Bobby's stats don't tell the true measure of what a great athlete he was. 9 years old? To bring the best out of Douglass, Dooley stayed with him for two nights before a 1971 game at Douglass apartment in Old Town. Since his retirement he's remained a popular figure in the Chicago area, running football camps for kids during the summer. Like Flacco, he stands 6'6" and fills his frame out completely. Some thought he would have made a better running back or tight end. 0. Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Former NFL quarterback and coach John Hadl, who worked with both Douglass and John Elway, told Douglass he had the better arm. Unfortunately for Chicago and despite Douglass running efforts, they ran off a string of five straight losses at this point, which effectively ended any hope that they might have had for contention in the NFC Central. Step behind your front foot with your back foot so that your legs cross over. Hed yell at them, You cant tackle me, you SOB, Stone said. His nightlife did not infringe on his game preparation, he said. Then there were the receivers. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He became one of the first National Football League (NFL) African American quarterbacks in the modern era, playing for the Chicago Bears in 1953.Willie Thrower. Gordon complained about Douglass miles per hour, but Farmer said, You can catch the ball no matter what velocity.. Bobby Douglass was born in Manhattan, KS. He was a fast, powerful, elusive runner who in 1972 rushed for 968 yards, thenan NFL record for quarterbacks. And powerful. Or write about sports? In 2007, Douglass was diagnosed with stage four squamous cell cancer. In 1972, he set a record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season with 968. [email protected]. Where can I find episodes of Tom and Jerry? That was not that hard for me, he said. Let's not go into that here. Douglass retired after the 1978 season, after playing 10 seasons in the NFL. Several years ago I wrote a piece about Tim Tebow and Bobby Douglass. Another receiver who was a teammate for several years had to be told before every play how many yards to run and when to cut. It was one of those things. On that run, Douglass bootlegged around left end and showed off his speed. Everybody was in awe because he had a phone in his car. Who is the Chicago Bears all-time leading receiver? The best-known of those was Allie Sherman, who later became coach of the New York Giants in the early 1960's. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Aaron Rodgers has the longest throw in a game situation that I could locate in the last ten years. That set a record for rushing by a quarterback in a single season which stood for 34 years until Michael Vick broke it in 2006 -- by 71 yards, and Vick had two more games in a 16-game season. Kosar suffered a broken leg on the play but it was legal because it fell within the field of play. Kusnyer took off, and Douglass didnt understand. How many black quarterbacks have the Bears had? Douglass only threw the ball five times against the tough Minnesota defense, but thanks to running back Jim Harrisons 103 ground yards, the Bears managed to pull out a 13-10 upset victory. Wikipedia. The record stood for 34 years. He spent his last season as a backup in Green Bay. He always played hard and tough. Chicago finally notched its first win of the 1972 season the following week, and they did it in grand fashion. After Douglass was at Iowa for about three months, La Russa was promoted to the majors, and the new manager, Joe Sparks, wasnt pitching Douglass. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, there's no debating that. But I loved football.. The only black QB to win a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP had a less than spectacular career before it. He was a tough quarterback, tough to bring down. If it were allowed to continue, it would have been a touchdown. They X-rayed it that night right after the game and found out it was broken.. After his professional football career was over, Douglass briefly played minor league baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization. His cancer took some salivary glands and left his voice permanently raspy. How far could Douglass throw it? Douglass was raised in El Dorado, Kansas, where his father was a football coach[1] and attended the University of Kansas. The record stood for 34 years until Michael Vick broke it by 71 yards. When I look at the gloves that wide receivers use today, I think it might be worth another look at Douglass. "I know I can throw it 75 yards," Doug Flutie said. Baseball was Douglass' best sport when he was a kid in El Dorado, Kan. His fastballs made a sound when they hit catchers' mitts - a crisp,. There was something to work with there.. No one could hit him because he couldn't throw strikes in baseball as in the NFL, not hitting his target. To perfect your release, hold a ball by the seams and slowly open your hand until the ball comes away from your body. He was almost like a fullback breaking tackles. The average length of a football field is 40 yards, including sidelines and end zones. They became friendly with the owner, Rich Melman, a young entrepreneur who was looking to open more restaurants. (College Stats), Weighted Career AV (100-95-): 37 (2874th overall since 1960). It didn't work last year and based on the preseason results so far in 2010, may not this year, either. No quarterback throughout the entire decade of the 1970s experienced more success in running with the football than Bobby Douglass did in 1972. He played aggressively, he was a scrambler and was not likely to hang around the pocket much and take a sack. The Sox assigned the 32-year-old Douglass to the Class AAA Iowa Oaks, where he wore a Bill Veeck-inspired softball style uniform, answered to manager Tony La Russa, and shared a dugout with Harold Baines, Britt Burns, LaMarr Hoyt, and Steve Trout. The Bears finished in last place in the NFC Central Division in 1972 with a 4-9-1 record, but the blame could not be attributed to Douglass, at least as far as his running abilities were concerned. Roughly a decade later, he and his wife divorced, and his real estate income dried up. They actually considered changing their helmet color to orange, so Douglass could better spot his receivers. If you look at this page on NFL Next Gen Stats it has the stat of time to throw, among other things. Douglass brought a physical bearing to the quarterback position. Most of Douglass runs were scrambles, though after Abe Gibron replaced Dooley, he incorporated a few option plays in the playbook. . When Kusnyer returned, he explained. Douglass ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were meandering runs through the heart of the Eagles defense. Jamarcus Russell. David Roark is a passionate and knowledgeable individual when it comes to sports. None of his struggles were because he lacked ability. