 Muncie in 2008 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 42, 46 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1953-03-17)March 17, 1953 Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | May 13, 2013(2013-05-13) (aged 60) Perris, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Uniontown | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Arizona Western (1972) California (1973–1975) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976: 1st round, 3rd pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Harry Vance "Chuck"Muncie (March 17, 1953 − May 13, 2013)[1] was an American professionalfootball player who was arunning back for theNew Orleans Saints andSan Diego Chargers in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1976 to 1984. He was selected to thePro Bowl three times, and tied the then-NFL season record for rushingtouchdowns in 1981.
Muncie playedcollege football for theCalifornia Golden Bears, setting numerous school records. In hissenior year, he was the runner-up for theHeisman Trophy, given annually to the most outstanding college football player. Muncie was selected by the Saints in the first round of the1976 NFL draft with the third overall pick. He became the first member of the Saints to be named to a Pro Bowl, and he was their first player to rush for 1,000 yards. He was traded to San Diego in 1980, starring in their high-scoring offense known asAir Coryell while being named to two additional Pro Bowls.
Muncie was considered one of the best running backs of his era untilcocaine problems forced him into retirement. His drug problems eventually landed him in prison. Afterwards, he turned his life around by helping others through mentoring programs. He founded theChuck Muncie Youth Foundation.
Muncie was born and raised in thePittsburgh area town ofUniontown, Pennsylvania, as one of six children in a football-playing family.[2][3] His three brothers called him "Chuck" because they did not like "Harry".[4] When he was six, Muncie was hit by a truck, breaking his thigh, leg, hip, and arm. He was in a cast from his neck to his toes for six months, and doctors warned that he might never be able to walk properly again.[5] Muncie recovered to become a multi-sport athlete, but the accident left his left leg shorter than his right. He compensated by playing with a shoe with an extra-thick sole.[1]
With Muncie's father disabled, Muncie's mother led the household and ensured that her kids were educated.[2] After seeing many of his relatives suffer fromblack lung disease and severe burns, Muncie had no desire to work in coal mines or thesteel mills. He viewed athletics as his way out of Uniontown.[2][3] In hissophomore year atUniontown Area High School, Muncie played football.[3] However, he quit playing after three games during his senior year when he suffered aconcussion and his mother wanted him to stop playing.[6] He turned tobasketball, averaging 18points per game for the Uniontown Red Raiders and earning anathletic scholarship to play basketball forArizona Western Junior College (now Arizona Western College).[2][6]
While at Arizona Western, the football coach convinced Muncie to try out for football as well, and Muncie made the team. He never played basketball for the school, and he received a scholarship from theUniversity of California, Berkeley after one year.[6]
AtBerkeley, Muncie was a star running back for theCalifornia Golden Bears during the 1970s. He was big, fast and elusive, and was a good receiver. He was instrumental in Cal's NCAA-leading offense which propelled the team to the co-championship of thePac-8 in1975, and he became the first Golden Bear to appear on the cover ofSports Illustrated.[3] Muncie set then-school single-season records for rushing yards (1,460),all-purpose yards (1,871), and rushing touchdowns (13).[a][7] He was a runner-up for theHeisman Trophy behind two-time winnerArchie Griffin ofOhio State.[1] Muncie outrushed and outscored Griffin (1,357 yards and four touchdowns), but Ohio State was 11–0 and ranked No. 1 at the time.[8][9] Muncie was awarded the 1975W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast. He finished his college career with then-school career records for rushing yards (3,052), rushing touchdowns (32), 100-yard rushing games (15) and all-purpose yards (4,194).[b][7]
In his senior year in 1976, Muncie began using cocaine.[10] He graduated from Berkeley with aBachelor of Arts degree in social studies with a minor in business.[3] Muncie was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.[7]
Muncie was selected by theNew Orleans Saints in the first round of the1976 NFL draft with the third overall pick. He teamed with Saints' second round pickTony Galbreath to form a backfield dubbed by then-coachHank Stram as "Thunder and Lightning".[11]
Muncie played in thePro Bowl after the1979 season with the Saints and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the game. He was the first Saints player named to the Pro Bowl and also was the first Saints player ever to reach the 1,000-yard rushing plateau when he ran for a then-team record of 1,198 yards in 1979.[1] Coming from the tolerant environment in Berkeley, it was a culture shock for Muncie in New Orleans, where his house and car were regularly vandalized by racists despite his living in a nice neighborhood.[3] He frequently expressed his unhappiness in New Orleans.[12] Saints coachDick Nolan grew tired of Muncie being late for meetings and practices. After the Saints began the1980 season with an 0–4 record, they traded Muncie to the 4–0San Diego Chargers.[13]
With the Chargers, Muncie was selected for the Pro Bowl twice as a member of their high-scoringAir Coryell offense.[14] He also appeared on the cover ofSports Illustrated two additional times during theNFL Playoffs.[15] He enjoyed his best season in1981, when he ran for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, tying the then-NFL season record for rushing touchdowns.[c][17][18] He went on to rush for 120 yards and a touchdown in San Diego's 41–38 win over theMiami Dolphins in a famous playoff game known asThe Epic in Miami, and 94 yards in the AFC title game, known as theFreezer Bowl. Muncie also helped lead the team to twoAFC West division championships.
