Pete Lammons

Pete Lammons
No. 87, 86
PositionTight end
Personal information
Born(1943-10-20)October 20, 1943
Crockett, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 29, 2021(2021-04-29) (aged 77)
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolJacksonville
(Jacksonville, Texas)
CollegeTexas
NFL draft1966: 14th round, 213th overall pick
AFL draft1966: 8th round, 68th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL/AFL statistics
Receptions185
Receiving yards2,364
Touchdowns14
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Peter Spencer Lammons Jr. (October 20, 1943 – April 29, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the American Football League (AFL)'s New York Jets and the NFL's Green Bay Packers. He won the AFL Championship with the Jets in 1968, and played in their victory over the National Football League (NFL) champion Baltimore Colts in the third AFL-NFL World Championship game (aka Super Bowl III). He also won a National Championship with the 1963 Texas Longhorns football team

Early life

As a high school freshman, Lammons played briefly under NFL coach Bum Phillips during his tenure as head coach at Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Texas. They met again briefly in January 1968 on the sidelines of the 1967 AFL All Star Game. Lammons, playing in his first and only All Star Game, greeted Phillips, who was an assistant with the San Diego Chargers organization, after the game with a question: "Bum, does this mean I can claim you as a coach?" Phillips allegedly responded "You can claim me as your'n if I can claim you as mine, Pete!"

College career

Lammons played end for Darrell Royal's Texas Longhorns from 1963 to 1965. In 1963 the team went undefeated and won the conference, the Cotton Bowl and the National Championship. In 1964 they finished the season by upsetting No. 1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl. He left Texas as the career leader in receptions and receiving yards – records that would not be broken until 1981 – and still hold the record for most TD receptions in a game (3, tied with Pat Fitzgerald and D.J. Grant).[1] He led the school in receptions in both 1964 and 1965 and was a consensus All-Conference receiver in 1965.[2]

Professional career

Lammons was drafted in the 8th round (68th overall) of the 1966 AFL draft by the New York Jets and in the 14th round (213th overall) of the 1966 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He selected to play for the Jets. During his rookie year he played well enough to come in 4th for the Offensive Rookie of the Year and was the top TE/WR in the voting. The next year he went to the All-Star Game, the AFL's equivalent of the Pro Bowl and helped the Jets win Super Bowl III catching 2 passes for 13 yards in the game. He played four more seasons with the Jets and then one with Green Bay – though he saw such limited playing time with Green Bay that he only caught one pass – before retiring.

After retiring, Lammons got into real estate and partnered with former teammate Jim Hudson in the thoroughbred racing business.[3]

NFL/AFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1966 NYJ 14 14 41 565 13.8 60 4
1967 NYJ 14 14 45 515 11.4 61 2
1968 NYJ 13 13 32 400 12.5 27 3
1969 NYJ 14 14 33 400 12.1 25 2
1970 NYJ 14 14 25 316 12.6 30 2
1971 NYJ 14 14 8 149 18.6 27 1
1972 GNB 12 0 1 19 19.0 19 0
95 83 185 2,364 12.8 61 14

Playoffs

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1968 NYJ 2 2 6 65 10.8 20 1
1969 NYJ 1 1 3 37 12.3 14 0
1972 GNB 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
4 3 9 102 11.3 20 1

Death

Lammons died on April 29, 2021, when he fell from a boat during a Major League Fishing tournament on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas. He was 77 years old.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Individual Records Passing Rushing and Receiving" (PDF). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Pete Lammons". Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ "Pete Lammons, a tight end on Jets' Super Bowl team in 1969, dies at 77 in fishing boat accident". April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Windes, Isaac (May 8, 2021). "'Super Bowl Pete' Lammons dies in drowning accident". The Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved January 31, 2024.