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16. Les Richter

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16. Les Richter

Drafted by the New York Yanks second overall Les Richter never suited up for them as they folded.  His rights went to the new Dallas Texans (who pretty much took most of the Yanks), but he never played for them either as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players.  While this may look lopsided, it was but in favor of the Rams!

Richter was incredibly versatile, and he was used at Linebacker, Guard, and was also a Kicker.  Regardless of what he was doing on the gridiron, he was incredibly capable as he was named to the Pro Bowl in eight of his nine NFL seasons.  Richter was exceptionally gifted at stopping the run and in a game of tough players, he showed that to a higher level in a game where he broke his cheekbone and continued to play!  He shifted to Center in his last season due to an injury to the incumbent, Art Hunter, a move someone only a player as versatile as Richter could pull off.

He would finally be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 posthumously as a Senior Candidate.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Linebacker
  • Acquired: Traded from the Dallas Texans before the 1952 Season.
  • Departed: Retired after the 1962 Season.
  • Games Played: 112
  • Notable Statistics:

    105 Games Started
    16 Interceptions
    206 Interception Return Yards
    12 Fumble Recoveries
    2.5 Quarterback Sacks**
    1 Kick Return
    4 Kick Return Yards
    29 Field Goals
    55 Field Goal Attempts
    52.7 Field Goal Percentage
    106 Extra Points
    109 Extra Points Attempted
    97.2 Extra Point Percentage
    23 Approximate Value*

    2 Playoff Games
    2 Extra Points
    2 Extra Point Attempts
    2 Extra Point Percentage

    *Approximate Value was not calculated until the 1960 Season.
    **Sacks were unofficially calculated by Pro Football Reference from 1960 to 1981.

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    First Team All-Pro (1956)
    Second Team All-Pro (1958, 1959 & 1960)
    Pro Bowl (1954, 1955, 1956. 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 & 1961)

Last modified on Monday, 01 August 2022 14:41

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