After the1982 season, former New Orleans teammateDon Reese said he used cocaine with Muncie during their time with the Saints.[10][19] Muncie said that he had cut down on his cocaine since his trade to San Diego. He admitted he still had a problem with alcohol andmarijuana, and he underwent an initial round of rehabilitation.[10] However, after missing a bed check and a practice during training camp, he underwent three weeks of additional rehabilitation, and returned for the start of the1983 season.[20] Before the second game of1984 against theSeattle Seahawks, Muncie missed the team's charter flight from San Diego. When he arrived in Seattle, he told coachDon Coryell that vandals slashed the tires on his car. Coryell didn't believe him, and sent him back to San Diego.[21][22]
Two days later, Muncie was traded to theMiami Dolphins for a second-round draft pick.[21][23] At the time, he was the NFL's 13th leading rusher of all-time with 6,702 yards;[2] however, the trade was voided after aurinalysis conducted by the Dolphins showed cocaine in his system.[21][24] Afterwards, Muncie entered an Arizona drug rehabilitation center for a month. On November 15, he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL;[21] he never played another NFL game.[17] In March 1985, Chargers ownerAlex Spanos said Muncie would never play for San Diego again, even if his suspension was lifted.[21]
After being reinstated later in 1985, Muncie was traded to theMinnesota Vikings. He started and performed well in the final exhibition game,[24] but he served a one-game suspension in the season opener after failing to attend two aftercare therapy sessions that were one of the conditions of his reinstatement.[25][26] Muncie retired three days later, citing his need to make his life his first priority and the difficulty with balancing drug rehabilitation with playing football.[24][26]
Muncie finished his nine-season career with 6,702 rushing yards, 263 receptions for 2,323 yards, 20 kickoff returns for 432 yards, and 74 touchdowns. He completed four passes in his career, all for touchdowns, with three of them toWes Chandler, and he had a 141.4passer rating.[27] Muncie's rushing yards were the seventh-most in the NFL from 1976 though 1984, while his touchdowns ranked fourth. His 71 rushing touchdowns ranked ninth in NFL history at his retirement.[28] At his death in 2013, he ranked fifth in Saints history in career rushing yards, and his 19 touchdowns in a season and 43 in his career with the Chargers had been surpassed only byLaDainian Tomlinson.[17] He also shares a Chargers record withLaDainian Tomlinson andClarence Williams with four rushing touchdowns in a single game (against Denver in 1981), and holds the Chargers playoff franchise records with 110 rushes for 516 yards and 86 yards per game, along with 644 career yards from scrimmage, and two playoff games with 100+ yards rushing. He was named to the Saints Hall of Honor,[11][29] and he was a member of the Chargers'40th and50th anniversary teams.[17]
TheLos Angeles Times wrote that Muncie "was gifted with size, speed and power",[30] whileThe Miami News said he possessed the strength of afullback and the elegance of ahalfback.[2]U-T San Diego added that he was "widely considered the most talented running back of his era",[31] and theSan Francisco Chronicle said Muncie "could have been the greatest running back in NFL history, a 2.0 version of Jim Brown" if he had the discipline of running backs likeWalter Payton orRoger Craig.[32] "His head is the only thing holding him back", saidJim Brown. "If he had total dedication, he could achieve any goal."[2] While he was in New Orleans, he frequently slept through meetings whenever he attended them at all. Whenever the Saints broke the huddle, quarterbackArchie Manning had to walk by Muncie and tell him exactly what he was supposed to do in the upcoming play. Manning recalled years later that it was obvious that Muncie "wasn't thinking about football" during the week.[1]
Muncie was frustrated that he was neither in thePro Football Hall of Fame nor theChargers Hall of Fame, acknowledging that "I'm not there because of the choices I made."[33] He described himself as a "functioning addict" during his Chargers tenure.[33] He did cocaine after games, and sometimes would behigh for days leading up to game day.[31] In 1982, Reese said Muncie had to be "superman" to perform at his high level in spite of his addiction.[19][30]
