Thursday, December 26, 2019

Elbert Dubenion—RIP

By John Turney


Elbert Dubenion passed away today from complications related to Parkinson's disease.

Like quite a few AFL players Elbert Dubenion was drafted by and NFL team (Cleveland Browns) but made his mark in the new league. And make a mark he did.

He was a wide receiver with tremendous speed and in the new league that passed the football as much as it did he was a true deep threat, among the best in the league averaging 18.0 yards per catch for his career.

In 1964 he caught 42 passes for 1139 yards and an amazing 27.1 yards per catch for 10 touchdowns. That 27.1 yards per catch is the NFL record for players with more than 40 receptions in a season.
Dubenion was Second-team All-AFL in 1960, 1963, and 1964 and was part of two AFL title teams (1964-65) and is a member of the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame

We bid farewell to "Golden Wheels" and celebrate his accomplishment which is not a small thing—the have the highest yards per catch ever for a 40-plus catch season.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting that Harlon Hill and Homer Jones are the only players to be named twice on this list. Jones should have had a better career, but must have been hurt with the Browns.

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