 Roland with theMissouri Tigers in 1962 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 23 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1943-05-21)May 21, 1943 (age 82) Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Roy Miller (Corpus Christi) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Missouri (1962, 1964–1965) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1965: 4th round, 54th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1965: red shirt 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Johnny Earl Roland (born May 21, 1943) is an American former professionalfootball player and coach in theNational Football League (NFL). He played as arunning back for theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1966 to 1972 and theNew York Giants in 1973. Roland playedcollege football for theMissouri Tigers, earning consensusAll-American honors as adefensive back in 1965. He was the star running back of the first racially integrated high school team to win a Texas state football championship. After his playing days, he served as an assistant coach with the number of NFL teams and at theUniversity of Notre Dame. Roland was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1998.
Roland was born on May 21, 1943, inCorpus Christi, Texas.[1] He playedhigh school football atRoy Miller High School in Corpus Christi, and in 1960 led the team to a 13–1 record and the 4A State Championship, the first racially integrated team in Texas to win a state high school championship.[2][3][4]
On the way to the 1960 championship, the Buccaneers won three playoff games to reach the finals, including a win againstPort Arthur which was led by future college and NFL Hall of fame coachJimmy Johnson.[5][6] They defeatedWichita Falls in the championship game, one of the country's best high school teams (which appeared in four consecutive title games during that period). Roland had 103 yards rushing in the title game, including a 37-yard touchdown run in the 13–6 victory. On the year, Roland rushed for 1,224 yards and scored 90 points.[2][3]
He was a first team high school All-American.[7]
In 2009, he was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.[8]
Roland playedcollege football at theUniversity of Missouri. In 1962, he rushed for 830 yards, seventh best total in the nation, and scored 78 points, ninth in the nation, leading the Tigers in both categories as well as kickoff returns. This rushing total included 155 yards againstOklahoma State University and 104 againstIowa State University.[1][9] As a 19-year old sophomore, his college coaches found Roland skilled in all aspects of football, including blocking and tackling and not only running, as well as being alert, smart and quick to learn.[7]
One of his most notable games that season was his first varsity game, where he rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns.[2] That season, Roland earned his first of three All-Big Eight Conference honors.[9] His teammates included future NFL playerAndy Russell.[2]
Thought to have stolen a pair of tires, Roland was suspended by the school for the fall semester. Forced to leave the team and the school during the 1963 season, he worked that year inKansas City. It was later reported he had nothing to do with the theft, and his coachDan Devine would not have blamed Roland for leaving Missouri for another school.[2][10] He was welcomed back to the team in 1964 and was moved to thedefensive back position. He led his team to a 6–3–1 record and was again chosen as an All-Big Eight Conference player. He led the team in punt and kickoff returns in 1964 and interceptions in 1965.[2][9][10]
In 1965, Roland led the Tigers to an 8–2–1 record and a victory in the1966 Sugar Bowl over theFlorida Gators andSteve Spurrier, 20–18, in which he threw a touchdown pass.[10][11] That season, he was named the team's captain, was voted a College All-American, and again was on the All-Big Eight team.[1] By being named the captain of the 1965 team, Roland was the firstAfrican-American to serve as the captain for any University of Missouri athletic team.[2]
After his senior year, Roland played in theSenior Bowl,Coaches All-America Game andCollege All Star Game.[9]
Roland had his jersey retired (#23) by Missouri and was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1998.[1] He was inducted into University of Missouri Hall of Fame in 1990.[9] In 2012, he was selected as a Southeastern Conference Legend.[12]
