Gene Washington (American football, born 1944)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1944)}}
{{for|the former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions wide receiver|Gene Washington (American football, born 1947)}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Gene Washington
| image = GeneWashington.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Washington in 2018
| number = 84
| position = Wide receiver
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|01|25}}
| birth_place = La Porte, Texas, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 208
| high_school = George Washington Carver
(Baytown, Texas)
| college = Michigan State (1964–1966)
| draftyear = 1967
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 8
| pastteams =
- Minnesota Vikings ({{NFL Year|1967|1972}})
- Denver Broncos ({{NFL Year|1973}})
| highlights =
- NFL champion (1969)
- Second-team All-Pro (1969)
- 2× Pro Bowl (1969, 1970)
- 50 Greatest Vikings
- 2× First-team All-American (1965, 1966)
- 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1965, 1966)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 182
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 3,237
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 26
| pfr = W/WashGe01
| CollegeHOF = 2272
}}
Eugene Washington (born January 25, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings (1967–1972) and the Denver Broncos (1973). He was one of two wide receivers in the NFL with the same name during the last five year of his career as an active player; they were never teammates.[https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/23/archives/vikings-defense-vs-49ers-offense.html Wallace, William N. "Vikings’ Defense vs. 49ers’ Offense," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 23, 1970.] Retrieved September 7, 2023.
Early years
Washington was born in 1944 at La Porte, Texas. Because of segregation and La Porte having no black high school he attended George Washington Carver High School in Baytown, Texas.{{cite web|title=Gene Washington|publisher=Pro Football Archives|accessdate=September 23, 2023|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Watchlist?hidepreviousrevisions=1&hidecategorization=1&hideWikibase=1&limit=500&days=30&urlversion=2}}
Michigan State
Washington enrolled at Michigan State University in 1963. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football program from 1963 to 1966. He also ran track as well as playing football for the Spartans and was the 1965 NCAA indoor champion for 60-yard hurdles.
As a sophomore in 1964, he had 35 catches for 542 yards and five touchdowns.{{Cite web |title=Gene Washington College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/gene-washington-1.html |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference LLC |language=en}}
As a junior, he starred for the 1965 Michigan State Spartans football team that was recognized as the national champion in the UPI coaches poll. Washington was the leading receiver for the 1965 team, totaling 40 catches for 638 yards and four touchdowns.{{cite web|title=1965 Michigan State Spartans Stats|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=SR/CFB|accessdate=September 23, 2023|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/michigan-state/1965.html}}
As a senior, Washington helped lead the 1966 Michigan State team to an undefeated 9–0–1 record and the No 2 ranking in both the AP and UPI polls. He had 27 catches for 677 yards and seven touchdowns for the 1966 team.
Professional career
Washington was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, with the eighth overall pick, in the 1967 NFL draft. He was also drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the last round of the inaugural 1967 American Basketball Association draft, though he never played professional basketball for the Pacers or anyone else.{{cite book|last=Bradley|first=Robert D.|title=The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts|year=2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810890695}}, pp. 106-107 As a rookie, Washington averaged 29.5 yards per reception. In 1968, he caught 46 passes. In 1969, Washington had 821 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Washington made the Pro Bowl in 1969 and 1970. He played in Super Bowl IV (one catch for nine yards) after the 1969 NFL season. The Vikings were upset by the Kansas City Chiefs, 23–7, on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Washington was one of the fifteen plaintiffs in Mackey v. National Football League in which Judge Earl R. Larson declared that the Rozelle rule was a violation of antitrust laws on December 30, 1975.[https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/31/archives/rozelle-rule-found-in-antitrust-violation-rozelle-rule-judged-in.html Wallace, William N. "Rozelle Rule Found In Antitrust Violation," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 31, 1975.] Retrieved December 12, 2023.[https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/407/1000/2281018/ Mackey v. National Football League, 407 F. Supp. 1000 (D. Minn. 1975) – Justia.com.] Retrieved December 12, 2023. He is the subject of the documentary, [http://www.throughthebanksoftheredcedar.com/ Through the Banks of the Red Cedar], written and directed by his daughter Maya Washington.
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#ffe6bd; width:3em;"|
| Won the NFL championship |
| style="background:#cfecec; width:3em;"|
| Led the league |
| Bold
| Career high |
=Regular season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! colspan="2"| Games ! colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
| 1967 | MIN
| 14 || 4 || 13 || 384 || 29.5 || 85 || 2 | ||||||
| 1968 | MIN
| 14 || 14 || 46 || 756 || 16.4 || 61 || 6 | ||||||
| 1969 | style="background:#ffe6bd;"|MIN
| 14 || 14 || 39 || 821 || 21.1 || 83 || 9 | ||||||
| 1970 | MIN
| 14 || 14 || 44 || 702 || 16.0 || 49 || 4 | ||||||
| 1971 | MIN
| 13 || 9 || 12 || 165 || 13.8 || 51 || 0 | ||||||
| 1972 | MIN
| 12 || 11 || 18 || 259 || 14.4 || 39 || 2 | ||||||
| 1973 | DEN
| 14 || 0 || 10 || 150 || 15.0 || 28 || 3 | ||||||
| colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WashGe01.htm Career] | 95 | 66 | 182 | 3,237 | 17.8 | 85 | 26 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.nfl.com/players/genewashington/profile?id=WAS255564 NFL.com player page]
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WashGe01.htm Pro Football Reference player page]
{{1965 Michigan State Spartans football navbox}}
{{1966 Michigan State Spartans football navbox}}
{{1967 NFL Draft}}
{{VikingsFirstPick}}
{{Vikings1967DraftPicks}}
{{1969 Minnesota Vikings}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Gene}}
Category:Players of American football from Houston
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Indiana Pacers draft picks
Category:Michigan State Spartans football players
Category:Minnesota Vikings players
Category:Denver Broncos players
Category:Western Conference Pro Bowl players
Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players
Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Category:People from La Porte, Texas
Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
Category:American male hurdlers
Category:Michigan State Spartans men's track and field athletes