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| No. 36, 31 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1946-12-25)December 25, 1946 (age 78) Galveston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | La Marque (La Marque, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | TCU | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1970: 1st round, 18th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Norman Batton Bulaich (/ˈbuːlɑːʃ/BOO-lahsh;[1] born December 25, 1946) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL).
Bulaich was born onChristmas Day, 1946, inGalveston, Texas.[2] He attendedLa Marque High School inLa Marque, Texas, inGalveston County.[3]
As a high school senior, he was voted team captain of the football team. He was aScholastic MagazineAll-American, and was All-State and All District. The team went to the state semifinals. As a senior, herushed for 1,349 yards, averaging 9.1yards per carry. In 1965, he played in an interstate all-star game (theBig 33 Football Classic) between Pennsylvania and Texas high schoolers, where he was one of 11 High School All-Americans to participate. His number 23 jersey was retired and placed in the school's trophy case. He was known for sprinter's speed and long touchdown runs, but Bulaich was also the team'skicker,punter, and asafety on defense.[4][5][6]
Bulaich playedcollege football atTexas Christian University (TCU), where he was an honorable mention All-American in 1969. He played in 30 games for TCU, rushing for 1,045 yards on 214 carries. He was selected as a member of the Texas Gridiron Legends class of 2018.[5][6][7]
After playing college football at Texas Christian University, Bulaich was selected in the first round (18th overall) in the1970 NFL draft by theBaltimore Colts,[7] for whom he wore number 36.[8]
In his rookie season, Bulaich started all 12 games, and rushed for 426 yards in 139 attempts. He was a member of the winning Colts team inSuper Bowl V, carrying the ball 18 times. He carried the ball twice near the end of the game to set up the final winning field goal.[8] In his second year with the Colts, Bulaich rushed for 741 yards on 152 attempts, to go along with 25 pass receptions for 229 yards, and 10 touchdowns.[7]
The 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 217 pound (98.4 kg) running back/fullback held the Colts single-game rushing record, 198 yards against theNew York Jets on September 19, 1971, until the 2000 season whenEdgerrin James broke the record by rushing for 219 yards.[8][9] Later in that 1971 season, Bulaich was named to theAFCPro Bowl squad.[7] He was also featured on the cover of the November 8, 1971 issue ofSports Illustrated.[1]
He was traded from the Colts to thePhiladelphia Eagles for a1973 fourth-round selection (83rd overall–Kansas linemanGery Palmer) and a1974 second-round pick (37th overall–Ed Shuttlesworth) on January 29, 1973.[10][11] Two years later he was traded to theMiami Dolphins, a team coached by future hall of fame and all-time winning head coachDon Shula.[12] Shula had been the Colts head coach when the Colts drafted Bulaich, who had been scouted byUpton Bell for the Colts.[13]
In 120 career games with the Colts (1970–72), Eagles (1973–74) and Miami Dolphins (1975–79), Bulaich rushed for 3,362 yards and 30 touchdowns with a 4.1 rushing average.[7] He also made 224 receptions for 1,766 yards and 41 touchdowns.[5][14]
In 1974, Bulaich had been knocked unconscious when the Eagles played theSt. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the season (September 15, 1974[15]), suffering a concussion. Bulaich suffered a temporary memory loss that day, and during the next two games he had a similar experience on hits that were not as hard. Bulaich's style of running resulted in so many "dings", that an Eagles teammate called him "Paper Head". Bulaich came out of games over the years with concussion symptoms ("stars shooting out"), but had continued playing.[16]
The Eagles sent Bulaich to Duke University Hospital, where the doctor recommended rest so the injury could heal, comparing it to a bruise.[16] On October 6, 1974, Bulaich was cleared to play.[17] The team's athletic trainer,Otho Davis, who had also come from the Colts to the Eagles in 1973, created a helmet pad for Bulaich, putting extra padding on the ridge on the outside of the helmet's rear. Between the concussions and other physical issues, Bulaich's yardage fell by nearly 2/3 between 1973 and 1974, and he was traded at the end of the year.[16]
In August 1979, Shula was successful in convincing Bulaich to come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins asLarry Csonka's backup.[18] Bulaich ultimately retired from the Dolphins later in 1979, after a play in which his face was crushed in an on-field collision with opposing players, resulting in broken facial bones and being unconscious for five minutes. He underwent a three-hour surgery for the facial damage, and decided to end his career.[8][16]
Bulaich had brain scans in 2011 and 2012 that may have shown damage from the concussions, but was unsure at the time if forgetfulness he experienced was normal aging or the result of concussions.[16] Bulaich was one of themany former NFL players who were plaintiffs in lawsuits against the league for brain injuries.[19]
Bulaich lives inHurst, Texas, and worked as an executive forIESI-BFC Ltd., a waste management company, inHaltom City, Texas.[8][9]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1970 | BAL | 12 | 12 | 139 | 426 | 3.1 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 123 | 11.2 | 20 | 0 |
| 1971 | BAL | 13 | 12 | 152 | 741 | 4.9 | 67 | 8 | 25 | 229 | 9.2 | 30 | 2 |
| 1972 | BAL | 6 | 2 | 27 | 109 | 4.0 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 55 | 6.1 | 10 | 0 |
| 1973 | PHI | 14 | 14 | 106 | 436 | 4.1 | 20 | 1 | 42 | 403 | 9.6 | 80 | 3 |
| 1974 | PHI | 11 | 8 | 50 | 152 | 3.0 | 13 | 0 | 28 | 204 | 7.3 | 26 | 0 |
| 1975 | MIA | 14 | 1 | 78 | 309 | 4.0 | 30 | 5 | 32 | 276 | 8.6 | 59 | 5 |
| 1976 | MIA | 11 | 7 | 122 | 540 | 4.4 | 35 | 4 | 28 | 151 | 5.4 | 25 | 0 |
| 1977 | MIA | 14 | 7 | 91 | 416 | 4.6 | 29 | 4 | 25 | 180 | 7.2 | 14 | 0 |
| 1978 | MIA | 16 | 3 | 40 | 196 | 4.9 | 63 | 2 | 16 | 92 | 5.8 | 22 | 0 |
| 1979 | MIA | 9 | 0 | 9 | 37 | 4.1 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 53 | 6.6 | 13 | 1 |
| 120 | 66 | 814 | 3,362 | 4.1 | 67 | 30 | 224 | 1,766 | 7.9 | 80 | 11 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1970 | BAL | 3 | 3 | 65 | 215 | 3.3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1978 | MIA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 9 | 0 |
| 4 | 3 | 67 | 215 | 3.2 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 9 | 0 | ||