| No. 55 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1940-10-12)October 12, 1940 (age 85) Newport, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Boone County(Florence, Kentucky) | ||||||||
| College | Kentucky | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1962: 1st round, 12th overall pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft | 1962: 4th round, 28th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Irving Lee Goode (born October 12, 1940) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aguard for 13 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theKentucky Wildcats and was selected by theSt. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the1962 NFL draft.[1]
Goode was born on October 12, 1940, inNewport, Kentucky.[2] He attendedBoone County High School.[3] Goode was named aSporting News High School All-American.[4] TheLouisville Courier-Journal named him all-conference and All-State in 1957.[2][5][6]
In 1974, Boone County renamed its football field, Irv Goode Football Field. A parade was held inFlorence, Kentucky as part of a weekend honoring Goode.[6] In 2017, he was inducted into the Buddy LaRosa High School Sports Hall of Fame.[7]
He played college football at theUniversity of Kentucky from 1959-1962, where he played both offense (center) and defense (linebacker), underWildcats coachBlanton Collier.[3][2] He was a team captain in 1961, named a First Team All-American byTime, and selected byUnited Press International as Third Team All-Southeastern Conference. He played in four all-star games, including theCollege All Star Game.[3][8] As a junior, he had 23 tackles in a single game against national champion University of Mississippi.[7]
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Goode in the first round of the1962 NFL draft.[3] He was also drafted by theDallas Texans (which became theKansas City Chiefs) of theAmerican Football League in the fourth round of the1962 AFL draft.[2][9] Goode chose to play for the Cardinals, but the Texans went to court in an effort to force Goode to play for the Texans; with a judge ultimately ruling in the Cardinals' favor.[10]
The Cardinals drafted Goode as a center, but injury and circumstances led them to playBob DeMarco at center during training camp in 1962, while moving Goode to startingoffensive tackle. He was the 1962 Cardinals Rookie of the Year.[2]
During his NFL career, Goode would start at tackle and guard (principally playing guard), was along snapper, and also served as a backup center.[3][4][1] He spent his first two seasons atleft tackle, and then was moved to left guard.[11] He was named to thePro Bowl team in 1964 and 1967.[1][4] In 1967, three other offensive lineman from the Cardinals, Bob DeMarco (center),Ken Gray (right guard), andErnie McMillan (right tackle), along with Cardinals Hall of Fame tight endJackie Smith, were all selected to the Pro Bowl.[12] During the 1960s, Goode and his linemates (including left tackleBob Reynolds) were selected to a total of 18 Pro Bowls.[10] He played for the Cardinals from 1962 to 1971.[3][1]
He was traded to theBuffalo Bills before the 1972 season in exchange for guardJoe O'Donnell,[13][14][15] after a contract dispute with the Cardinals.[10] Goode missed the entire 1972 season after suffering a knee injury during the preseason.[15][16] He was traded to theMiami Dolphins before the 1973 season in exchange for defensive tackleMike Kadish, who had been Miami's first round draft pick the prior season.[15] He served as the Dolphinslong snapper forfield goals andextra points, as well as a backup offensive lineman, for the DolphinsSuper Bowl VIIIchampion team in 1973.[17][18][19] After receiving little playing time in 1974, Goode retired prior to the 1975 season.[20]
In 2005, Goode was in the charter class of the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.[21] In 2013, Goode was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.[3] In 2018, he was inducted into theMissouri Sports Hall of Fame.[8] He has also been inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and been named a Legend of the Southeastern Conference.[2] Boone County High School has named its football field Irv Goode Field.[3]