| Tom Fears | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth: | December 3, 1922 |
| Place of birth: | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Date of death: | January 4, 2000 (age 77) |
| Career information | |
| Position(s): | End |
| College: | UCLA |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1948-56 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Career highlights and Awards | |
| Pro Bowls: | 1950 |
| Honors: | NFL 1950s All-Decade Team |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1970 | |
Thomas Jesse Fears (December 3, 1923 - January 4, 2000) was an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time An End in American football is a player who lines up at either end of the Line of scrimmage. This is a List of Athletic Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the All-star game of the National Football League (NFL This is a list of all NFL players who have had outstanding performances throughout the 1950s and have been compiled onto this fantasy group Artistic Gymnastics World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Men's all-around champion Eizo Kenmotsu, Japan Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Athletics Marathon December 5 &mdash Fukuoka Marathon, Japan Men's Winner Saburo Athletics Marathon December 9 &mdash Fukuoka Marathon, Japan Men's Winner Keizo Yamada (JPN 22515
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears was the son of an American mining engineer who had married a Mexican woman, and moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of six. Guadalajara (ˌgwɑːdləˈhɑːrə Spanish pronunciation) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West There, he began to display his ample work ethic by unloading flowers for 25 cents an hour, and later serving as an usher at football games for double that amount.
Fears first played football at Los Angeles' Manual Arts High School, then advanced to compete for Santa Clara University. Santa Clara University is a private co-educational Jesuit -affiliated University located in Santa Clara, California. He spent one year at the latter school before he was drafted for World War II and spent the next three years in military service. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including After his father became a Japanese prisoner of war, Fears sought to become a fighter pilot to fight Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. He became a pilot, but was instead shipped to Colorado Springs to play football for a service team. The City of Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado,
Upon his release, he had been drafted by the Rams in 1945, but remained in school and transferred to UCLA, winning All-American following each of his two seasons at the school. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for His senior campaign nearly ended in abrupt fashion in 1947, when he and some Bruin teammates were investigated for posing in local advertisements for a Los Angeles clothing store. Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West When it was determined that Fears and the other players worked for the store, and were not identified as athletes, the matter was dropped.
The job had been one of many provided by school boosters, and included a brief bit as a pilot in the Humphrey Bogart film, "Action in the North Atlantic. " The largesse by such people led Fears to joke that his $6,000 first-year contract and $500 bonus from the Rams meant that he was taking a pay cut.
Fears was the first player in NFL History to line up on the line of scrimmage, away from the tackle, thus making him the first Wide Receiver in NFL History. Selected as a defensive back by the Rams, Fears quickly made his mark as a wide receiver in 1948, while also displaying his versatility by playing on defense and at tight end. Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The tight end ( TE) is a position in American football on the Offensive team. During his first three seasons at the professional level, he led all NFL receivers in catches, and broke the league's single-season record with 77 catches in 1949. Athletics Marathon International Races August 20 &mdash Enschede Marathon, Netherlands
The record would be short-lived as he increased that mark to 84 during the 1950 NFL season, including a then-record 18 catches in one game against the Green Bay Packers on November 12. The 1950 NFL season was the 31st Regular season of the National Football League. The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay Wisconsin. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days He also helped the team advance to the NFL title game with a trio of touchdown receptions in the divisional playoff against the Chicago Bears, winning All-Pro accolades for the second consecutive year. The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois.
During the ensuing offseason, Fears became embroiled in a contract dispute with the team for the second straight year. The year before, he hinted at leaving the team to work for General Motors Corporation, then announced on March 13, 1951 that he was retiring to work for a local liquor distributor. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Neither threat materialized, and despite offers from four Canadian Football League teams, Fears signed for $13,000. The Canadian Football League (CFL ( Ligue canadienne de football (LCF in
That season, Fears played in only seven games, but helped lead the Rams to their third straight championship game appearance. After two disappointments, the franchise captured its first NFL title since moving to the West Coast, with Fears an integral part of the title game victory when he caught the winning score. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States His 73-yard touchdown reception midway through the fourth quarter broke a 17-17 deadlock with the Cleveland Browns. The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio.
After bouncing back in 1952 with 48 receptions for 600 yards and six scores, the beginning of the end of his career began after he fractured two vertabrae in a October 18, 1953 game against the Detroit Lions. Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit Michigan. Limited to just 23 receptions that year, he would average 40 catches the next two years, but after a preseason injury in 1956, he hauled in only five passes and retired on November 6. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with For the remainder of that campaign, he served as an assistant coach, finishing his playing days with 400 catches for 5,397 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Fears was out of the game for the next two years, but returned briefly as an assistant in the first year of Vince Lombardi's reign with the Packers. Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( June 11, 1913 &ndash September 3, 1970) was an American football coach Business conflicts back in California caused him to leave the position at midseason, but Fears resumed his coaching career the following year with the Rams under former teammate Bob Waterfield. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Robert "Bob" Stanton Waterfield ( July 26, 1920 &ndash March 25, 1983) was an American football player After two seasons in that role, Fears returned to Green Bay for a four-year stint as an assistant, where he was part of championship teams in 1962 and 1965. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar.
