The Kansas Comet was able to electrify fans like no one else in NFL history. But the Hall of Fame running back still considers himself old school when it comes to respecting the game of football.
Q. Do you recall meeting George Halas for the first time when you were a quiet and shy first-round draft pick out of Kansas in 1965?
A. You respect older people, and that is the way I was brought up. I never had a problem with George Halas. All he wanted you to do was to show up in shape and give 100 percent. And I did that. A lot of players wouldn’t come to training camp in shape. And three weeks into camp, we had our first exhibition game. You can’t get in shape in three weeks.
Q. You tied an NFL record by scoring six touchdowns during one muddy game against the San Francisco 49ers at Wrigley Field in 1965. Your six touchdowns included an 80-yard pass reception, a 50-yard run and a 65-yard punt return. Did Halas say anything special to you after that incredible performance?
A. He didn’t say anything unusual. Back then, we weren’t interested in records and anything like that. If you got ahead by 20 points, you took out the first string and put in the second string. I probably could have scored eight touchdowns that particular day. It didn’t make any difference, and we wanted to win the ballgame. After that game, [Halas] said: “You had a great game.” And that was it. That’s all I wanted to hear.
Q. You scored an NFL rookie-record 22 touchdowns in just 14 games, and a devastating knee injury in 1968 curtailed your career before the 1972 season. Yet you were the youngest player (34) to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. How has the game changed over the past three or four decades?
A. The game is blocking and tackling, getting in shape and taking care of business. A lot of antics that players use today, I don’t like.
Q. What do you think Halas’ reaction would have been if you spiked the ball in the end zone or did a celebratory dance after scoring a touchdown?
A. The players then felt the entertainment was the game on the field. Whatever you did off the field was a different story. But we wanted to entertain our fans on the field. We didn’t jump up and down and turn flips and dance in the end zone.
Q. The Bears have played more home seasons (50) at Wrigley Field than they have at Soldier Field. What was it like playing football at Wrigley Field?
A. Wrigley is probably the best place to play a football game. The fans were right there close to the field.
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