into the middle as the fourth receiver and before I knew it I saw the ball coming right into my belly. That proved to be the winning touchdown.
Our defense made three more great stands to keep the Raiders out of the end zone; Verlon Biggs making a tackle at our 26; Ralph Baker recovering a fumbled lateral at our 30, and stopping them in the closing minutes.
It wasn't the touchdown catch I remember so much. It was that first one for 50 yards to set it up. As far as I'm concerned, it was a million-dollar catch, and I know it was the greatest catch I've ever made. One writer called it 'the most memorable pass play in the history of the Jets.' That was good enough for me. You can't improve on that."
-Don Maynard, as told to Bob Billings, Football Digest, June 1973
MAYNARD SHATTERS A NAMATH MYTH
"It took Don Maynard just one hour to shatter some treasured illusions. You know the story about how, the night before the Super Bowl, Joe Namath with a bottle of booze and a roommate who was definitely assigned by Jet Coach Weeb Ewbank?
It so happens that Don Maynard and his wife occupied the room adjacent to Joe's that night. The Jets wide receiver remembers lying awake worrying about his pulled hamstring and whether it would keep him from playing against the Colts.
'And I could hear the projector running in Joe's room. Finally, at two o'clock in the morning, I knocked on his door and asked him to turn it off so I could get some sleep. He said, 'Come in here. I want to show you something.' He'd found the key to beating the Baltimore defense, a certain alignment that we could take advantage of.'
The next day, early in the first quarter, Namath checked off at the line of scrimmage and threw a bomb to Maynard. 'That was one of the most frustrating moments of my life,' says Maynard. 'I had both of those guys beaten so badly and the pass was just inches out of my reach.'
The next myth Maynard debunked is the one that pictures him as some sort of wild character.
'I don't know why anyone would think anything like that,' he insists. 'I don't smoke and I've never had a drink in my life. I've driven a few guys home, though. I wear cowboy boots but they're not even high heeled. I did jump into a pool in Oakland with my clothes on to win a bet once. Maybe that's where it got started.'
Maybe. But Maynard comes on as a family man type who for five years spent his off-seasons teaching history and mathematics in an El Paso high school. He doesn't even ski anymore.
'Not since that time four years ago at Lake Placid. The time I skied backward 300 yards. No, it definitely wasn't on purpose.'
One of the illusions that Maynard kept intact, however, was that he, like many of the players who starred in the old American Football League, would never get over their animosity toward the old NFL.
'I don't think that will ever completely disappear,' he says. 'Just this year in the Oakland game on national television when I broke Ray Berry's record for total receptions they didn't even stop the game to give me the ball. Weeb got it for me and I have it and that's what's important.'
Maynard is one of two Jets- Larry Grantham's the other- who go all the way back to the team's beginnings as the Titans. That was back in 1960- the year after Don had been cut- the kindest cut of all- by the Giants.
'I played one year with the Giants, 1958,' Maynard recalls, 'and I learned a lot sitting on the bench, watching Kyle Rote and Frank Gifford.' He says it without a trace of irony in his voice. 'Really, Kyle was playing hurt by then and it was interesting to watch him run his patterns at controlled speed. I learned something.'
The next year Allie Sherman came to be offensive coach, 'and I went.' Maynard emphasizes that he has never had any bitterness towards the players in the NFL. 'A lot of Giants were my friends. Sometimes we'd go to banquets or things together. They'd get five times what we'd get. Today I won't go anywhere where's going to be a Giant player. I just don't want to invite the comparisons.'
Last season was Maynard's 13th with the Jets, a number that holds for him great significance. It's the number he's worn on his back ever since his first year of varsity football as a senior in high school. 'I started wearing it because in my first game the guy who was wearing it broke his leg on the opening kickoff. Everybody was afraid to wear it after that so I said, 'Heck, I'm not superstitious, so I'll wear the thing.'
'Once at Texas El Paso a bunch of us exes went back to play a benefit game and there were two No. 13s on the same team. The other was that kid who later died playing with the Lions. Chuck Hughes. He was a great guy.
'The number never really meant anything to me but since I've been wearing it you'd be surprised at how many times the No. 13 turns up.'
