Bobby Walston

Bobby Walston
No. 83

Walston on a 1952 Bowman football card
Date of birth (1928-10-17)October 17, 1928
Place of birth Columbus, Ohio
Date of death October 7, 1987(1987-10-07) (aged 58)
Place of death Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Career information
Position(s) End
Placekicker
College Georgia
NFL draft 1951 / Round: 14 / Pick: 166
Career history
As player
1951–1962 Philadelphia Eagles
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls 2
Honors NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
Records Philadelphia Eagles
Career Points (881)
Career stats
Games played 148
Field Goals Attempted 157
Field Goals Made 80
Receiving Touchdowns 46
Receiving Yards 5,363

Robert Harold Walston (October 17, 1928 – October 7, 1987) was an American football wide receiver and placekicker in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted in the 14th round of the 1951 NFL Draft. From 1966 to 1967, he coached receivers and kickers for the Miami Dolphins.

Career

Walston doubled as receiver and kicker for the Eagles for twelve seasons. His best receiving season was in 1954, when he caught 41 passes for 750 yards, garnering 18.3 yards per reception, scoring five touchdowns. The next season, he would have only 581 yards on 31 receptions, but he scored 11 touchdowns as the Eagles once again went 7-4-1. He also scored 114 points during the season, the most in the NFL that season and most by an Eagle until 1984. His best kicking season was in 1957, when he made 75% of his field goals and was 1st in percentage in the league, with 9 of 12 field goals made. Despite this, his Eagles went 4-8. But three seasons later, they had made a resurgence in 1960, and Walston went 14 out of 20 in field goal kicking (70 percent) and was first in the league once again, with 39 out of 40 in extra points as the Eagles made their first playoff appearance since 1949. In his lone playoff appearance, he caught 3 passes for 38 yards while making a 17-yard field goal and two extra points as the Eagles won the 1960 NFL Championship Game, their first title since 1949 (although this remains the Eagles' last title win). In his final season, the Eagles finished 3-10-1. He caught four touchdowns that seasons, his most since 1954, although his kicking game declined, as he had his second worst kicking percentage. Even after over 50 years, he still holds the all-time Eagles record for points scored, with 881.

Later life

After working in the front office with the Eagles for a few years, he became the special teams coach of the Miami Dolphins for their inaugural 1966 season and the 1967 season. He also served as a personnel director for the Chicago Bears from 1968-1975, overseeing the drafting of college players along with scouting, and being an assistant to Bears president George Halas, Jr. He was forced out in 1975 after Jim Finks became general manager. He later served as a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League, from 1978-1980 and scouted for the United States Football League from 1983-1985. Walston is one of only five players named to the National Football League 1950s All-Decade Team who isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Walston died just 10 days before his 59th birthday, on October 7, 1987 at Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village.[1] Twenty-seven years after his death, he was named to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

Career statistics

FG = Field Goal; XP = Extra Point.

Year Team FG Made FG Attempts FG Percentage XP Made XP Attempts Touchdowns Total Points
1951 PHI 6 11 54.5 28 31 8 94
1952 PHI 11 20 55.0 31 31 3 82
1953 PHI 4 13 30.8 45 48 5 87
1954 PHI 4 10 40.0 36 39 11 114
1955 PHI 2 3 66.7 6 7 3 30
1956 PHI 6 13 46.2 17 18 3 53
1957 PHI 9 12 75 20 21 1 53
1958 PHI 6 14 42.9 31 31 3 67
1959 PHI 0 1 0 33 34 3 51
1960 PHI 14 20 70.0 39 40 2 105
1961 PHI 14 25 56.0 43 46 0 97
1962 PHI 4 15 26.7 36 38 4 48
Total 80 157 51.0 365 384 46 881
  1. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-10-08/news/8703150980_1_bears-general-manager-mr-walston-personnel-director
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