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. His passing plays and their results always took a back seat to his running efforts. Too strong, said most of his receivers; they kept complaining they'd get open and he'd overthrow them anyway. The average person should be able to throw a 30-yard disc. And what few wins the Bears did get during his tenure, it was because of him alone, onlywe're told football is a team sport, just not when it comes to Bobby Douglass with his less than average statistics. Mannelly retired on June 20, 2014 after a 16-year career. He also threw it harder than almost anyone, between 96 and 98 miles per hour, according to Kusnyer. After two seasons in New Orleans, Douglass signed with the Raiders but was cut at the end of the preseason. The weight of the ball is around 5 1/8 ounces (0.32 pounds). The Bears were trounced by the visiting Atlanta Falcons, 37-21, but Douglass made his presence felt with 68 rushing yards on nine carries (a 7.6-yard average). He had that football mentality, said Art Cave Kusnyer, Douglass catcher at Iowa. They should come out here and try coaching in a game like this.. Carter said Douglass had a great arm, but added, The history of quarterback is trying to find the guy with the big arm, big size, and making the right decisions. A ball was overthrown, or underthrown, I cant remember, Farmer said. But the truly remarkablepart of the story is that he did it with a brokenwrist on his throwing arm. Is Bobby Douglass in the Hall of Fame? how does odysseus deal with the suitors Search. The cause was primarily because the hash marks were moved closer to the middle of the field, which gave running backs more room with which to find holes and escape defenders. Douglass did even better against a supposedly tougher defense the following week, as he ran for 82 yards on seven carries (an 11.7-yard average per rush) against the Los Angeles Rams. He threw two TD passes in the second quarter, one each to wide receivers Dick Gordon and Jim Seymour. Douglass retired after the 1978 season, after playing 10 seasons in the NFL. A good Bear fan of the era was accomplished at grunts and groans when one opportunity after another seemed to fall by the wayside. In the second quarter, Green I could throw about 40-45yds. Almost everyone who knew Douglass liked him. We had a short crossing route by a halfback, Fouts said. In the pop-up's text box that says Enter code, do so as it appears above. Throwing the ball farther than 20 yards away from you requires accurate shooting and control of the ball's trajectory. Freeman is another young quarterback who can throw laser passes. Not long into his Bears career, media and fans started calling for a position change. Chicagos offense compiled 214 total rushing yards in the game. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. But Douglass was one too. Douglass thought he could have played as a backup quarterback for another six years, but he couldnt pass a physical because his knee was wrecked. I wish we had been able to run the pistol (offense).. Douglas became the first Black athlete to enter the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987. lakewood board of education address; hyde park skatepark london; obituaries humphrey, nebraska Menu Toggle. Well, the Bears had that quarterback from 1969 until 1975, and at times it seemed there was nothing Bobby Douglass couldnt do. With fullback John Riggins, Douglass led the Jayhawks to their first Big Eight title in 20 years, and the quarterback was voted All-American. However, there are some who throw much further than this. Douglass and other members of the team were regulars at R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Word got around to the South Side that he threw pretty well. It lasted about 10 seconds. I had to go through chemotherapy and radiation for the cancer and I ended up losing 50 pounds," he said. The distance grows as the years pass. Offensive sets weren't drawn up for lefthanded quarterbacks and the Bears, who were changing coaches in 1969, didn't really have anything for Douglass, who didn't play until the season's sixth game and whose only win that year wound up costing the Bears. On the downside, its been said that Douglass was not a quick study of the Bears playbook and he did throw interceptionsperhaps more than would have been expected by a running quarterback. The Bears traded the #2 pick to the Packers for three guys who had zero impact. For the thrown ball, the change in velocity is 93.5 mph (137 feet/second), and the time is about 0.10 seconds. But I could have done that.. The Bears havent had many celebrity quarterbacks in their history. He isnt remembered as a pitcher, a tight end, or a Chicago celebrity. It does have its advantages. Theres no question in my mind I could have had a better career playing baseball, he said. But there are degrees. He is one of 49 members on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors board and one of nine members on the Seniors Committee. He threw four TD passes after the injury. A flying throw of about 99 Yards. He isnt even remembered as a quarterback. Kansas Paris By all accounts, Michigan early enrollee freshman Joe Milton has a big arm. I haven't tested it lately." He used to test it at BC's Alumni Stadium. He was not confronted by any potential tacklers until he reached the Cleveland 15-yard line. Tebow is 6-3, 235 lbs. In fact, he said when he went to the Chargers and Saints, he had to sign waivers that protected the teams from lawsuits. I just enjoyed playing so much. Although Douglass was the only quarterback who handed off to both Gale Sayers and Walter Payton, he didnt benefit much from either because it was too late for Sayers and too soon for Payton. Douglass was a two-time All-Big Eight Conference (196768) selection and an All-American in 1968. Bobby Douglass could have been a quarterback like Lamar Jackson. Dedicated to reporting mainstream and esoteric aspects of professional football. But he certainly was pretty popular.. I could throw it hard, but I had to learn to pitch. Bert Jones. Right from the very first game, Douglass was a quarterback on the run. Tim Tebow reminded me of Douglass who was the Bears QB from 1969 to the beginning of 1975. That was before he found out all of the touchdowns came after Douglass had broken his wrist in the first quarter. He lost his Lake Forest house. Losses to the Detroit Lions (14-0 on November 5), Green Bay Packers (23-17 on November 12), San Francisco 49ers (34-21 on November 19), Cincinnati Bengals (13-3 on November 26), and the Minnesota Vikings (23-10 on December 3) were certainly tough for the Bears to swallow.