But Maynard promised that his 13th season most definitely won't be his last. 'I'm 36 but I don't feel it. The last two years I"ve missed only one half of one workout. I'll go on playing football as long as it's still fun and right now it is. I'm like the ducks who go south for the winter. When summer comes I can hardly wait to go north to the training camp.'
Oops, there goes another illusion shattered."
-Robert Markus, The Chicago Tribune (September 1973 Football Digest)
"Don Maynard has had the last laugh. He has been written off, called eccentric, called a fumbler and criticized for his pass routes during his 14-year AFL-NFL career, but now he owns two of the most important records in pro football- receptions and yardage receiving.
On a chilly night in Oakland last December, Maynard hauled in seven passes to lift his career total to a whopping 632, one better than another Weeb Ewbank prodigy, Raymond Berry. When he caught that 21-yarder from Joe Namath in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, it put an end to a quest that began back in 1958. Don, a 35-year-old lanky Texan, had long since annexed the mark for total yardage (it now stands at 11,816), but the receptions were a bit slower in coming, particularly with Namath hurt for two of the past three seasons.
'I don't really look at it like I'm the greatest receiver,' Maynard says modestly in his Texas drawl. 'After you play awhile anybody can break certain records. Longevity is the key. The record I'm proudest of is being the first guy to ever get 10,000 yards in receptions. Others may do it, but I'm the first and only one guy can be the first. It's like the four-minute mile, the 18-foot pole vault or the first guy on the moon.'
Don is back to play again. Few men in the history of pro football have meant so much to their team or accomplished so much as Country Don has while with the Jets these past 13 years.
His entrance into pro football is legendary now. He was typecast as a misfit by the Giants in 1958 when he arrived fresh off the Texas Western campus. In 1958 his cowboy boots, long sideburns, and his giant belt buckle inscribed 'Shine,' were out of step. In fact, Maynard has always been ahead of his time.
After the Giants decided his talents were not for them, Maynard bided his time in Canada for a season and then came to the fledgling Titans of the AFL in 1960. The name has changed and the league is gone now, but Maynard has remained a constant in New York football.
'The secret? Attitude,' he says. 'You've got to want to pay the price, not just the physical but the mental price as well. I believe the whole thing is 10 percent ability and 90 percent attitude.'
Always a positive thinker, Maynard has carved himself a niche in the Hall of Fame when he retires. He might just be the first of the AFL players to be so honored, but right now he has no plans to retire. He met with head coach Weeb Ewbank after the 1972 season and decided he would come back again for another go. That's thinking positive.
His achievements on the field have never colored his actions away from football. Maynard is still the same unassuming fellow he was 15 years ago when he first found his way up from Texas. His work with youngsters constitutes the most important thing he can do, he says.
'After a game I'll try to sign autographs as long as there are kids around. What's 20 seconds to sign an autograph to make a boy happy? Here's he's paid for a ticket and you can make him happy. Or you can disappoint him for life. It's a part of the job,' Maynard says.
His philosophy of life is best summed up in the message he tries to leave behind on his numerous speaking engagements. 'I try to leave a serious thought with youngsters- never bring shame upon a family name. Dainard Paulson (formerly a Jets defensive back) once said that to me and I've tried to use it since. I always try to talk positive to kids, to make them see that things can always turn out for the best some way. I think that it's important for a guy to walk worthy in his profession and honor his obligations. Leaving a good image is something that's really important.'
Things have turned out all right for Maynard, and few have walked worthier in pro football. Yes, Don Maynard might be called eccentric- but there should be more people like him."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
"In 1972 Don established a new all-time NFL mark for most pass receptions in a career with 632. The former record of 631 had been held by Raymond Berry of the Colts."
-1973 Topps No. 175
ED BELL
Wide Receiver
No. 7
Idaho State
"Bell stepped into the starting spot on the left side following a brilliant preseason and training camp. He finished as the second leading receiver on the squad with 35 catches for 629 yards and two touchdowns.