Roland wasdrafted in the fourth round of the1965 NFL draft by theSt. Louis Cardinals, and by theNew York Jets in the1965 AFL draft. He signed a three year, $400,000, contract with the Cardinals (though reportedly less than the Jets offered).[10] Roland was namedUPI NFL Rookie of the Year in1966.[13] He was selected to play in thePro Bowl in 1966 and 1967.[9] Roland had 1,476 all-purpose yards in 1966, with six touchdowns. In 1967, he had 876 rushing yards, over 1,000 total yards, and 10 touchdowns when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second to last game, that would affect his future career. He would never rush for more than 498 yards in a full season for the remainder of his career.[10][14][15]
He played for seven seasons with the Cardinals, and was the franchise's leading rusher when he left the team, and is fourth as of 2024.[16][9] He then went on to play for one season with theNew York Giants in 1973.[9] Roland played in 103 NFL games, during which he rushed for 3,750 yards and 28 touchdowns on 1,015 attempts, caught 153 passes for 1,430 yards and six touchdowns, returned 49 punts for 452 yards with two touchdowns, returned 22 kickoffs for 444 yards, and completed five of 13 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown.[15]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1966 | STL | 14 | 13 | 192 | 695 | 3.6 | 50 | 5 | 21 | 213 | 10.1 | 37 | 0 |
| 1967 | STL | 13 | 13 | 234 | 876 | 3.7 | 70 | 10 | 20 | 269 | 13.5 | 41 | 1 |
| 1968 | STL | 14 | 13 | 121 | 455 | 3.8 | 45 | 2 | 8 | 97 | 12.1 | 40 | 0 |
| 1969 | STL | 14 | 14 | 138 | 498 | 3.6 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 136 | 11.3 | 23 | 1 |
| 1970 | STL | 14 | 6 | 94 | 392 | 4.2 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 96 | 5.6 | 20 | 1 |
| 1971 | STL | 13 | 5 | 78 | 278 | 3.6 | 16 | 0 | 15 | 108 | 7.2 | 15 | 0 |
| 1972 | STL | 14 | 9 | 105 | 414 | 3.9 | 18 | 2 | 38 | 321 | 8.4 | 27 | 2 |
| 1973 | NYG | 7 | 6 | 53 | 142 | 2.7 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 190 | 8.6 | 30 | 1 |
| 103 | 79 | 1,015 | 3,750 | 3.7 | 70 | 28 | 153 | 1,430 | 9.3 | 41 | 6 | ||
Roland's former college coach,Dan Devine, hired Roland to be theGreen Bay Packers special assignments coach in1974.[9] While there, he coordinated some of the first computer programs used by Packers coaches, as well as scouting college talent and coaching.[17]
Roland then followed Devine to theUniversity of Notre Dame, where he was an assistant coach in 1975.[17][9]
Roland was therunning backs coach for thePhiladelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978 under head coachDick Vermeil.[18][9] During his time there, Roland coachedWilbert Montgomery, who helped lead Philadelphia toSuper Bowl XV and is the Eagles' second all-time leading rusher behindLeSean McCoy (as of 2024).[10][19][20]
Roland was hired byChicago Bears head coachMike Ditka in 1983 to help coach running backWalter Payton,[21] who at the time stood 2,108 yards fromJim Brown's NFL rushing record; breaking the mark in 1984. Roland also coached Payton's successorNeal Anderson, whom Roland coached into the Bears' second all-time leading rusher.[10][22] He coached in Chicago from 1983 to 1992.[9] During Roland's tenure, the Bears led the league in rushing four times, and finished among the top three in seven of his 11 seasons. From 1984 to 1988, Chicago rushed for 160.9 yards per game, went 62–17 (.785), made the playoffs five straight years and wonSuper Bowl XX.[17][23]
Roland was the running backs coach for theNew York Jets from 1993 to 1994.[9]
Roland joined theSt. Louis Rams in 1995 and coached running backJerome Bettis during Bettis' last year with the Rams before playing for thePittsburgh Steelers.[17][9][10]
Roland joined theArizona Cardinals in 1997. During his final season with the Cardinals in 2003,[9] he coachedEmmitt Smith who was traded by theDallas Cowboys in the offseason. By coaching Smith, Roland became the only coach to work with the two all-time leading NFL rushers (Payton and Smith).[17][10]
Roland started his second stint with Green Bay in 2004[9] as the coach forAhman Green, who was theNational Football Conference's leading rusher in 2003 and second all-time leading rusher in franchise history.[17][24] Roland coached in Green Bay for only one season before being hired by theNew Orleans Saints. He left the Packers because he reportedly had differences with head coachMike Sherman and a league source reported the Packers had reservations about Roland's work ethic. Roland was reportedly overjoyed to move on to a new position with the New Orleans Saints.[25]
Roland joined theNew Orleans Saints in2005 under head coachJim Haslett.[9] Haslett was fired the following season and replaced withSean Payton, who chose not to retain Roland.[26]
Roland lives inSt. Louis, and has two sons, Johnny, Jr. and James, and one daughter, Cynnamon.[17] He owned part of a radio station, KIRL, inSt. Louis, until it filed for bankruptcy in 2004.[27] He also ownsWRBZ inWetumpka, Alabama. Roland was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.[28] In 2011, he was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame.[9]