Fears applied for the head coaching job with the St. Louis Cardinals (football) after the 1965 NFL season, but after not being chosen, he joined fellow Packer assistant Norb Hecker, who had been named head coach of the expansion Atlanta Falcons. The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. The 1965 NFL season was the 46th Regular season of the National Football League. Norbert Earl Hecker ( May 26, 1927 &ndash March 14, 2004) was a football player and coach who was part of eight National Football The Atlanta Falcons are an American football team based in Atlanta Georgia. In the first game of the 1966 regular season, Fears caused controversy when he accused Rams coach George Allen of attempting to garner inside information on the team from a player that had been cut, charges that were never proven. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. George Herbert Allen ( April 29, 1918 – December 31, 1990) was an American football coach in the NFL and
After that 2-12 first season in Atlanta, Fears became a head coach for the first time when he was hired by the expansion New Orleans Saints on January 27, 1967. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Despite the promise of the team scoring on the first-ever kickoff return in franchise history, Fears' nearly four years at the helm of what became a perennial losing franchise were an exercise in frustration.
In 1970, Fears was recognized for his professional playing career when he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL That March, rumors of Fears replacing the departed Don Shula with the Baltimore Colts surfaced, but Don McCafferty was hired by the Maryland team in early April. Donald Francis Shula (born January 4, 1930 in Grand River, Ohio) is an American former professional football coach Donald William McCafferty ( March 12, 1921 – July 28, 1974) was a football coach who in his first year as head coach of the Issues between Fears and Saints owner John Mecom, Jr. , primarily Fears seeking the additional role of general manager, fueled such speculation. On April 20, the matter ended when he was given control over all player personnel matters. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII.
Fears' tenure in his new dual roles, however, would be short, when the team ended the first half of the 1970 NFL season with a 1-5-1 mark, resulting in his dismissal on November 3 after compiling an overall mark of 13-34-2. The 1970 NFL season was the 51st Regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. He resurfaced a few months later, serving as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles, but when head coach Ed Khayat was fired at the end of the 1972 NFL season, Fears was out of work again. The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd Regular season of the National Football League.
After spending 1973 off the gridiron, Fears was named head coach of the fledgling World Football League's Southern California Sun on January 14, 1974. The World Football League was an American football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. The Southern California Sun were an American football team based out of Anaheim California that played in the World Football Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The fragile financial condition of the entire league resulted in Fears leading the team for less than two years before the WFL folded in October 1975. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Fears' disappointment was soothed somewhat when he was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976, the same year he was named president of the All-Sports Council of Southern California, which helped amateur sports in the area. The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend Indiana, USA is a hall of fame and museum devoted to College football. One year later, he returned to coaching as an assistant at San Bernardino Junior College.
During this period, he was also working as a technical adviser for movies with a football connection, and in 1979, began a football scouting service. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The two roles came together in controversial fashion when Fears began working on the production of "North Dallas Forty," a film that took a look at the sordid side of the professional game. North Dallas Forty is a 1979 Dramatic Film written by Peter Gent and starring Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and
Fears had three clients: the Packers, Houston Oilers and Pittsburgh Steelers, but after the movie was released, Fears saw all three teams drop his services. The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville Tennessee. Claiming that the NFL had blacklisted him, Fears spoke with league commissioner Pete Rozelle (who had worked for the Rams during Fears' playing days), but never again found work in the league.
Remaining on the fringes of the sport, Fears in 1980 worked as a coach for the Chapman College club football team, then became a part-owner of the Orange Empire Outlaws of the California Football League the following year. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Chapman University is a private nonprofit university located in the city of Orange in Orange County, California, USA In 1982, he was hired as player personnel director of the new United States Football League's Los Angeles Express. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. The Los Angeles Express was a team in the United States Football League based in Los Angeles California. Bolstered by huge spending from team owner William Daniels, the team reached the conference championship game, but saw financial troubles doom not only the team, but the league as well.
Fears' final position in football came in 1990, when he was named head coach of the Milan franchise in the fledgling International League of American Football. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Four years later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, spending the final six years of his life battling the disease. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia.
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
| Preceded by First Coach |
New Orleans Saints Head Coaches 1967–1970 |
Succeeded by J.D. Roberts |
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