1975 Profile: Emerson Boozer

Halfback
No. 32
Maryland Eastern Shore
"Boozer added another laurel to an already illustrious career in 1974, joining the 5,000-yard club, only the 22nd player in pro football history to do so. He now has a career total of 5,084 yards and is the Jets all-time career rushing leader.
Runner-up to Namath as Jets MVP last year, Boozer was the captain of the offensive unit after sharing the honor in 1973. He played in 13 games, only missing the final one because of a sprained ankle, demonstrating once again that he is among the finest all-around runners and blockers in the game. He finished up as the 11th leading rusher in the AFC.
Emerson opened the year with a standout display of blocking at Kansas City, leading for John Riggins' 116-yard effort. His other strong performances came at Chicago (21-78-1), against Los Angeles (10-62-1) and at New England (25-90-1).
Against the Giants Boozer occupied a hero's role as he caught Joe Namath's five-yard pass in overtime to defeat the crosstown rivals, 26-20. In that game he ran 13 times for 58 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards plus the winning touchdown. Two weeks later, against Miami at Shea, he gained 41 yards which put him over the 5,000 yard level.
Drafted 6th in 1966, his 52 career rushing touchdowns give him the active NFL lead and tops the Jets. Emerson stands third on the all-time Jet scoring list with 378 points. He co-holds the Jet record for touchdowns in a game, with three, having done it five times.
Emerson has been dogged with minor injuries from time to time, but has an ability to bounce right back from them. His sophomore year (1967) saw him suffer a major injury when he tore ligaments in his knee in the eighth game of the year. He had already scored 13 touchdowns, only six shy of the AFL record. He recovered from surgery and a year later received praise for his work during the AFL Championship and the Super Bowl as he blocked the way for Matt Snell's running. Emerson has always been known for his superb blocking, and picks up the blitz as well as any running back. He was selected by his teammates as the Jets MVP after his finest yardage season (831) in 1973.
Emerson does an excellent job on speaking tours during the off-season. He has had a daily radio show in the past and has ambitions to enter the broadcasting field when his career is over; Emerson guest hosted the John Sterling sports talk show last spring.
He's extremely interested in youth-related projects. His hometown is Augusta, Georgia."

-The New York Jets Official 1975 Yearbook