Mel Renfro

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Melvin Lacy Renfro (born December 30, 1941) is a former American footballer, a cornerback who spent all 14 years of his career at the National Football League (NFL) with the Dallas Cowboys. She is a member of Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Video Mel Renfro

Initial years

Born in Houston, Texas, Renfro moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, and he attended Jefferson High School, which starred as a two-way football player and track and field athlete. As a sophomore and a junior, he contributed to his team achieving a 23-0 record, including consecutive Class A-1 championships in 1957 and 1958. The 1958 Democrats team was regarded as one of the largest in Oregon preparation history, having a backfield including halfbacks, quarterback Terry Baker (winner of the Heisman Trophy of 1962 at Oregon State), halfback Mickey Hergert (one of the country's leading land producers at Lewis & Clark College) and his brother Raye Renfro at fullback (in 1958 he broke the Portland Interscholastic League record of 24. After Baker graduated, Renfro saw playing in the quarterback as a senior in 1959 and was also the election of all the countries behind, as Jefferson chased their third straight title, returning to the championship game, playing before over 21,000 at the Multnomah Stadium in Portland, but lost 7-6 to Medford.

On track as a junior in 1959, he helped Jefferson win the team title by winning a 180-yard low obstacle, a 120-yard high hurdle (breaking the country record) and an extensive country jumping title. In 1960, he broke two AAU Oregon junior class records with a 120-yard high hurdle 13.9 seconds and 19.3 seconds in the 180-yard low obstacle. Renfro also collected 32 outscoring points per team except one, recording a country record with a broad jump of 24.1 and won a low hurdle, high hurdles and a half-mile relay team. He was crowned as an outstanding athlete in the Golden West Invitational song encounter, which brought each year senior senior high school. She is the Field News and Song "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1960.

In 1983, he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Maps Mel Renfro

College career

In 1960, Renfro enrolled at the University of Oregon at Eugene, where he excelled for the track team and as a two-way football player, an All-American backback and defense. In football, he gained recognition of the Pacific Coast Conference three times and was one of two All-American (Steve Barnett is another player) in the history of the university. He's also two second All-American sports in university history, the first being George Shaw in soccer and baseball.

In 1992, Renfro was inducted into the University of Oregon Athletics Hall of Fame.

Football

From the start of the sophomore season, he received recognition as one of the best and most complete defenders in college football, able to run inside or outside, capturing, blocking, and playing a special team. In 1963, he was even named the quarterback reserve team.

One of Renfro's best college games happened against Rice in Houston in 1962. Renfro shone both in attack and defense, leading the Duck to a 31-12 victory on 13 October. Rice Stadium has been the only white facility before The Ducks' visit, but university officials allow the Renfro family to enter and sit in a special section of the stadium near the 35-yard line. According to a contemporary account on Watchlist , when Renfro left the game, he was applauded and full of appreciation by the Rice crowd.

An Oregon sports writer asked a Houston colleague in a press box if an African-American ever received such applause by a group of whites. The Texan enthusiastically replied, "We've never seen such a good player!" The morning after the game, a Houston paper entitled, "Renfro Runs Rice Ragged."

Renfro led Oregon in three successive seasons (1961-63), finishing with a career total of 1,540 yards and 23 touchdowns. He still holds the university career record for the highest average per game at 6.01 meters. He also has 41 catches for 644 yards and five touchdowns, a very impressive amount in an era when running back usually does not catch more than 10 passes during a season.

In 1986, Renfro was immortalized in the College Football Hall of Fame and is a member of the Pig Leather Club from Washington, D.C., All-American All-American Honor Roll Footballer. He is considered the best in the history of the University of Oregon, in addition to LaMichael James.

Track and put

From 1960 to 1965, the athletics team and the Oregon field team led by coach Bill Bowerman were one of the best in the United States. In 1962, Renfro contributed to the First Division I NCAA Men on Outer Track and Field Championships - the NCAA team championship] by finishing second behind teammate Jerry Tarr in a 120-yard (110 m) high hurdle with 13.8 times and third in the long jump with a jump of 25'-11Ãƒ,Ã‚Â¼ "(7,905m).

That year, he was part of the world record team of 440 yards with a time of 40.0 seconds, his colleagues are Tarr, Mike Gaechter, and Harry Jerome. At the end of the year, he was named for the track and the All-American field team in high hurdles and big jumps.

In 1963, he injured his knee for a big jump at the NCAA Championships. In the same meeting in Albuquerque, despite injury he entered a high hurdle but failed to qualify.

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Professional career

Renfro was designed in the second round of the 1964 NFL draft, the 17th overall, by the Dallas Cowboys. The selection delayed the draft for 6 hours, while Cowboys sent a doctor to check the injuries he suffered on his wrist.

Though he has won many awards as running back and by the time the team puts their best athlete on the offensive side of the ball, Tom Landry is looking to build a dominating defense deciding to start safely. As a rookie, he had an impressive season by leading the team with seven interceptions, the NFL in both punt return and kickoff return yardage (including a total franchise record of 273 yards back against the Green Bay Packers) and peaked his great campaign with an invitation to the Pro Bowl. 30 meters per average return kick he posted in the second year (1965) still remains a franchise record.

In 1966, even though Renfro came out of the All-Pro season safely, the Cowboys named it their early midback in an effort to increase his offense. He was injured in the opening game against the New York Giants and was replaced by Dan Reeves, who is so impressive that Renfro was transferred back to the defense when he was back in action and will end up being named into the All-Pro team again.

He switched to cornerback in his fifth season. The rapid Renfro (4.65 40-yd dash) became a tremendous threat to wide receivers, leading the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1969. Renfro was elected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first ten seasons in the league, including five All-Pro selection in 1964, 1965, 1969, 1971 and 1973. He was named the defensive MVP of the 1971 Pro Bowl.

In 14 seasons, Renfro tapped 52 passes, returning them for 626 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 109 punts for 842 yards and one touchdown, 85 kickoffs for 2,246 yards and two touchdowns, along with 13 recovered records, which he returned 44 yards. In 1970 the NFC Championship Games, Renfro suffered a key interception that caused the Cowboys winning goal over the San Francisco 49ers that helped them reach the Super Bowl V, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts, 16-13. Dallas is back at Super Bowl VI, X, and XII, Renfro's last NFL game, a 27-10 Cowboys win over the Denver Broncos. He remained the all-time leader of the Cowboys in interception with 52 (In 1969 he led the NFL in interception by 10) and in an average career kickoff return (26.4 yards). 14 seasons with the team tying him to second place in franchise history.

Renfro joined the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1981 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. During his time with the Cowboys, although one of his teammates was former Olympic gold medalist Bob Hayes, many experts still regard him as the best athlete in team.

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Personal life

In 1984 Renfro trained a secondary defender under John Hadl with the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL). In 1986 he was part of the coaching staff of Gene Stallings St. Louis Cardinals as his defensive back coach.

In the early 1980s, Renfro faced financial and legal challenges. He is currently working as a motivational speaker.

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References