Split End
No. 85
Baylor
"Shooting for his fourth season as the All-NFL split end, Del Shofner is Tittle's favorite target. In three seasons with the Giants he has caught 187 passes for 3,439 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Born December 11, 1934, he was a football-basketball-track star at Baylor even though suffering from anemia and ulcers. Del began his pro career with the Rams as a defensive halfback but soon was shifted to offense. He was traded to the Giants in 1961.
During the off-season, he's a tobacco firm public-relations man."
-Dave Anderson, Pro Football Handbook 1964
"The thin man of the league is Del Shofner, the All-NFL split end with the lighting hands, faking head, shifty shoulder and long, skilled fingers. The No. 4 pass-grabber last year (64 for 1,181 yards), he scored nine touchdowns even though he seldom was able to run a pattern without having two defenders for company. Del failed to catch a pass in the championship playoff, a one-game mark for futility for the Center (Texas) Sizzler.
He started as a Ram defensive back in '57. He switched to offense the following season and was All-League for two years on the Coast where he also did all the Ram punting. Del came to New York in '61."
-Don Schiffer, Pro Football 1964
"What I like best in a pass defender is someone who's going to cover me real tight, like two or three yards away,' says Del Shofner of the New York Giants. 'When they stick that close to me, they let me play them, instead of the other way around.'
One of the best offensive ends in the NFL, Shofner joined the Giants in 1961. In the past three seasons he has snared 187 passes, scored 32 touchdowns and been a major factor in the Giants winning three straight Eastern Conference titles.
A native of Center, Texas, Del attended Baylor where he was a standout in football, basketball and track. He joined the Los Angeles Rams in 1957, led the NFL in pass receiving yardage in '58 and made All-Pro in '58 and '59. Bothered by injuries, Shofner had a poor year in 1960 and for some hard-to-fathom reason, the Rams decided he was over the hill. IN 1961 they traded him to the Giants for the draft rights to quarterback Roman Gabriel. The New York passing combination of Y.A. Tittle to Shofner caught fire early that season in a game against Washington and the team has been hard to stop ever since.
'Shofner's so fast that if you make one wrong move you can't recover,' says defensive back Claude Crabb of the Eagles. Adds coach Allie Sherman of the Giants: 'Going straight down the field on a fly, Del can beat almost defender on any given day.'
The Cardinals' Jimmy Hill, Don Bishop of the Cowboys and Green Bay's Jesse Whittendon are the three defensive backs who give Shofner the most trouble.
A 6'3", 185-pound beanpole who looks as if a stiff wind would blow him over, Shofner endorsed a body-building bread last year. Said Tittle, whose curly locks have long since departed, 'If Del can get away with that, I ought to start doing testimonials for hair tonic.' "
-Bill Wise, 1964 Official Pro Football Almanac
"One of the finest pass catchers in grid annals, Shofner looks as if he's the weakest guy in the league. But he was sturdy enough to nab 64 passes last season to rank fourth in receiving. Del tallied nine TDs. For the fifth time in his career, Shofner was named to the All-NFL offense squad, being named split end by AP, UPI and NEA.
A member of the Giants since being obtained from the Los Angeles Rams for a No. 1 draft selection, Shofner has teamed with Y.A. Tittle to form one of the finest passing combinations in both the Giants' and pro football history. In '61, Del caught 68 passes for 1,125 yards to lead the league, following that up with 53 receptions for 1,133 yards in '62. Shofner was originally picked by the L.A. Rams in 1956, being used as a defensive halfback in '57 before being switched to end in '58.
Del was an outstanding runner as well as all-around athlete at Baylor despite having anemia and ulcers."
-Complete Sports 1964 New York Giants
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