Don Hutson
| Don Hutson | |
|---|---|
| Don Hutson during his tenure with the Green Bay Packers. | |
| Position(s): Wide Receiver / Safety |
Jersey #(s): 14 |
| Born: January 31 1913 Pine Bluff, Arkansas | |
| Died: June 24 1997 (aged 84) Rancho Mirage, California | |
| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1935–1945 | |
| College: Alabama | |
| Professional Teams | |
| |
| Career Stats | |
| Receptions | 488 |
| Receiving Yards | 7,991 |
| Touchdowns | 99 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
| |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 24, 1997) was the first star wide receiver in National Football League history. He joined the Green Bay Packers out of the University of Alabama in 1935 and retired in 1945 after 11 seasons.
Hutson was a dominant factor in the offensive evolution of pro football. He is credited with creating many of the modern pass routes used in the NFL today. He was the dominant receiver of his day and is widely considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history as he held 18 records when he retired.
In his 11 seasons with the Packers, he was an All-Pro nine times and he set records that weren't broken until several decades later. He led the NFL in receptions eight times, in yards six times, and in touchdown receptions nine times. He finished his pro career with 488 pass receptions, the next best player at that time had 188.
Hutson, who was also a kicker, held three major scoring records: Most consecutive games scoring at least one point, 41, most points in a season, 138, and most points in a career, 825. He scored 31 points in one game, the second highest total in NFL history.[1]
Hutson was inducted into the first class of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the First Professional Football Hall of Fame group in 1963. He was also named to the all-time college football team in 1969, the all-time pro team in 1996.
College
As a freshman at the University of Alabama, Hutson was 6 feet tall and weighed only 160 pounds. Many thought he was too skinny to be a good football player, but he became one of the greatest pass receivers in history.
He could run the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds. He had a long effortless stride, could turn up his speed effortlessly and suddenly and was also a master of fakes.
He didn't start for Alabama until the end of his junior year, but he was an All-American in his senior season, 1934 when the team went 10-0 and won the national title. In Alabama's 29-13 Rose Bowl victory over Stanford University, Hutson caught six passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.[1] Hutson's teammate and fellow end in the Bowl game was coaching legend Bear Bryant.
NFL career
Wide receiver
In one quarter of a 1944 game, he caught four TD passes and kicked five PATs for 29 points.
When he graduated out of Alabama, Hutson was not highly regarded by several NFL teams due to his thin stature. Many coaches felt that he would not be able to handle the rigors of football, but Curly Lambeau of the Packers saw Hutson as the perfect receiver for his passing attack, which at the time was headed by quarterback Arnie Herber and end Johnny "Blood" McNally.
Before the draft came to be, college players would sign with any team they wanted to play with, and while Hutson did sign a contract with Green Bay, he had also signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and both contracts come to the NFL office at the same time. NFL president Joe Carr declared that Hutson would go to Green Bay, as the Green Bay contract had an earlier date of signing.
Hutson later said it was the best thing that happened to him, because the Packers featured a passing attack and the Dodgers didn't.
Fans of the Packers received a preview of things to come in his second NFL game and first start in 1935. Hutson caught an 83-yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber against the Chicago Bears for the only touchdown of the game. It was the first of 99 receiving touchdowns, an NFL record that would stand for 44 years after his retirement.
Hutson became the key component to the Packers lethal offensive attack, as the Packers won the NFL title in only Hutson's second year, 1936, beating the Boston Redskins 21-6. The Packers would go on to win two more titles during Hutson's career, in 1939 and 1944. Hutson shocked the fans of Green Bay in 1945 when he announced his retirement after playing 11 seasons. He would stay with the Packers as an assistant coach in 1946, but then left the organization for good.
In an era when successful passing attacks were virtually unheard of, Don Hutson and the Green Bay Packers flourished via the air. Hutson held 18 major NFL records at the time of his retirement. Several of these records stood for decades.
Twice, in 1941 and 1942, he was named the league’s MVP. In 1941 Hutson became the first receiver to catch more than 50 passes in a season, and the next year he became the first with over 1,000 receiving yards in a season. In all, Hutson caught 488 passes for 7,991 yards. He rushed for three touchdowns and returned three interceptions for touchdowns for a career total of 105. Hutson led the NFL in receptions eight times in his 11 seasons, including five consecutive times (1941-1945). He led the NFL in receiving yards seven times, including four straight times from 1941-44. He led the NFL in scoring five times (1941-45). Hutson still holds the highest career average TDs per game (0.85) for a wide receiver.
As of the end of the 2007 NFL season, Hutson still holds the following records: Most seasons leading league in pass receptions (8), Most consecutive seasons leading league in pass receptions (5), Most seasons leading league in pass receiving yards gained (7), Most consecutive seasons leading league in pass receiving yards gained (4), Most seasons leading league in pass receiving touchdowns (9), Most consecutive seasons leading league in pass receiving touchdowns (5), Most seasons leading league in scoring (5), and Most consecutive seasons leading league in scoring (5) (Source: NFL Record and fact book).[1]
In his last pro season his salary, highest in the league, was $15,000.
Defense and special teams
For many of his 11 seasons, Hutson was also the Packers' kicker. He added 172 extra points and 7 field goals for another league record, 823 points.
As did almost all players in his day, Hutson played both offense and defense. On defense, Hutson was a very good safety who intercepted 30 passes over the final six years of his career. Hutson's highest season total was in 1943, when Hutson intercepted eight passes in only 10 games.
He spent two years as an assistant coach of the Packers. Then, living in Green Bay and active in civic affairs, he became wealthy as the owner of an auto dealership and bowling lanes in Racine, Wis.
Legacy
Hutson has been honored in a variety of ways. Don Hutson Street in Green Bay is named for him, his number, 14, was the first number retired by the Packers, he is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and in 1994 the Packers named their new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility across the street from Lambeau Field the "Don Hutson Center."
Hutson was a charter member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1999, he was ranked sixth on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking Packer and the highest-ranking pre-World War II player.
In 2005 the Flagstad family of Green Bay donated to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame an authentic Packers #14 jersey worn by Hutson. The jersey was found in a trunk of old uniforms from 1946 at the Rockwood Lodge, the Packers’ summer training camp from 1946 to 1949, owned by Melvin and Helen Flagstad. The jersey, a rare NFL artifact valued at more than $17,000, was donated by Daniel Flagstad in memory of his parents.
Don Hutson also tossed the ceremonial coin at Super Bowl XXII.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Donald M. Hutson Hickoksports.com. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
External links
- Packers.com - Don Hutson. Packers.com. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- Member - Pro Football Hall of Fame - Don Hutson. Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- Long before Rice, Hutson defined WR. ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- Hutson was first modern receiver. ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- Packers Hall Of Fame Receives Rare Don Hutson Jersey. Packers.com. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- Don Hutson, Star Pass-Catcher, Dies at 84
- You take Rice, we'll take Hutson
- Don Huston's First NFL Game
- Isbell-to-Hutson-to-Title?
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