By John Turney and TJ Troup
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| Harlon Hill |
The 1954 Retro All-Rookie team is headed by Harlon Hill who had a monster rookie season catching 45 passes for 1,124 yards (a 25.0-yard avg) and twelve touchdowns. Hall of Fame guard Stan Jones played tackle for the Bears as a rookie and did a good job.
Defensively Jack Brumfield stood out for the 49ers as one of the best pass rushers in the league. Les Richter stepped in and played linebacker and kicked for the Rams and did well at both.
The era of this Retro All-Rookie series is documented in TJ Troup's book The Birth of Football's Modern 4-3 Defense: The Seven Seasons That Changed the NFL and is full of more detailed accounts of the NFL seasons 1953-59—
The teams—
We did getthe text for the 55 article mixed in with the 54 article...sorry, got it all fixed we think
ReplyDelete....this is the last year of the 5-2-4 defense(some teams still actually used the 5-3-3 at times), as the predominant defense, though once in a while a team will attempt to line up in the 4-3 defense. On offense running the ball becomes the focus with so many excellent/elite runners in the league, and coaches who knew how to teach the run game.
ReplyDeleteHarlon Hill certainly hit the ground running.
ReplyDelete....Harlon Hill remains the ONLY rookie in league history to gain over 100 yards receiving in his first game as a pro against the defending league champion.
ReplyDeleteMax McGee deserves HOVG in my view. Hill, like Howton, were explosive their first two or three seasons ...
ReplyDelete....film study of Max sure shows a receiver who not only survived the two coaching changes before St. Vince, but a man who was stellar at all aspects of playing split end. Additionally, he could punt when needed.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Coach ...
ReplyDeleteNo one talks about good blocking receivers but I bet McGee and Dowler were. That could be why St. Vince let Howton go but he being a union rep, helped the decision along.
....yes sir Brian, teaching receivers to block downfield is an art ----that I relished doing as a college coach. It is a mindset, and a very difficult task to master, but both McGee and Dowler were superb athletes, and if you are a smart player, and listen to St. Vince....then you realize running the ball in Green Bay is a way of life.
ReplyDelete