When a guy carries the nickname “Speedy,” you can safely assume he wasn’t often getting caught from behind. Leslie Herbert “Speedy” Duncan went undrafted out of Jackson State in 1964 by both the NFL and the AFL, then signed with the San Diego Chargers and quickly showed why the name fit. He saw limited action as a rookie, but by 1965 he had become a starting cornerback and a dangerous return man on both punts and kicks. At 5-foot-10 and about 180 pounds, he had the speed to cover receivers and the quickness and vision to make defenders miss in the open field once he got the ball.

From 1965 through 1967, he was an AFL All-Star every year. In 1965 he led the league in both punt-return yards and yards per return (15.5 average on 30 returns, including two touchdowns), and he repeated as the yards-per-return leader the following season. In 1966, he also had his best year as a defender, picking off seven passes—including three in one game against the Raiders—and in 1967 he took one interception back 100 yards for a score, the longest in AFL history at the time. He returned four punts for touchdowns during his Chargers years and was so effective that opposing punters started aiming for height and field position instead of pure distance just to keep the ball out of his hands. He was the rare dual-threat who could shut down a receiver one play and flip the field the next.

Duncan stayed with the Chargers through the 1970 season before signing with the Washington Redskins. Across his seven years in San Diego, he finished with 21 interceptions and more than 5,300 combined return yards, production that made him one of the most explosive playmakers the early Chargers ever had.

In 1995, the franchise inducted him into its Hall of Fame, and he was later named to both the Chargers’ 40th and 50th Anniversary Teams, recognizing the speedy cornerback and return specialist who turned special teams into a weapon during the AFL years.