RON JOHNSON
Running Back
No. 30
Michigan
"Johnson finished a close second behind Larry Brown in NFC rushing and ranked third in the entire NFL. He gained 1,182 yards with an average burst of four yards a carry. Only tight end Bob Tucker caught more passes for the Giants; Ron snared 45 for a gain of 10 yards a catch and scored five touchdowns on passes. He scored nine touchdowns by rushing to share the NFC lead with Greg Landry and scored the most touchdowns (14) running and passing in the NFC.
Ron lives with his wife in a luxury apartment in New Jersey. She works in real estate."
-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football, 1973 Edition
"Ron led the NFC in touchdowns in 1972 with 14, nine rushing and five receiving. Against the Eagles on October 2, he rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns and caught five passes."
-1973 Topps No. 350
ROCKY THOMPSON
Kick Returner-Running Back
No. 22
West Texas State
"Rocky had one of the NFL's longest kickoff returns of the 1972 season, a 92-yard runback for a touchdown. As a college senior he scored a touchdown in the Senior Bowl."
-1973 Topps No. 441
CHARLIE EVANS
Fullback
No. 31
USC
"Charlie has shown great promise in his first two years in New York. He's a punishing runner and a fine blocker. As a rookie he rushed for three touchdowns in a game against the Chargers."
-1973 Topps No. 184
JOHNNY ROLAND
Fullback
No. 23
Missouri
"Midway through the Cardinals' opening game of the 1966 season, Charley Winner sent Johnny Roland in at halfback. 'He's an opportunist,' Winner said. He knows where the goal is.'
Roland made Winner a prophet on both counts, as he scurried his way to Rookie of the Year honors and ranked 11th in the league in rushing with 695 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-2, 210-pound former All-America at Missouri also topped the NFL in punt returns with 221 yards on 20 runbacks, gained 347 yards on kickoff returns and caught 21 passes for 213 yards.
Johnny was a fourth-round future pick by the Cards, and played both offense and defense at Missouri."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1967
"Johnny was the Rookie of the Year in 1966. He led the Cardinals in rushing with 695 yards on 192 carries and five touchdowns, and led the league in punt returns with 221 yards on 20 returns, including an 86-yard touchdown. He added 213 yards on 21 receptions."
-1967 Philadelphia No. 163
"Unbelievable as it may sound, Johnny Roland was not running at full throttle last season, when he was the fourth-best rusher in the league. A knee injury restricted him most of the way, and still, he remained up among the leading ball-carriers. But he finally had to pack it in two weeks from the end of the campaign to undergo surgery on the knee. He picked up 876 yards on 234 carries for a 3.7 average and 10 touchdowns (he was second in attempts and touchdowns only to Leroy Kelly). These were better than his Rookie of the Year marks in '66.
Fast, but not possessed with blazing speed, at 6-2 and 210 pounds, he has excellent breakaway moves; and as Charley Winner says, 'He knows where the goal line is.' The Cardinals are using him more and more as a receiver- John caught 20 passes for 269 yards and a 13.5 average last year."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1968
"Set back by a crushing knee injury in 1967, which set him back much of last season, the gifted Johnny Roland seems to be running in high gear once again.
Following his Rookie of the Year performance in 1966, Johnny was bunched with Gale Sayers and Leroy Kelly in an exclusive circle of super ball-carriers. He was NFL Player of the Week in his first pro game, even though he didn't get to play the first half; then he went on to amass 695 yards on the ground for a 3.6 average and five touchdowns. Johnny also led NFL punt returners in his rookie campaign and set a new record with a 47.3 average in a single game.
In '67, despite a knee injury that grew progressively worse, he was still good enough to rank as the fourth-leading rusher in the league with 876 yards for a 3.7 average and 10 touchdowns. Coming off surgery last year, he got off slowly, and gained momentum, winding up with 455 yards on 121 carries for a 3.8 average and a pair of touchdowns."
-Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1969
"As a rookie in 1966, this long-strided back paced the National Football League in punt returns. Johnny was a key ball carrier for the Cardinals, rushing for a nifty 3.8-yard average. He was the St. Louis Rookie of the Year.
Johnny is always a pass-receiving threat."
-1969 Topps No. 225
"In his fifth season Johnny Roland appears ready to step out with the NFL's best running backs. At 6-2 and 215 pounds, he combines power with explosive speed.
Last season he gained 498 yards and has learned to run around people as easily as he runs over them. He is a tough man to bring down in the open when he sees some daylight.
Roland was NFL Player of the Week in his very first pro game in 1966 and set a Cardinals record for rushing in 1967 with 284 carries and 876 yards gained. He suffered a damaging knee injury in the final game of the 1967 season, was operated on in the off-season, and wasn't right until midseason. Last year he came back in full stride and could be a key operator in 1970 if Hart can spread the defenses a little wider with his passing."
-Brenda and Jack Zanger, Pro Football 1970
"Johnny is a hard-running back with good size and a natural running ability. He's an excellent blocker.
He was the NFL's fourth-leading rusher in 1967, then injured his knee in the next-to-last game of the season, and took a long time getting back into the groove. Named to the Pro Bowl squad in his first two seasons, Johnny set a team record for most carries in his second year."
-1970 Topps No. 76
"As a rookie in 1966, offensive halfback John Roland showed the promise of turning into a super-star. The promise almost became a reality in his second year when he ran for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 269 yards. However, in the next-to-last game that year, John suffered a severe knee injury and it appeared that he was babying the knee the following two years.
Last season Cid Edwards took his job away, but when Cid was hurt Roland stepped in to finish the season in grand style. Roland, who was also a great defensive back at Missouri, averaged better than four yards a carry in gaining 392 yards, second only to MacArthur Lane on the club. He also demonstrated that he had not lost the speed with which he had led the league in punt returns as a rookie; against Dallas he returned a punt 74 yards.
Roland's comeback gives the Cards three outstanding runners."
-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971
"The big, rugged runner had another fine season in 1970 and now ranks as the fourth leading rusher in Cardinals history. Johnny has good hands, is an outstanding blocker, and a smart runner with natural football ability.
Johnny was chosen as the NFL's Player of the Week in the first game of his rookie year. Against the Eagles on October 2 he returned 20 for 221 yards and an 11.1 average, including an 86-yarder for a touchdown. In that game he returned three punts for 142 yards and a 47.3 average.
He won the team and league Rookie of the Year honors and led the NFL in punt returns.
He was the NFL's fourth-leading rusher in 1967, then suffered a severe knee injury in the next-to-last game, and took a long time to recover."
-1971 Topps No. 123
"Gained an average of 3.9 yards and totaled 414 for an erratic Cardinal offense. Johnny's longest run was for only 18 yards. He led the team in pass catching with 38 and averaged 8.4 yards a catch.
Johnny has done it all in the NFL: thrown passes (5-for-8 in 1966), rushed, caught passes, and returned punts and kickoffs. He played in the 1966 and 1967 Pro Bowls. His injured knees have held him down in recent years. Roland holds the mark for most rushing yards by a Cardinal.
'I've never been known for my blazing speed,' he says. 'It's been my quickness in getting to the hole that's helped me make the pros.'
He has a B.S. degree in business administration."
-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1973 Edition)
"Johnny broke the Cardinals' all-time rushing record in 1972. His 414 yards gave him a total of 3,608, breaking the former mark of 3,511 set by Charley Trippi from 1947-55."
-1973 Topps No. 123
No comments:
Post a Comment