Muncie was one of the first players to wear glasses or goggles while playing.[4][34][35] He began wearing glasses at Arizona Western, when he wore them at practice one day and realized they improved hisnearsightedness.[4][34] Muncie wore thick black frames throughout his career, switching to sports goggles late in his career. While with the Saints, he was featured in a full-page ad by glassmakerPPG for shatter-resistant glasses.[34] Decades later in the 2010s,National Basketball Association (NBA) players were consideredhipsters for wearing thick black glasses.[36][37]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | FR | ||
| 1976 | NO | 12 | 11 | 149 | 659 | 4.4 | 54.9 | 51 | 2 | 31 | 272 | 8.8 | 33 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| 1977 | NO | 14 | 11 | 201 | 811 | 4.0 | 57.9 | 36 | 6 | 21 | 248 | 11.8 | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1978 | NO | 13 | 11 | 160 | 557 | 3.5 | 42.8 | 28 | 7 | 26 | 233 | 9.0 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 1979 | NO | 16 | 15 | 238 | 1,198 | 5.0 | 74.9 | 69 | 11 | 40 | 308 | 7.7 | 28 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| 1980 | NO | 4 | 3 | 40 | 168 | 4.2 | 42.0 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 3.6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SD | 11 | 5 | 135 | 659 | 4.9 | 59.9 | 53 | 4 | 24 | 234 | 9.8 | 19 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1981 | SD | 15 | 14 | 251 | 1,144 | 4.6 | 76.3 | 73 | 19 | 43 | 362 | 8.4 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
| 1982 | SD | 9 | 9 | 138 | 569 | 4.1 | 63.2 | 27 | 8 | 25 | 207 | 8.3 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1983 | SD | 15 | 12 | 235 | 886 | 3.8 | 59.1 | 34 | 12 | 42 | 396 | 9.4 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 1984 | SD | 1 | 1 | 14 | 51 | 3.6 | 51.0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 110 | 92 | 1,561 | 6,702 | 4.3 | 60.9 | 73 | 71 | 263 | 2,323 | 8.8 | 39 | 3 | 57 | 10 | |
In the late 1980s, Muncie was found unwashed and homeless by a police officer outside ofMemorial Stadium in Berkeley. In 1989, Muncie was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison inCalifornia after he pleaded guilty to intending to sell 2 ounces (57 g) of cocaine to a friend. He turned his life around after prison, pursuing business interests and sharing stories of his drug problems with at-risk youths. Muncie said his time in prison likely saved his life.[38][1]
Muncie worked with theBoys & Girls Clubs of America.[32] In 1997, he established the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation inAntioch, California.[1] Thenonprofit organization mentored at-risk youth and provided free medical services, childhood immunizations,tattoo removal forgang members, and camps for chronically ill children.[27][38] Muncie also led a program that mentored athletes at his alma mater in Berkeley.[33] In his later years, he also ran a recruiting service evaluating high school football players.[32] "Everything I did and everything I went through in my life has allowed me to do the things I'm doing now," Muncie said.[27]
He died of a heart attack on May 13, 2013, inPerris, California, near Los Angeles.[1][32]
Muncie was married to Robyn Hood. He had one daughter, Danielle Ward.[1]
Muncie's other siblings spell their surname as "Munsey". According to George Von Benko, the executive co-chairman and co-founder of Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame, Muncie's father used various names to avoid paying bills, and used "Muncie" on hospital forms when Muncie was born.[6] Muncie's three brothers also played professional football. George Munsey was on thetaxi squad for theMinnesota Vikings,Bill Munsey played running back for theBritish Columbia Lions in theCanadian Football League, andNelson Munsey was acornerback for theBaltimore Colts.[2][4]
Chuck Muncie graced covers twice as a Charger – on Jan. 13, 1981, busting the Bills defense in a playoff, and on Jan. 17, 1993, breaking Steelers playoff tackles.
