Bobby Joe Conrad

Conrad was born on November 17, 1935, in Clifton, Texas.{{Cite web |title=Bobby Joe Conrad Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ConrBo00.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He attended Clifton High School, where he was an All-state quarterback, while leading the team to back-to-back district championships in 1952 and 1953. He was the first player from Clifton High to be named All-state. He was also named all-district and district most valuable player both of those years.{{Cite web |title=Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Inductees: Bobby Joe Conrad |url=https://www.texasfootball.com/hof-bobby-joe-conrad?ref=search |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=www.texasfootball.com}} As a senior, he scored 207 points and took Clifton to the state semi-finals where they lost to the eventual state champion Ranger High School.{{Cite web |title=Bobby Joe Conrad |url=https://www.tshof.org/store/p64/Bobby_Joe_Conrad.html |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Texas Sports Hall of Fame |language=en}} In 2006, he was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.

He accepted a football scholarship from Texas A&M University to play under head coach Bear Bryant. He was a two-way player at halfback and end, although he also played quarterback and fullback. He never was a full-time starter,{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} and was a member of the school's 1956 SWC Championship team.

During his college career (1955-57), Conrad had a 4.9 yards per carry rushing average, in 106 attempts.{{Cite web |title=Bobby Joe Conrad College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/bobby-joe-conrad-1.html |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} One of his teammates was 1957 Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow, who had 1,465 yards in 295 attempts over the same period.{{Cite web |title=John David Crow |url=https://www.heisman.com/heisman-winners/john-david-crow/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Heisman |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=John David Crow College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/john-david-crow-1.html |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}} He and Crow would go on to play as teammates in the NFL from 1958-64.{{Cite web |title=John David Crow Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CrowJo00.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

Conrad participated in the 1958 Chicago College All-Star Game and although he had never attempted a kick in college, he was able to make 4 field goals, 3 conversions, set the game scoring record with 15 points and also intercepted one pass in the 35–19 upset of the 1957 NFL Champion Detroit Lions.{{Cite magazine |date=August 25, 1958 |title=WONDERFUL WORLD OF SPORT |magazine=Sports Illustrated |volume=9 |issue=8}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qQokAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oiUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4731%2C1787650 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |last=Johnson |first=Chuck |title=Grid All-Stars slay inept Detroit Lions |date=August 16, 1958 |page=12 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web |title=Throwback Thursday - Great Moments in All-Star History |url=https://www.cfbhall.com/news-and-happenings/blog/throwback-thursday-great-moments-in-all-star-history/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=www.cfbhall.com |language=en-US}}

In 1976, he was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |title=Bobby Conrad (1976) - Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame |url=https://12thman.com/honors/texas-am-athletic-hall-of-fame/bobby-conrad/57 |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Texas A&M Athletics - 12thMan.com |language=en}} In 2002, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web | url=http://www.tshof.org/inductees/tshof/ | title=Texas Sports Hall of Fame Inductee List | accessdate=February 3, 2018 | archive-date=April 7, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407012510/http://tshof.org/inductees/tshof/ | url-status=dead }}

The New York Giants traded for the Baltimore Colts fifth round draft pick in 1958, and then selected Conrad in the fifth round (58th overall) of the 1958 NFL draft.{{Cite web |title=1958 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1958/draft.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Troup |first=T. J. |date=2007 |title="I WAS A 3rd DOWN MAN" |journal=The Coffin Corner |volume=29 |issue=5 |pages=7–10}} On May 10, he was traded along with safety Dick Nolan to the Chicago Cardinals, in exchange for End Pat Summerall and halfback Lindon Crow.{{cite web |date=May 11, 1958 |title=Grid Giants, Cards Trade Four Players (Pittsburgh Press) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19580511&id=evceAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-5UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4627,4219963&hl=es |accessdate=February 11, 2018}}

In 1958 as a rookie, he was a starter at defensive back and had 4 interceptions and one fumble recovered. Three of his interceptions came in a single game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Bobby Layne. On special teams, he made 6 out of 17 field goals and returned 19 punts for 129 yards (6.8-yard average).

