| No. 23, 26 | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1947-04-30)April 30, 1947 (age 78) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Kirkpatrick (TX) | ||||||||
| College | Henderson County JC | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1970: 2nd round, 49th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| 1967–1969 | Ottawa Rough Riders | ||||||||
| 1970–1971 | Dallas Cowboys | ||||||||
| 1972 | New Orleans Saints | ||||||||
| 1973–1974 | New York Jets | ||||||||
| 1975 | Chicago Winds | ||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Margene Adkins (born April 30, 1947) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL) for theDallas Cowboys,New Orleans Saints andNew York Jets. He also was a member of theOttawa Rough Riders in theCanadian Football League (CFL) and theChicago Winds in theWorld Football League (WFL). He playedcollege football atHenderson County Junior College.
Margene Adkins attended Kirkpatrick High School, where he practicedbasketball until his junior year, when he began playingfootball. He playedcollege football atHenderson County Junior College inAthens, Texas, where he participated in the Junior Rose Bowl twice. He had a brief stay atWichita University, before dropping out of school.
While still ateenager, he joined theOttawa Rough Riders of theCanadian Football League as awide receiver. In 1969, Adkins was voted to the CFLAll-Star team after setting a regular seasonrecord for the highest average gain per pass reception at 25.0 yards, a record that stood for twenty-eight years (broken byMilt Stegall).
He was part of both Ottawa's Grey Cup winning teams in1968 and1969, catching an important 70-yard TD pass in the 1968 game when the Rough Riders defeated the Calgary Stampeders 24–21. Because he signed his original contract as a 19-year-old minor, he played out his option. He played three years, registering 47, 32 and 56 receptions, while averaging 10touchdowns per season.
Adkins was selected by theDallas Cowboys in the second round (49th overall) of the1970 NFL draft.[1] Having starwide receivers such asLance Alworth andBob Hayes, the team used Adkins primarily as apunt andkick returner during his two seasons, when injuries didn't limit him.
In1970, he was placed on theinjured reserve list, after playing in 5 games. In1971, he only played in three games because of injuries and was placed on the team'staxi squad.[2] Although he wasn't on the active roster when the Cowboys wonSuper Bowl VI, he still received a ring and a full share of the playoff bonuses.
In1972, he asked the Cowboys to trade him, so he was sent to theNew Orleans Saints in exchange for second round draft choice (#39-John Babinecz).
In1972, he was acquired after he impressed theNew Orleans Saints during a 1971 preseason game, where he had 3 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. He led the NFL in bothkickoff returns with 1,020 yards and a 23.7 average, even though he played through an ankle injury.
On June 5,1973, he was traded to theNew York Jets along withpunterJulian Fagan and an eight-round draft choice (#192-Larry Lightfoot), in exchange forquarterbackBob Davis,punterSteve O'Neal and a fourth round draft choice (#83-Clint Haslerig).[3]
Injuries also hampered his1973 season with theNew York Jets. He started 5 games, posting 6 receptions for 109 yards. After he injured his knee during the1974 offseason, Adkins was placed on injured reserve and eventually released before the start of the1975 season.[4]
In1975, he joined theChicago Winds of theWorld Football League, catching 12 passes for 130 and onetouchdown. The Winds folded before the season ended, finishing 1–4. Adkins was selected by theSan Antonio Wings in theChicago Winds dispersal draft, but he didn't play for the team.
Adkins worked as afirefighter forLockheed Martin in his hometown ofFort Worth, Texas.
