| No. 24 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | (1937-06-15)June 15, 1937 (age 87) El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 177 lb (80 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | El Dorado | ||||
| College: | Arkansas | ||||
| AFL draft: | 1960: 2 Pick: First Selections (by theNew York Titans)th round | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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James W. Mooty (born June 15, 1937) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected first-teamAll-American by theAssociated Press in 1959 while playingcollege football for theArkansas Razorbacks.
Mooty attendedEl Dorado High School where he was a four-sport athlete. He was named to the football All-state team three years in a row and was a prepAll-American as a senior.
He accepted a scholarship from theUniversity of Arkansas, where he was anAll-Americanrunning back for head coachFrank Broyles and a teammate ofLance Alworth,Wayne Harris andBarry Switzer.
As a junior, he left school and went back home after the sixth loss of the season. Switzer, Mooty's roommate went along with Broyles to ask him to return. The team also voted to take Mooty back after losing two games.[1]
In 1959, he nearly quit football again because of head injuries, but came back to have his best season registering 519 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns (led the league). He helped his team win theSouthwest Conference Co-Championship with a 9-2 record, which included the clinchingtouchdown run againstTexas A&M University. He was the Most Valuable Player in the1960 Gator Bowl after scoring the winning touchdown, with a 19-yard run againstGeorgia Tech, still considered to be a storied play in school history.[2]
Mooty finished his college career after rushing for 1,152 yards on 211 carries for an average of 5.4 yards, 9 touchdowns and 13 receptions for 156 yards.[3] He returned kickoffs, highlighted by a 100-yard return againstHardin–Simmons University in 1958. He also practicedcollege baseball.
He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor. In 1981, he was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the Union County Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named to the University of Arkansas All-Century Team and All-Decade Team of the 1950s.
Mooty was signed by theDallas Cowboys after goingundrafted in the1960 NFL draft, because he was considered small to playrunning back in theNational Football League.
He was a part of the franchise'sinaugural season and was a backupsafety in 7 games, after suffering a torn quadriceps in his left leg duringtraining camp. On June 9,1961, he announced his retirement.[4]
Mooty is involved in the Hospital Clinics business.