Ron Widby facts for kids
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| No. 12, 10, 20 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Punter | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 9, 1945 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Died: | December 22, 2020 (aged 75) Allen, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Fulton (Knoxville, Tennessee) | ||||||||||
| College: | Tennessee | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 4 / Pick: 81 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
George Ronald Widby (born March 9, 1945 – died December 22, 2020) was an amazing American athlete. He was best known as a punter in the NFL. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. Ron also played basketball for the New Orleans Buccaneers in the American Basketball Association. He was a talented college athlete at the University of Tennessee.
Ron Widby passed away in 2020 when he was 75 years old.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Ron Widby grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. He went to Fulton High School. There, he was a star in many sports. He played quarterback in football. Ron was also great at basketball and golf.
People who watched him play said he was always very smooth. He dreamed of getting a sports scholarship to the University of Tennessee. He worked hard and made that dream come true.
Near the end of his senior football season, he broke his arm and shoulder. But Ron recovered well. He still had a strong senior basketball season.
College Sports Career
When Ron started at the University of Tennessee, he focused on basketball. This was because of his high school injury. The football team still kept him on scholarship. They hoped he would decide to play football later.
The football coaches needed a punter. The basketball coach, Ray Mears, agreed to let Ron play football too. Ron said he always liked punting a football. He also played freshman baseball, hitting almost .400.
By his second year (1964–65), Ron was a starter in both football and basketball. He averaged 41.1 yards on 74 punts in football. He also hit almost .300 in baseball. But he found baseball a bit boring.
In his junior year, he averaged 42.8 yards on 20 punts. He also joined the golf team. He earned a letter in golf, meaning he was good enough to be on the team. Ron had a very busy schedule. He played in a football game and a basketball tournament on the same day. He had to fly between cities to do it!
A sportswriter named Ron Higgins said Ron Widby had an amazing senior year. In football, he led the country in punting. He averaged 43.8 yards on 48 punts. In basketball, he scored 22.1 points per game. He also got 8.7 rebounds. He helped his team win a conference title.
Ron was named a second-team All-American in basketball. He was also the SEC's Basketball Player of the Year. He scored 50 points in his last regular season game. He finished his college basketball career with 576 points. He thought about playing golf professionally. But it would have interfered with his NFL contract talks. Again, he played in a basketball tournament and a football game on the same day.
In 1997, Ron was honored in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, he joined the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame.
Professional Sports Career
Ron Widby was chosen in three different professional drafts. This shows how talented he was!
Joining the Pros
The New Orleans Saints picked him in the fourth round of the 1967 NFL Draft. The New Orleans Buccaneers chose him in the ABA Draft. The Chicago Bulls also picked him in the 1967 NBA Draft.
Basketball was his favorite sport. But he signed with the Saints for a $50,000 bonus. The Saints later released him in August. He could not beat out another rookie punter.
New Orleans Buccaneers (ABA) Basketball
After leaving the Saints, Ron signed with the New Orleans Buccaneers. He played for them during the 1967-68 American Basketball Association season.
Dallas Cowboys Football
On September 13, 1967, the Dallas Cowboys signed Ron. He first played for the Oklahoma City Plainsmen. This was a team in the Continental Football League. He then joined the Cowboys' practice squad in December.
In 1968, Ron became the Cowboys' starting punter. He was tied for fifth in the league. He averaged 40.9 yards per punt. He also set an NFL record. He had an 84-yard punt against the Saints. This was his old team. He also averaged 53.4 yards per punt in one game. This was another team record.
In 1969, Ron gave his number 12 jersey to Roger Staubach. Staubach would become a famous player. Ron finished second in the league that year. He averaged 43.3 yards per punt.
In 1970, he was second in the NFC. He averaged 41.3 yards per punt. He also set a Super Bowl record. He made nine punt attempts in Super Bowl V. They played against the Baltimore Colts.
In 1971, he was third in the NFC. He averaged 41.6 yards per punt. He played in Super Bowl VI. He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl. He was the second Cowboys punter to get this honor.
On September 5, 1972, the Cowboys traded Ron. They sent him and cornerback Ike Thomas to the Green Bay Packers. This trade helped them get a draft pick.
Green Bay Packers Football
Ron played two seasons for the Packers. Then, he had a bad accident. He hurt his spinal disc. This injury made him miss the last two games of 1973. It also kept him out of the entire 1974 season. This injury ended his football career. He was released by the Packers on July 18, 1975. He averaged 41.8 yards per punt in 1972. He averaged 43.1 yards in 1973.
Life After Football
After his football career, Ron became a club professional at a country club in Texas. When he turned 50, he tried to join the Senior PGA Tour twice. He almost made it on his second try. As of 2020, he was retired. He lived in Allen, Texas.
See also
In Spanish: Ron Widby para niños
