Daryl Lamonica was the Notre Dame Irish Quarterback from 1960-’62.
He completed 99 of 211 passes for 1363 yards and 8 TDs, while rushing for 353 yards on 144 carries, scoring 10 rushing TDs.
Chose by both the Bills and Packers in the respective AFL and NFL Drafts in 1963.
Played for the Bills from 1963-’66 primarily backing up Jack Kemp.
Traded to the Oakland Raiders in a player deal in 1967.
Fit perfectly in the Raiders long bomb game, leading the Raiders immediately to Super Bowl II.
Threw for 3,228 yards and 30 TDs in first season with Oakland.
In ’68 completed 206 of 416 passes for 3,245 yards and 25 TDs.
Threw for 401 yards in the AFL Championship game but ultimately lost to the New York Jets.
Completed 221 of 426 passes for 3,302 yards and 34 TDs- all career highs in 1969.
Set NFL record with 6 TDs in first half of game that season.
Again lost in championship game, this time to the Chiefs.
Threw for 2,516 yards in ’70, along with 22 TDs on 179 of 356 passes.
On the backside of his career, Lamonica still managed to throw for 16 and 18 TDs respectively in 1971 and ’72.
Entering the 1973 season, he’d be relegated to back up duty for the final two years of his career in Oakland, with the emergency of Kenny Stabler.
Still feeling that he could play, Daryl jumped ship to the WFL.
He’d play for the Sothern California Sun, but the league folded by October of that year.
An avid outdoorsman, Lamonica loved fishing and spent a lot of his free time indulging in his hobby.
Over his career Lamonica posted an amazing starting record of 66-16-6.
ACCOLADES:
MVP East-West Shrine Game 1962
AFL MVP 1967, ’69
First Team All-AFL 1967, ’69
Pro Bowl 1970, ’72
AFL Championship MVP 1967
AFL Player of the Year 1967, ’69
NOTES:
I’d been tracking Lamonica’s autograph for a while and saw a spike up to around 40 bucks after he passed. That was way too rich for my blood. I waited patiently and the right deal popped up.
Lamonica is another player from the days of the AFL who just doesn’t get enough respect and should be in the HoF. Daryl at one point led professional football with 145 touchdown passes from 1967-’72.
EPITAPH:
April 21, 2022- Daryl Lamonica died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes, at the age of 80, while at his home in Fresno, Ca.
Gary Garrison played WR at San Diego State, and was the record holder in career touchdown receptions with 26 and with 1,272 receiving yards in a season at the time of his departure from the school.
Drafted by the Chargers in the first round of the 1965 AFL draft and the 6th round of the NFL Draft by the Eagles.
In ’68 caught 52 passes for 1,103 yards and 10 TDs including an 84 yarder.
Caught 44 passes for 1,006 yards and 12 TDs in 1970.
Tied a career high in 1972 with 52 receptions.
Played with the Chargers through the 1976 season, totaling 7,553 yards and 58 TDs with the team.
Had one final season in 1977 with the Houston Oilers and retired.
ACCOLADES:
Chargers Hall of Fame 1985
AFL All-Star 1968
Pro Bowl 1970-’72
Chargers 50th Anniversary Team
NOTES:
I couldn’t understand why the price on this card had inflated so much at the time but obviously it had to do with the demand placed on it because of COVID. I waited it out and eventually got it at a fair price of about $8.00.
John Mackey played RB and WR at Syracuse from 1960-’62.
He rushed for 259 yards on 58 carries, scoring 2 TDs while catching 27 passes for 481 yards and 6 TDs over his college career.
Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft.
Made an immediate impact as a TE, catching 35 passes for 726 yards and 7 TDs.
Over the next 7 following seasons- he never failed to reach 400 yards or catch at least 22 passes.
In ’65 he had 30 catches for 814 yards and 7 TDs.
Then in ’66 he caught 50 passes for a career high 829 yards and 9 TDs.
Finally in ’67 Mackey caught a career high 55 passes.
Caught an acrobatic75 yard TD from Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V over the Dallas Cowboys.
He’d play with the Colts through the 1971 season.
After an acrimonious departure from Baltimore, Mackey played a final season in 1972 with the San Diego Chargers.
A knee injury ended his career- but over that period he played in 139 out of a possible 140 games- a testament to his durability.
ACCOLADES:
Syracuse Orangemen #88 retired
NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
Pro Bowl 1963, ’65-68
All Pro 1966-1968
Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor
Pro Football Hall of Fame
100 Greatest Football Players
Nassau County High School Athletic Hall of Fame
NOTES:
John Mackey is considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time and he was the second pure TE inducted into the HoF in 1992. He revolutionized the position with his combination speed and power.
He was also instrumental in unionizing the players into the NFLPA, serving as the group’s first president after the merger, and held that capacity from 1970-’73. (He was blackballed at the end of his career, but squeezed out a final year in San Diego.) Mackey organized the first labor strike, and helped overturn the ‘Rozelle Rule’ (which was in regards to free agency).
Frontotemporal dementia entered his life and it became harder and harder for him to function, and after a few bizarre social episodes, he entered full-time assisted living. Mackey’s wife reached out to Paul Tagliabue, who then worked with then current NFLPA president Gene Upshaw to create a new plan that would help cover the cost of former NFL players struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It was called the ’88 Plan’ in Mackey’s honor.
In a final note, it’s very important with Mackey to make sure that you are getting a certified autograph of his- as there is a bustling market of fake autographs of his circulating in the wild.
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LG
331
5236
15.8
38
89t
EPITAPH:
7/6/2011- John Mackey passed away at the age of 69. His brain was posthumously donated to science, where it was discovered he suffered from CTE.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
