 Haynes displayed on a 1960 card | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 28 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1937-09-19)September 19, 1937 Denton, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Died: | July 18, 2024(2024-07-18) (aged 86) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Lincoln (Dallas) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | North Texas State (1957–1959) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1960: 5th round, 55th pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1960: First selectionsth round | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Abner Haynes (September 19, 1937 – July 18, 2024) was an American professionalfootball player who was ahalfback andreturn specialist in theAmerican Football League (AFL). He playedcollege football for theNorth Texas State Eagles and was selected by theOakland Raiders in the1960 AFL draft. He was also chosen by thePittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the1960 NFL draft.
Born inDenton, Texas, Haynes graduated fromLincoln High School inDallas in 1956.[1] He playedcollege football atNorth Texas State College in Denton (now theUniversity of North Texas),[2] where he and teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1957.[1][3]
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Although selected in the fifth round (55th overall) of the1960 NFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers, Haynes chose to play for the AFL'sDallas Texans, signing his contract with the team under the goal posts ofKidd Field after the1959 Sun Bowl. Haynes led the AFL in rushing attempts, yards, and TDs in its first year.[1] Haynes' father, a minister, advised that the young man play in the AFL after coachBuddy Parker and quarterbackBobby Layne of the Steelers made a drunken visit to Haynes' house.
Haynes helped popularize the AFL in 1960, when he was the fledgling league's firstPlayer of the Year, and its firstRookie of the Year. He captured the AFL's first rushing crown with 875 yards, and also led the Texans in receiving, punt returns, and kickoff returns. Haynes spent three years in Dallas and two with same franchise when it became theKansas City Chiefs in1963. The Chiefs and the North Texas Eagles bothretired his number 28 in honor of his many achievements.
"He was a franchise player before they talked about franchise players", praised Stram. "He did it all – rushing, receiving, kickoff returns, punt returns. He gave us the dimension we needed to be a good team in Dallas."[4][5] The 6-foot (1.83 m), 190-pound (86 kg) Haynes, who had great speed and dazzling moves in the open field, was regularly among the AFL's top 10 rushers (3rd all-time), and set AFL records with 5 touchdowns in a game, 19 in a season in1961, and 46 in his career. Haynes still owns 10 Texans franchise records, including most points in a game (30), most touchdowns in a game (5), and most career combined yards (8,442). He was Hall of Fame head coachHank Stram's most versatile and dangerous weapon from 1960 to 1962, amassing 43 touchdowns and 4,472 yards on rushes and receptions. In 1962, he helped the Texans win theAFL championship game in the classic double-overtime victory over the two-time defending championHouston Oilers. At the time it was the longestprofessional football championship game ever played. In that game, Haynes scored touchdowns on a 28-yard pass reception from quarterbackLen Dawson, and on a 2-yard run.
Another notable game for Haynes was in1962 on September 30 against theBuffalo Bills at theCotton Bowl; he ran for 164 yards on just 16 attempts (10+ yards per carry), with two touchdown runs, one of 71 yards and one of 13 yards, in the Texans' 41–21 victory.[6]
Haynes was then traded to theDenver Broncos prior to the 1965 season. Haynes believed that the trade was retribution for his participation in several black players boycotting the 1965American Football League All-Star game, which was supposed to be in New Orleans, due to the black players' mistreatment by hotels and businesses in New Orleans. The game was quickly moved to Houston after the players' protests. According to Haynes, he received a letter from the Chiefs' organization reprimanding him for his actions, and he was soon traded after.[7][8] In1965, he scored three rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns, and returned one punt for a touchdown. He also led the league in kick returns (34), kick return yards (901), kick return average (26.5), and was fourth in the league in all-purpose yards (1,404). On Oct 17, he returned 3 kicks 140 yards for a franchise record 46.7 average.[9] In1966, he had 304 yards rushing and 480 receiving, but led the league with 11 fumbles and was let go. In 1967, he played for both theMiami Dolphins,[10] and theNew York Jets.[11]
During his 8 professional seasons, Haynes carried the ball 1,036 times for 4,630 yards, a 4.5 average; caught 287 passes for 3,535 yards, a 12.3 average, and 20 touchdowns; returned 85 punts for 875 yards, a 10.3 average, and 1 touchdown; and ran back 121 kickoffs for 3,025 yards, a 25.0 average, and 1 touchdown. His 12,065 combined yards is the American Football League record. Haynes had three games in which he gained 100 or more yards on 14 or fewer carries, and was selected to theAll-Time All-AFL second-team. He had a program called "Heroes of Football" which connects former professional players with their communities.
In 2019, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Haynes to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2019.[12]
In the1962 AFL Championship Game, Haynes made what could have been a costly error at the start of overtime.[13] Coach Stram, aware of the strong winds atJeppesen Stadium, instructed Haynes, should the Texans win thecoin toss, to choose the end of the field facing the stadium clock, which would give the Texans the wind at their backs. (In professional American football, the team winning the coin toss can choose either to elect whether to kickoff or receive the kickoff, or elect which goal to defend. If that team's election is regarding the kickoff, the other team gets to elect which goal to defend; and vice versa.)
The Texans won the coin toss. Haynes, assuming that when the Texans elected which goal to defend, the Oilers would elect to receive the kickoff (thereby gaining first possession of the ball), told the referee, "We'll kick to the clock." However, by starting with the words "We'll kick", Haynes had made the election for the Texans to kick off, allowing the Oilers, not the Texans, to choose which goal to defend.[13] The Texans saved Haynes from embarrassment by not allowing the Oilers to score in that first overtime, then won the game onTommy Brooker's field goal 2 minutes and 54 seconds into the second overtime (after the teams had switched ends).
When asked about his mistake following the game, Haynes said "I knew we'd need the wind behind us in the sixth quarter."
Haynes was a cousin ofSly Stone,Rose Stone, andFreddie Stone ofSly and the Family Stone.[14]
Haynes died in Dallas on July 18, 2024, at the age of 86.[15]
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