Tommy McDonald (American football) facts for kids
McDonald signing autographs in 2011
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 25, 29, 8 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Flanker, Halfback |
||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 26, 1934 Roy, New Mexico, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Died: | September 24, 2018 (aged 84) Audubon, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Albuquerque (NM) Highland | ||||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (1954–1956) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1957 / Round: 3 / Pick: 31 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
|
Pro Football Hall of Fame
|
|||||||||||||
|
College Football Hall of Fame
|
|||||||||||||
Thomas Franklin McDonald (born July 26, 1934 – died September 24, 2018) was an amazing American professional football player. He played as a flanker and halfback in the National Football League (NFL). Tommy played for several teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and Cleveland Browns. Before joining the NFL, he was a star player for the Oklahoma Sooners in college. He is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Tommy McDonald: Football Legend
Tommy McDonald was a standout football player known for his speed and exciting plays. He became famous for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he helped them win a championship. His career was full of impressive catches and touchdowns.
Growing Up and High School
Tommy McDonald was born in Roy, New Mexico. When he was young, his father wanted him to grow stronger. So, Tommy repeated the eighth grade. He started high school at Roy High, which was a small school. There, he played quarterback for the football team.
Later, he moved to Highland High in Albuquerque. As a senior, he was incredible in football. He ran for over 20 yards per carry on average. He also set a state record by scoring 157 points in one season. Tommy was also a star in basketball and track. He won five gold medals in track at the state meet.
College Football Star
Tommy earned a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. The basketball coach saw him play and told the football coach, Bud Wilkinson, about him. Wilkinson then offered Tommy a scholarship.
In 1953, Tommy played on the freshman team. The next year, he was a backup running back. He gained 128 yards and scored two touchdowns.
In 1955, he became a starting running back. He led his team with 715 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 7 passes for 110 yards and one touchdown. Tommy was the first player at Oklahoma to score a touchdown in every game of a season.
In 1956, he continued to shine. He led the team with 853 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He also had 12 catches for 282 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. That year, he won the Maxwell Award as the best college football player in the nation. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Tommy was a key player in Oklahoma's amazing 47-game winning streak. He never played in a losing game during college. In 1985, he was honored by being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Playing in the NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles picked Tommy McDonald in the third round of the 1957 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he became a wide receiver. In his ninth game, he made a 61-yard catch and a 25-yard touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles
Tommy was a big part of the Eagles team that won the 1960 NFL Championship. They beat Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers. In that game, Tommy caught a 35-yard touchdown pass.
In 1961, he led the entire NFL in receiving yards with 1,144. He also led the league with 13 receiving touchdowns. Against the New York Giants, he had 7 catches for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is still an Eagles team record for most receiving yards in a single game.
On March 20, 1964, the Eagles traded Tommy to the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys
In 1964, Tommy joined the Dallas Cowboys. They moved him to a different receiver position called "split end." He caught 46 passes for 612 yards and 2 touchdowns in his only season with the Cowboys.
In 1965, a new player named Bob Hayes joined the Cowboys. Tommy was then traded to the Los Angeles Rams on May 14.
Los Angeles Rams
With the Los Angeles Rams, Tommy had a fantastic year in 1965. He caught a career-high 67 passes for 1,036 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was also chosen for his last Pro Bowl that year. In 1967, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta Falcons
Tommy played one season with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 33 catches for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns. On September 10, 1968, he was released by the team.
Cleveland Browns
In 1968, the Cleveland Browns picked up Tommy. He caught 7 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown for them. His very last NFL game was the 1968 NFL Championship Game. On March 15, 1969, Tommy announced he was retiring from professional football.
His Amazing Legacy
Tommy McDonald was chosen for six Pro Bowls during his career. He led the NFL in touchdown catches twice (1958, 1961). He also led the league in receiving yards once (1961). Tommy was the last non-kicker to play in the NFL without wearing a facemask.
He finished his career with 495 catches for 8,410 yards. He also scored 84 touchdowns, which was the second-highest total in NFL history at that time. He gained over 9,800 total yards in his career, including yards from returning punts and kickoffs. In 1998, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Life Off the Field and Later Years
After winning the NFL Championship, Tommy McDonald wrote a book. It was called They Pay Me to Catch Footballs and came out in 1962.
He also enjoyed art. He owned a studio called Tommy McDonald Enterprises. This studio created portrait paintings and plaques, often of athletes. While he didn't paint them himself, he signed them from his company. A painting of baseball legend Joe DiMaggio once sold for $4,000.
Tommy became great friends with Pro Football Hall of Fame writer, Ray Didinger. Ray was a huge fan of Tommy's when he was a child. Ray helped Tommy get into the Hall of Fame and later presented him at the induction ceremony. Ray also wrote a play called "Tommy and Me" about their friendship.
Tommy McDonald passed away on September 24, 2018, at the age of 84. The president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, C. David Baker, said that Tommy lived life with passion and fun, just like he played football.