In 1959, he was moved to the backfield with college teammate John David Crow. He had 74 carries for 328 yards (including a 56-yard run on September 27, 1959), 14 receptions for 142 yards, 6 touchdowns, made 6 out of 9 field goals, 18 kickoff returns for 388 yards and 16 punt returns for 133 yards (8.3-yard average). On September 27, 1959, he rushed for 140 yards on only 11 carries, with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.{{Cite web |title=Washington Redskins at Chicago Cardinals - September 27th, 1959 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/195909270crd.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

In 1961, he was moved to flanker pairing him with Sonny Randle,{{Cite web |title=1961 St. Louis Cardinals Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd/1961.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} while registering 30 receptions for 499 yards and 2 touchdowns. In 1962, he collected 62 receptions (third in the league) for 954 yards (ninth in the league) and 4 touchdowns.{{Cite web |title=1962 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1962/leaders.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

In 1963, he led the league with 73 receptions and received All-NFL honors, being named first team All Pro by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI), and second team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA). He also had 967 receiving yards (sixth in the league) and 10 touchdowns.{{Cite web |title=1963 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1963/leaders.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1963 NFL All-Pros |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1963/allpro.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

In 1964, he posted 61 receptions (fourth in the league) for 780 yards and 6 touchdowns, receiving Pro Bowl honors. The UPI named him second team All Pro.{{Cite web |title=1964 NFL Pro Bowlers |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1964/probowl.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1964 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1964/leaders.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} In 1965, he had 58 receptions for 909 yards and 5 touchdowns.

On June 26, 1969, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth round draft choice (#127-Barry Pierson).{{Cite web |last=Underwood |first=Bob |date=2022-11-17 |title=Forgotten Big Red Stars: Bobby Joe Conrad |url=https://thebigredzone.com/2022/11/17/big-red-profile-bobby-joe-conrad/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=THE BIG RED ZONE |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=1970 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1970/draft.htm |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

He left as the seventh All-time pass receiver in the NFL with 422 receptions (418 with the Cardinals) and had a string of 148 consecutive games played. He was the Cardinals all-time leading receiver at the time he was traded. After believing he came within a game of breaking Don Hutson's NFL record for consecutive games with a reception, it was discovered that Don Hutson's record was counted erroneously. Conrad set the record for most consecutive games with a reception; 94 contests from 1961 to 1968.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-24-sp-882-story.html Hudson, Maryann. "Receiver’s 94-Game Streak Was a Mere Slip of the Pen," Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, December 24, 1991.] Retrieved May 22, 2022.

He is considered one of the top Cardinals receivers in the team's over 100-year history, and one of its 100 greatest players.{{Cite web |last=Harner |first=Andrew |date=2020-10-28 |title=Best Wide Receivers in Arizona Cardinals History |url=https://www.si.com/nfl/best-wide-receivers-in-arizona-cardinals-history |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=SI |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |title=Arizona Cardinals' Top 100 players of all-time |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2019/08/14/arizona-cardinals-top-100-players-all-time/1617494001/ |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US}}

On September 20, 1969, the Dallas Cowboys put injured wide receiver Bob Hayes on the "move list" and activated Conrad.{{Cite news |date=September 22, 1969 |title= |work=Oneonta Star |pages=16}} He played in 8 games, recording 4 receptions for 74 yards.

He moved back to Clifton after retiring, and worked for the Federal Land Bank, Farmers Home Administration and/or the Texas Land Bank. He was also a judge in Bosque County for eight years.

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• [http://tshof.org/about/thsfhof/details/index.html?staff_id=679 Texas Sports Hall of Fame bio]

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{{NFL receptions leaders}}

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Category:1935 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Clifton, Texas

Category:Players of American football from Texas

Category:Texas A&M Aggies football players

Category:Chicago Cardinals players

Category:St. Louis Cardinals (football) players

Category:Dallas Cowboys players

Category:Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players