Direckshun
08-20-2008, 08:07 PM
http://www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/but-can-he-catch.html
But Can He Catch?
August 20, 2008 - Bob Gretz |
What would you think if the Chiefs went out and signed a 6-5, 190-pound wide receiver who will be 22 years old on Thursday?
Oh, did I mention he’s fast. Very fast. I mean very, very, very fast.
That guy is available. His name is Usain Bolt.
If you havent’ been paying attention to the Summer Olympic Games from Beijing, China then Bolt may not be a familiar name. He should be. On Wednesday, the Jamaican sprinter won the gold medal in the 200 meters, setting a world record in 19.3 seconds. Combined with his victory in the 100 meters (another world record in 9.69 seconds), Bolt is the first man to sweep the 100 & 200 in the same games since Carl Lewis in 1984.
How fast is this guy? His time in the 200 meters broke down to 9.65 seconds in each 100 meters, which was faster than his world-record time in the 100 meters.
If you saw Bolt on television you know that he’s one chiseled guy, with something like 5 percent body fat. He’s got no background in the game of football, not even as a kid playing in the neighborhood. Growing up in Jamaica, Bolt played cricket and it was there that his great speed and athletic ability first became evident.
That would make it very tough for Bolt to survive in the NFL. Former sprinter and NFL wide receiver Willie Gault said Wednesday that it would be a “difficult task” to get Bolt up to speed on the gridiron.
But history has shown us that the fastest man alive can sometimes make the transition to football, of course it always helps if he had a background in the game before hitting Olympic gold.
It was 44 years ago that a young man out of Florida named Bob Hayes. In the 1964 Summer Games in Tokoyo, Hayes won the 100 meters in a world record time of 10 seconds. That same year, the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and the Denver Broncos took him in the 14th round in the AFL Draft. Hayes had played football at Florida A&M and after signing with the Cowboys, he played 11 seasons. Hayes caught 371 passes for 7,414 yards and 71 TD passes.
At that same ‘64 Olympics Henry Carr won the gold medal in the 200 meters. He played three seasons (37 games) with the New York Giants as a safety.
In the ‘68 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Jimmy Hines won the 100 meters in 9.95 seconds. Hines came out of Texas Southern University where he played some football. The Miami Dolphins drafted him in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft and he signed with the Fins four days after the Olympics ended. Hines played in 10 games with Miami in that ‘69 season, catching two passes and returning one kickoff. Near the end of the ‘70 season, Hines was available and he signed with the Chiefs, playing in one game.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos who won gold and bronze in the 200 meters became better known for their medal platform protest in Mexico City. Smith played in two games with the Cincinnati Bengals in ‘69, catching one pass for 41 yards. Carlos was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, spent one year there, most of that time injured and he then spent two years in the Canadian Football League.
Robert Taylor won the silver medal in the 100 meters at the ‘72 Olympics in Munich, finishing behind Russia’s Valeri Borzov. Taylor had a tryout with the Chiefs after the Olympics but nothing came of his football career.
Sam Graddy won the silver medal in the 100 meters at the ‘84 Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing behind Carl Lewis. Graddy went on to play two seasons with the Denver Broncos and three years with the Los Angeles Raiders.
Michael Bates won the bronze medal in the 200 meters in the ‘92 Olympics in Barcelona. Bates went on to have a Pro Bowl career as a special teams player with the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs once had another Olympic sprinter in uniform. That was Stone Johnson, who ran in the ‘60 Olympics in Rome. He also played college football at Grambling and he signed with the Chiefs and went to their first training camp in ‘63. It was during a pre-season game in August that was played in Wichita where Johnson suffered a broken neck and died 10 days later. His number 33 has never been worn by a Chiefs player since his death.
But Can He Catch?
August 20, 2008 - Bob Gretz |
What would you think if the Chiefs went out and signed a 6-5, 190-pound wide receiver who will be 22 years old on Thursday?
Oh, did I mention he’s fast. Very fast. I mean very, very, very fast.
That guy is available. His name is Usain Bolt.
If you havent’ been paying attention to the Summer Olympic Games from Beijing, China then Bolt may not be a familiar name. He should be. On Wednesday, the Jamaican sprinter won the gold medal in the 200 meters, setting a world record in 19.3 seconds. Combined with his victory in the 100 meters (another world record in 9.69 seconds), Bolt is the first man to sweep the 100 & 200 in the same games since Carl Lewis in 1984.
How fast is this guy? His time in the 200 meters broke down to 9.65 seconds in each 100 meters, which was faster than his world-record time in the 100 meters.
If you saw Bolt on television you know that he’s one chiseled guy, with something like 5 percent body fat. He’s got no background in the game of football, not even as a kid playing in the neighborhood. Growing up in Jamaica, Bolt played cricket and it was there that his great speed and athletic ability first became evident.
That would make it very tough for Bolt to survive in the NFL. Former sprinter and NFL wide receiver Willie Gault said Wednesday that it would be a “difficult task” to get Bolt up to speed on the gridiron.
But history has shown us that the fastest man alive can sometimes make the transition to football, of course it always helps if he had a background in the game before hitting Olympic gold.
It was 44 years ago that a young man out of Florida named Bob Hayes. In the 1964 Summer Games in Tokoyo, Hayes won the 100 meters in a world record time of 10 seconds. That same year, the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and the Denver Broncos took him in the 14th round in the AFL Draft. Hayes had played football at Florida A&M and after signing with the Cowboys, he played 11 seasons. Hayes caught 371 passes for 7,414 yards and 71 TD passes.
At that same ‘64 Olympics Henry Carr won the gold medal in the 200 meters. He played three seasons (37 games) with the New York Giants as a safety.
In the ‘68 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Jimmy Hines won the 100 meters in 9.95 seconds. Hines came out of Texas Southern University where he played some football. The Miami Dolphins drafted him in the sixth round of the 1968 NFL Draft and he signed with the Fins four days after the Olympics ended. Hines played in 10 games with Miami in that ‘69 season, catching two passes and returning one kickoff. Near the end of the ‘70 season, Hines was available and he signed with the Chiefs, playing in one game.
Tommie Smith and John Carlos who won gold and bronze in the 200 meters became better known for their medal platform protest in Mexico City. Smith played in two games with the Cincinnati Bengals in ‘69, catching one pass for 41 yards. Carlos was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, spent one year there, most of that time injured and he then spent two years in the Canadian Football League.
Robert Taylor won the silver medal in the 100 meters at the ‘72 Olympics in Munich, finishing behind Russia’s Valeri Borzov. Taylor had a tryout with the Chiefs after the Olympics but nothing came of his football career.
Sam Graddy won the silver medal in the 100 meters at the ‘84 Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing behind Carl Lewis. Graddy went on to play two seasons with the Denver Broncos and three years with the Los Angeles Raiders.
Michael Bates won the bronze medal in the 200 meters in the ‘92 Olympics in Barcelona. Bates went on to have a Pro Bowl career as a special teams player with the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs once had another Olympic sprinter in uniform. That was Stone Johnson, who ran in the ‘60 Olympics in Rome. He also played college football at Grambling and he signed with the Chiefs and went to their first training camp in ‘63. It was during a pre-season game in August that was played in Wichita where Johnson suffered a broken neck and died 10 days later. His number 33 has never been worn by a Chiefs player since his death.