One of the forgotten greats of the game, Hugh McElhenny scored a TD the first time he carried the ball after joining the 49ers in 1952, as the franchise’s #1 draft pick. He’d go on to become a member of the ‘Million Dollar Backfield’ for the franchise, and after 10 seasons in the league, had already cemented himself in NFL lore as one of the top 5 NFL rushers of all-time. An explosive halfback, McElhenny was feared not only as a rusher, but as a pass receiver and kick returner as well. In his rookie year, he’d average an incredible 7.0 yards a pop on 98 carries, carried by a career long 89 yard romp for a TD. Moonlighting as a punt returner, he also cashed in on a 94 yard return for a TD. At the time there was no Rookie of the Year Honors in the NFL, however he was recognized by his peers as the best overall rookie in the league. His best year came in 1956, when he carried the ball 185 times for 916 yards and 8 TDs- recording 1,109 yards from scrimmage.
In 1961, Hugh joined the Minnesota Vikings as an expansion selection. He’d spend two seasons there, but not before recording his final Pro Bowl effort in 1961. Age and injury began to take their toll on Hugh after that, and while he didn’t see time as a full-time starter, he’d play for the Vikings in 1962, Packers/Giants in 1963 and Lions in 1964 before retiring.
Hugh was a prolific runner in college. Transferring from Compton JC to Washington- he’d rush for over 1,000 yards in 1950, and set school marks with 296 yards rushing in a single game. He’d earn All-America Honors at fullback, but saw action on special teams as a kicker, punt returner and kick returner. Over 3 years for the Huskies, McElhenny logged 2,499 yards rushing, 122 yards passing and 2,621 yards total offense.
McElhenny after retirement, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970, the College Football Hall of Fame, and had his number retired by the San Fransisco 49ers and is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame. In addition, he was a 6 time pro bowler, 5 time First team All Pro, and was named a member of the 1950’s All Decade Team. McElhenny dabbled in broadcasting working for the ‘9ers working preseason games for a few years there and was involved with a push to get an expansion team awarded to Seattle.
Hugh is a diamond in the rough frequently overlooked by fans for his autograph because he played in a bygone era when teams played 12-14 game seasons. This reflects on his statistics, and while not gaudy by current standards, they were nonetheless impressive based on their time and era. He currently remains easily obtainable TTM and signs for a very modest fee.
G/Gp
RUSH
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
143/107
1124
5281
4.7
38
89T
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
264
3247
12.3
20
77
KR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
83
1921
23.1
0
55
PR
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
126
920
7.3
2
94T
UPDATE 6/23/22- Hugh McElhenny stopped signing within the year that I got his autograph. He passed away June 17th at the age of 92 due to natural causes.
Lance played college ball for the Texas Longhorns from 1989-1992 at safety. A hard hitting rangy product and solid special teams contributor, he had 298 total tackles, 6 sacks, and 10 interceptions (1 TD) over his 4 years in Austin.
He’d be selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the 1993 draft. Lance ended up starting 8 games for Cinci at strong safety recording 25 solo stops and 3 assists, along with one fumble recovery- before a knee injury ultimately cut short his season and his NFL career.
Lance reappeared on the football scene in 1997 playing one year for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFLE. He decided to hang up his cleats in 1998 after he donated a kidney to his father.
As a footnote, Lance decided to give football one more shot in 1999 with the Texas Terminators of the IPFL. He made it through training camp and was going to be their starting safety, but right before the first game of the season, Frito Lay made him an offer to come on board that he could not refuse. As of 2019, Lance lives in the Austin area.
I was pretty much ducking out of trading cards by this point. The price to value ratio, combined with the design was just not that great. I do remember being at Cowboys Training Camp at St. Edwards that Summer in 1993, and picking up a few packs of Classic 1993 at Mr. K’s Sports Cards. I was happy to pull the Classic 93 card of Lance while walking back to camp- and then now getting it signed a bit over 26 years later.
Doug Williams played his college ball at Texas A&M from 1982-1985. The 6’5″, 300 pound lineman blocked up front for future notable NFL runningbacks Keith Woodside, Anthony Toney, and Roger Vick. He’d be selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL draft by the New York Jets.
After a brief holdout, he’d sign with the team. Unfairly he’d be thrust into action in the preseason against the formidable Giants pass rush which included Lawrence Taylor and Leonard Marshall. The team cut him before the regular season citing his lack of camp prep time as a main reason for his dismissal.
Doug signed with the Houston Oilers and suited up for 15 games, starting 2 that year. He then started 7 of 8 games for Houston in the strike shortened 1987 season playing primarily tackle.
Doug was selected in 1992 by the San Antonio Riders of the World League. He made the roster and had a great season blocking up front for the league’s leading rusher Ivory Lee Brown and quarterback Mike Johnson. The Riders cruised to a 7-3 record before the league went on hiatus.
Class act by Doug here, as he not only signed my card, he added his own inscribed photo as well and sent it back on his own dime! I struggled mightily to find Doug over the years as his name is a fairly common one. Thankfully Wikipedia gave me a solid lead to move forward with to narrow down the names.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