Ed had a great day in Baltimore, sliding underneath their famed zone defense for seven catches for 197 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown grab. A month later he also haunted the Colts with a spectacular 83-yard touchdown catch with a minute remaining to win that one, 24-20. Ed sat out one game entirely after a freak pre-game collision with Buffalo's Linzy Cole at Shea Stadium.
Bell is the smallest Jet ever and co-holds the Jet record for receptions in a game (12) with Don Maynard and Art Powell. As a rookie he caught 12 against Baltimore. He was drafted ninth in 1970.
Ed majored in speech and audiology and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts during the off-season. His hometown is Waco, Texas."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
"Ed collaborated with Joe Namath on the AFC's longest reception of the 1972 season. It was an 80-yard scoring pass against the Colts on October 22.
Ed has amazing speed."
-1973 Topps No. 209
JEROME BARKUM
Wide Receiver
No. 83
Jackson State
"Barkum broke into the pros last year as a backup man on either side. He caught 16 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns over the season.
Jerome enjoyed his best day at Houston, grabbing six Joe Namath passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. He started one game for the injured Ed Bell against Buffalo at Shea and hauled in four for 67 yards and a touchdown. He caught a 52-yarder against Miami at Shea to help set up a Jet field goal.
Barkum should be ready to challenge for a starting spot this year. He has been tutored at both sides for versatility and has 4.6 speed and great size to ward off defenders. He was the No. 1 draft choice in 1972.
Barkum is the cousin of Lem Barney, Detroit Lions cornerback. His brother, Melvin, is a junior quarterback at Mississippi. His hometown is Gulfport, Mississippi."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
MARGENE ADKINS
Wide Receiver-Kickoff Returner
No. 26
Henderson County JC
"While in high school, Margene was All-District, All-City and All-Star in 1965. At Henderson County Junior College, he caught 24 passes for 504 yards and nine touchdowns. He played in the Junior Rose Bowl. In 1966 Margene snagged 47 passes for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns, all records.
In his rookie year in the C.F.L., 'Oleo' earned the respect of every defensive back in the country with his quickness and speed. These assets combined with excellent hands make him one of the finest receivers in the C.F.L."
-1968 O-Pee-Chee No. 15
"In 1972 Margene led the NFL in most yards returning kickoffs with 1,020. He ran back 43 boots for a 23.7-yard average, his longest runback going for 61 yards."
-1973 Topps No. 161
"Listed as a wide receiver, but caught only nine passes for 96 yards last year for the Saints. Adkins is employed mainly as kick returner. He ranked 11th in kickoff returns, lugging 43 for 1,020 yards, including a dash of 61 yards, and averaged 23.7 yards a return. He returned seven punts a total of two yards.
Margene played sparingly for two years with Dallas as a kick-return specialist and wide receiver after a three-year sojourn in Canada."
-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1973 Edition)
"Adkins came to the Jets from New Orleans along with Julian Fagan in a trade for Steve O'Neal and Bob Davis. He was an outstanding junior college player who went straight to the Canadian League instead of a major college. From 1967-69 Adkins caught 135 passes, 30 of them for touchdowns, and helped Ottawa win the Grey Cup in 1969.
Margene came into the NFL as the second pick of Dallas in 1970 and was used sparingly by the Cowboys for two years before being traded to the Saints last year. He was used primarily as a kickoff return man by New Orleans, hauling in 43 for a 23.7 yard average. He has 4.5 speed.
Adkins was an outstanding high school athlete at Kirkpatrick High in Fort Worth. He mainly played basketball and did not play football until his junior year. His hometown is Fort Worth, Texas."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
GARY HAMMOND
Wide Receiver
No. 17
SMU
"Hammond spent the entire 1972 campaign on the taxi squad after suffering cartilage damage to his left knee in a rookie game in July. He was operated on and underwent therapy throughout the season, and should be 100% this year. Hammond will be tried as a wide receiver primarily. He has great hands and speed.
Drafted third in 1972, Gary worked in public relations for a restaurant during the off-season. His hometown is Port Arthur, Texas."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
ROCKY TURNER
Wide Receiver-Safety
No. 29
Tennessee-Chattanooga
"A versatile performer who played at both wide receiver and safety in spots for the Jets last year, Turner will be tried primarily at wide receiver this year. He's an outstanding athlete. Rocky was active for eight games, spending the remainder on the taxi squad.
