The Rams' Dan Towler Had a Relatively Short Career, But Was It Was Worthy of Hall-of-Fame Attention.

By John Turney 

Do great things come in pairs? When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams' legendary backfield of the 1950s, they did.

On this site a day ago, I made a case for "Tank" Younger's inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, highlighting his contributions as part of the Rams' iconic "Bull Elephant" backfield. But today I want to shine the spotlight on another star of that era.

"Deacon" Dan Towler.

From 1951-54, Towler established himself as one of the league's premier running backs. In fact, during that stretch, only Hall-of-Famer Joe Perry ran for more yards, and no one ran for more touchdowns. Furthermore, in 1951, he averaged 6.8 yards rushing on 126 attempts, the most-ever for running backs with 125 or more carries in a season and fourth all-time when you include all positions.

Only quarterbacks Justin Fields, Bobby Douglass and Lamar Jackson had seasons where they averaged 6.9 yards a rush, numbers at least partially inflated by long-distance scrambles. The Bears' Beattie Feathers averaged 8.4 yards in 1933. but he carried the ball 119 times to set the single-season record for those with 100 or more carries

Towler's accolades speak loudly as well. He was All-Pro in 1951 (UPI), 1952 (AP, UPI) and 1953 (UPI) and in 1954 was second-team All-Pro (AP, NEA). He also was named to the Pro Bowl all four seasons and was the game's MVP in 1951.

In 1952 he led the NFL in rushing yards (894) and rushing touchdowns (10). Two years later, he led it again in rushing TDs with 11. And though he didn't lead the league in rushing in 1951 or 1953, he ran for nearly as many yards then -- 854 and 879, respectively -- as he did when he won the rushing title. Additionally, those totals were good for third and second in the NFL.

Clearly, he was one of the elite runners of his time, and isn't that what the Hall of Fame is about ... recognizing the best players in a given era? Yet, for some reason, Towler's contributions seem to have faded from the memories of football historians and Hall-of-Fame voters alike.

Let's be honest: His name doesn't exactly ring bells for the casual football fan. But it should. He was one of the most electrifying players in the history of Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.), a second-team AP Little All-American, who in 1946 ranked third in the nation in scoring 

Nice, huh? It gets better. He racked up those points in just eight games, an average of 16.6 points a contest -- the most by anyone collegiately in any division that year. And that followed a sophomore season where he was honorable mention on AP's Little All-American team.

At W&J, he was part of a nimble quartet known as the "Four Gazelles" backfield. So, he wasn't just powerful; he was graceful, too. And he was fast, as in VERY fast. Despite his large frame (6-2 and 225 pounds), he clocked in at 9.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash. 

The Rams took a chance on him in the 25th round of the 1950 draft and were patient with him, waiting to ease him into the starting lineup while he recovered from a knee injury. But even when he played, it was more as a short-yardage specialist. As a rookie,  he scored six touchdowns on just 46 carries — or 13 percent of his carries! That's what I call efficiency.

By 1951, however, he was ready to show the pro football world that he was, indeed, part gazelle and part elephant. And did he ever deliver.

Granted, his career numbers may pale in comparison to the gaudy numbers of today's players, but let’s be fair: Measuring stats across eras is tricky. In today's game, there are more games and, often, only one primary back who may have 300 or more carries a season. The Rams never called Towler's number more than 156 times in any season. 

But that's because they had a productive "Fly-T" offense that spread the ball around, meaning Towler had to share carries with a stable of talented backs. In each of his four Pro Bowl seasons, the Rams had at least four running backs with 40 or more carries. 

"If you got 15 carries a game," Towler said, "that was a lot."

He's right. In his career, he only had 13 games with 15 or more carries. When he gained a career-high 205 yards vs. Baltimore in 1953, he did it on just 14 carries. In his nine other 100-yard games, he never had more than 19 rushing attempts.

Imagine, then, what might have happened had he been given the ball, say, 250 or more times a year. Just do the math. He would've had four 1,000-yard seasons.

Still, he made the most of every touch. His impact wasn't just about yards and touchdowns; it was about setting a tone and serving as a reliable workhorse in one of the most potent offenses of the early 1950s. Moreover, it was also playing a critical role in a running game that aided the Rams' dominant passing attack.

"Linebackers couldn't move into coverage against us," Towler said. "They were frozen. They had to watch for the running game, and that opened things up for the quarterbacks."

But it wasn't only as a runner that he delivered big gains; it was as a pass receiver, too. When he averaged 6.8 yards rushing in 1951, he also averaged 16.1 yards per reception. Additionally, he had two other seasons where he averaged 11 or more yards a reception. 

In all, Towler ran for 3,493 yards and 43 touchdowns on 672 carries. That works out to a per-carry average of 5.2 yards that's tied for fourth all-time among running backs with 500 or more attempts. 

But he retired after just six seasons, choosing a different path as a Methodist minister. Having graduated cum laude from W&J, he went on to earn a master's degree in theology from USC. As it turns out, "Deacon" was more than a nickname; it was a reflection of his calling.

Towler claimed the 1950 Rams were the first team to pray before NFL games, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2001 that "now, it's a common thing. I think it helped camaraderie and fellowship, bringing us closer together." It was those prayer sessions that earned "Deacon" his nickname -- one that a young defensive end named David Jones would appropriate a decade later.

Sure, Towler could've played longer were his career just about being a football player. He walked away from a $16,000 salary in the NFL to $6,000 as a man of the cloth, but he always played football as a means to finance his religious education. He said he was a student who played football; not a football player who was a student.

Some NFL careers are relatively short, but meaningful ones deserve recognition -- as Hall-of-Fame voters now recognize. Towler played just six seasons, or the same number as Hall-of-Famer Doak Walker, who made five Pro Bowls to Towler’s four. Then there's Terrell Davis, another Hall of Famer, who played only seven seasons but went to one fewer Pro Bowl than Towler.

Towler's rushing numbers don't measure up to Davis' peak year, but comparing statistics over eras is tricky. Nevertheless, it's fair to say that, during his peak, "Deacon" Dan Towler was one of the top two running backs of his time -- just as Davis was in the late-1990s. That alone should warrant him at least a look-see by seniors' voters.

But he hasn't gotten one. Why? Unlike Younger, his backfield teammate who is a seniors' semifinalist for the Hall's Class of 2025, Towler never made it to that stage ... and that’s a glaring oversight.

"This gentleman," said Hall-of-Famer defensive back Dick LeBeau, "belongs in the Hall of Fame and should be recognized as one of the greatest running backs to ever play in the National Football League." 

Hall-of-Fame receiver Raymond Berry agreed.

"(Dan Towler was) a man whom our Colts’ defensive players thought the world of," he said. "They said he was one of the toughest guys to tackle they ever had to face."

Hopefully, his Hall-of-Fame case will make believers of the Hall's new seniors' screening committee and in the near future advance him in the process. Until then, let's remember that "Deacon" Dan Towler not only as a great running back but as a trailblazer who brought size, speed, skill and a touch of spirituality to the game.