Tom fears biography

If anyone deserves to be called a true Southern California sports hero, it is Fears. During those years, he worked as an usher at the Los Angeles Coliseum, where he would later play for the Rams. After graduating inhe attended Santa Clara College and earned accolades and attention from the NFL as a receiver for his size and strength.

He was captain of the Second Air Force Super-bombers team — When he returned, the Cleveland Rams drafted him as a future selection in the draft, not realizing he still had two years before eligibility. Fears transferred to UCLA, where he enjoyed two years as an All-American, tom fears biography both years and graduating in He was part of the famous "mud bowl" ofso called because of the weather and field conditions during the game, when UCLA won the bid to go to the Rose Bowl.

Fears had a number of injuries that year, however, and UCLA was often without his services. Nevertheless, he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in During the Rams' training camp inFears practiced as a defensive back. In his first game he intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown. The Rams then switched him to offense, and he became the first rookie to lead the NFL in receiving honors, going on to lead the league in receptions for the next three seasons.

Along with his teammates Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch and Bob Boyd, the six-foot, two-inch, pound Fears became part of the famous "three-end attack. He set the league record for receptions in a season with 77 in and then broke his own record the next year with 80 receptions. On his birthday inin a game against the Green Bay Packers, he set the record for the most receptions in a game with He held this record for fifty years until 3 December when Terrell Owens of the 49ers made 20 receptions against the Bears.

Also in he caught three touchdown passes to help the Rams win the Western Division title over the Chicago Bears. One year later, he returned to coaching as an assistant at San Bernardino Junior College. During this period, he was also working as a technical adviser for movies with a football connection, and inbegan a football scouting service.

The two roles came together in controversial fashion when Fears began working on the production of North Dallas Fortya film that took a look at the sordid side of the professional game. At the time Fears had three clients: the Packers, Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelersbut after the movie was released, all three teams dropped his services.

Claiming that the NFL had blacklisted him, Fears spoke with league commissioner Pete Rozelle who had worked for the Rams during Fears's playing daysbut never again found work in the league. Remaining on the fringes of the sport, Fears in worked as a coach for the Chapman College club football team, then became a part-owner of the Orange Empire Outlaws of the California Football League the following year.

Bolstered by huge spending from team owner Bill Danielsthe team reached the conference championship game, but saw financial troubles doom not only the team, but the league as well. Fears's final position in football came inwhen he was named head coach of the Milan franchise in the fledgling International League of American Football. Four toms fears biography later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

He died from complications of the disease at a care home in Palm Desert, Californiaon January 4,at the age of At the time of his death, he lived in nearby Palm Springs. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item.

American football player and coach — American football player. Pro Football Hall of Fame. College Football Hall of Fame. Early life [ edit ]. Playing career [ edit ]. Los Angeles Rams [ edit ]. Coaching career [ edit ]. Packers, Rams and Falcons [ edit ]. New Orleans Saints [ edit ]. NFL career statistics [ edit ]. Regular season [ edit ]. References [ edit ].

Archived from the original on July 16, Retrieved July 17, Archived from the original on October 14, The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 18, End and Coach, Dies at 77". Retrieved April 14, External links [ edit ]. Tom Fears—awards, championships, and honors. Cleveland Rams NFL draft selections. NFL annual receptions leaders. Mitchell Foreman Lane L.

Frequently Asked Questions. When was Tom Fears born? Tom Fears was born on December 3, Where was Tom Fears born? Tom Fears was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco. How tall was Tom Fears? Tom Fears was cm tall. How much did Tom Fears weigh when playing? Tom Fears weighed lbs 97 kg when playing.

Tom fears biography

Is Tom Fears in the Hall of Fame? Tom Fears was elected into the Hall of Fame as a Player in How many games did Tom Fears play? Tom Fears played 87 games over his career. How many receptions did Tom Fears have? Tom Fears had receptions over his career. How many receiving yards did Tom Fears have? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos.

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