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Don Maynard, a Hall of Fame receiver who made his biggest interaction catching passes from Joe Namath successful the wide-open AFL, has died. He was 86.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame confirmed Maynard’s decease connected Monday done his family.
Maynard was the main people for Namath with the Jets, though a limb wounded made him little effectual successful the team’s stunning upset of the NFL champion Baltimore Colts successful the 1969 Super Bowl. That crippled established the credibility of the newer league, but Maynard had proven himself agelong earlier that.
After an unproductive one-year stint with the Giants successful 1958, the slim, deceptively accelerated Texan headed to Hamilton of the CFL for 1959. Then the AFL was established, and helium was the archetypal subordinate to motion with the New York Titans, who soon would go the Jets.
Even though the Titans/Jets went done a bid of mediocre quarterbacks successful their aboriginal years, Maynard made his mark, including 2 1,000-yard receiving seasons. And erstwhile Namath showed up successful 1965 with a grounds declaration and immense headlines, 1 of the league’s apical passing combinations was born.
Namath’s champion accomplishment was throwing the heavy ball, matching Maynard’s main talent. As Broadway Joe’s superior target, Maynard had 3 seasons with astatine slightest 1,200 yards receiving successful a four-year span. He caught 14 touchdown passes successful Namath’s rookie season, and doubly much had 10 TDs successful a season.
When helium retired successful 1973 aft 1 play with the St. Louis Cardinals, helium was pro football’s vocation receiving person with 633 catches for 11,834 yards and 88 touchdowns. In 1987, helium was elected to the Hall of Fame.
“Our Pro Football Hall of Fame household mourns the passing of Don Maynard,” said Jim Porter, president of the hall. “He was a resilient antheral connected and disconnected the tract — and idiosyncratic that his teammates could ever number on.”
Maynard sometimes humbly assessed his career, and different times pointed retired however overmuch his achievements meant to him.
“I don’t truly look astatine it similar I’m the top receiver,” helium erstwhile said. “After you play a portion anybody tin interruption definite records. Longevity is the key. The grounds I’m proudest of is being the archetypal feline to get 10,000 yards successful receptions. Others whitethorn bash it but I’m the first, and lone 1 feline tin beryllium the first.”
Unlike Namath, Maynard, who ne'er worn a chinstrap due to the fact that it felt uncomfortable, wasn’t made for the spotlight. He preferred ranch beingness backmost location successful Texas to the agleam lights of Manhattan. But his game, based connected velocity — helium claimed helium was ne'er caught from down erstwhile helium made a drawback — and fantabulous hands made him basal out.
Not arsenic overmuch arsenic Namath, of course, but Maynard made 4 AFL Pro Bowls and the AFL’s lone All-Decade squad. Maynard’s defining show was against Oakland successful the 1968 AFL title crippled astatine a frigid Shea Stadium. He drew treble sum from the Raiders’ superb secondary, yet caught six passes for 118 yards and 2 scores. His 6-yarder successful the 4th fourth provided the winning points, sending the Jets to their lone Super Bowl.
“Don was unstoppable that day,” Namath recalled. “On the agelong walk (52 yards), helium made an over-the-shoulder drawback aft the upwind got the ball. It was the biggest play of the game.”
Maynard spent overmuch of the Super Bowl triumph that was guaranteed by Namath arsenic a decoy due to the fact that of a sore leg, and didn’t drawback a pass. Early successful the game, though, helium ran a heavy way and got open; the walk hardly missed his hands. The Colts respected his velocity the remainder of the way, often with treble teams connected the hobbled Maynard portion New York’s different wideout, George Sauer, had a large game.
“I knew close distant successful the Super Bowl that I wasn’t going to drawback immoderate balls,” helium erstwhile told Football Digest. “All I had to bash was run, and stride, and wide out, and person a bully time successful that respect.
“I had a sore hamstring, but I stayed retired the past crippled of the play against Miami. I mislaid the yardage receiving rubric by 15 yards to Lance Alworth. But I archer people, ‘I traded 15 yards for the yardage rubric for $15,000 successful the Super Bowl.’”
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