He can also help return kicks. Turner handled three kickoffs for a 19.0 average and five punts for a 7.6 norm. He was drafted 10th in 1972.
Turner's proper name is Harley. He majored in biology and his hobby is snakes. His hometown is Augusta, Georgia."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
MIKE HAGGARD
Wide Receiver
7th Round
South Carolina
"Drafted in the seventh round, Haggard had an outstanding career for the Gamecocks. He caught 70 passes for 1,047 yards and 11 touchdowns, the third best mark in South Carolina history. Mike had eight touchdowns as a senior, an all-time South Carolina record.
Haggard played in the America Bowl and also participated in track. His hometown is Shelby, North Carolina."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
DAVID KNIGHT
Wide Receiver
11th Round
William & Mary
"Drafted 11th, Knight has 'super great' hands according to scouting reports. He won All-East honors from the AP and was All-Southern Conference as both a junior and a senior. He caught 133 for 1,995 yards and nine touchdowns in his career and had six touchdowns as a sophomore. With 4.7 speed, David was selected to the Coaches All-America Game, where he was a star.
Born in Trieste, Italy, Knight's brother is a wide receiver at William & Mary. His hometown is Alexandria, Virginia."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
RICH CASTER
Tight End
No. 88
Jackson State
"With all the talk of zone defenses in recent years, here's the man you go to when you want to beat them. Example: In 1972 against the Baltimore Colts, who are supposed to have one of the best zones, Rich caught six passes for 204 yards. Two passes of 79 and 80 yards in the fourth quarter helped.
Caster is probably the fastest tight end in pro football, having run legit 4.5 clockings. He says he's faster than Oakland's Raymond Chester, his top competition for the distinction. Caster had 39 catches in 1972, and his ten touchdowns and 21.4 yards-per-catch led AFC receivers. No AFC player since 1969 had eaten up as much as 200 yards after catches in a single game.
'Caster is the guy who opened up our whole offense,' says Ken Meyer, a Jet assistant coach."
-Jim Benagh, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football, 1973 Edition
"Caster made the switch to tight end last year and did it so effectively that he was selected to the Pro Bowl and was selected to most All-AFC second teams behind Raymond Chester. He led the Jets in all receiving categories, the first tight end to do so, with 39 catches for 833 yards, 10 touchdowns and a 21.4 average. His yardage, average and touchdowns led the AFC.
Caster had his biggest day as a pro with six catches for 204 yards and three touchdowns at Baltimore as he hauled in touchdown passes of 80, 79 and 10 yards from Joe Namath. All three touchdowns came on first down plays. He was the only NFL receiver to go over 200 yards in a game and the first to do so since Don Maynard in 1969.
His placement at tight end helped the Jets break up double coverage on outside men as defenses had to concentrate on him. He can outrun most defensive backs one-to-one. Caster did a fine job blocking, which helped the Jets ground attack, but will continue to polish that aspect of his game.
He had been a wide receiver for two seasons. His 20.7 average per catch as a rookie was the best ever by a Jet first-year man, and his career average of 20.0 is also the best for a Jet. Caster won the Heede Award in 1971 as the most improved and dedicated offensive player. He was drafted No. 2 in 1970.
Caster likes to swim and play tennis. His hometown is Mobile, Alabama."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook
"Rich led AFC receivers in two categories in 1972. He had the most touchdown catches (10) and the most yards gained through the air (833)."
-1973 Topps No. 323
WAYNE STEWART
Tight End
No. 89
Calfornia
"Stewart was the backup tight end last year and served on the special teams. He caught a four-yard touchdown pass against the Dolphins in Miami, his first in the pros.
Wayne has had an injury-checkered career, suffering knee damage in 1970 and broken ribs in 1971. He has been mainly a special teamer when healthy. He was drafted 15th in 1969.
Stewart is in the National Guard. His hometown is Downey, California."
-The New York Jets Official 1973 Yearbook, edited by Frank Ramos
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