- Mel Renfro
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Mel Renfro No. 20 Cornerback Personal information Date of birth: December 30, 1941
Houston, TexasHeight: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 190 lb (86 kg) Career information College: Oregon NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17 Debuted in 1964 for the Dallas Cowboys Last played in 1977 for the Dallas Cowboys Career history Career highlights and awards Stats at NFL.com Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame Melvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro (born December 30, 1941 in Houston, Texas) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.
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High school
Mel Renfro attended high school in Portland, Oregon. He was enrolled at Jefferson High School, which is celebrating its 100th year in 2009. He is with the "Notable Alumni", along with Terry Baker, Aaron Miles, Ime Udoka, and Pete Ward.
College career
Renfro attended the University of Oregon, where he excelled as a track star and as a two-way football player, an All-American halfback and defensive back. In his three seasons with the Ducks, Renfro rushed for 1,532 yards and scored 141 points.
Football
One of Renfro's best collegiate games took place against Rice University at Houston in 1962. Renfro shined on both offense and defense, leading the Ducks to a 31-12 victory. Rice Stadium had been a whites-only facility prior to the Ducks' visit, but university officials allowed Renfro's family to enter and sit in a special section of the stadium near the 35-yard line. According to a contemporary account in the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard, when Renfro left the game, he was given a loud and appreciative ovation by the Rice crowd. An Oregon sportswriter asked a Houston counterpart in the press box if an African-American had ever received such an ovation by a predominantly white crowd. The Texan enthusiastically replied, "We've never seen any player that good!" The morning after the game, a Houston paper headlined, "Renfro Runs Rice Ragged."
In 1986, Renfro was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and is a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C., a National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
Track
As a track star for track coach Bill Bowerman, Renfro was part of a world record-setting 440 yard relay team in 1962, with a time of 40.0 seconds. His running mates were Jerry Tarr, Mike Gaechter and Harry Jerome.
Professional career
Renfro was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft. He was initially placed as a safety, but was switched to cornerback in his fifth season. The speedy Renfro (4.65 40-yd dash) became an exceptional threat to wide receivers. Mel led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1969. Renfro was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first ten seasons in the League, including five All-Pro selections in 1964, 1965, 1969, 1971, and 1973.[1] Mel also was a significant threat on special teams, performing punt and kickoff return duties in addition to playing on defense, leading the league in punt and kickoff return yardage in 1964.
In his fourteen seasons, Renfro intercepted 52 passes, returning them for 626 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also returned 109 punts for 842 yards and 1 touchdown, 85 kickoffs for 2,246 yards and 2 touchdowns, along with recording 13 fumble recoveries, which he returned for 44 yards. In the 1970 NFC title game, Renfro had a key interception that led to the Cowboys' game-winning touchdown over the San Francisco 49ers that helped them get to Super Bowl V, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts. He would later play in Super Bowls VI, X and XII, retiring after the final one, a Cowboys victory over the Denver Broncos.
Renfro was added to the Texas Stadium Ring of Honor in 1981, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
References
External links
Dallas Cowboys Founded in 1960 • Plays in Arlington, Texas • Headquartered in Valley Ranch, Irving, Texas The Franchise Franchise • History • Players • Seasons • Expansion Draft • Draft History • Quarterbacks • First-round draft picksStadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Head Coaches Super Bowl Appearances (8) League Championships (5) Ring of Honor Bob Lilly • Don Meredith • Don Perkins • Chuck Howley • Mel Renfro • Roger Staubach • Lee Roy Jordan • Tom Landry • Tony Dorsett • Randy White • Bob Hayes • Tex Schramm • Cliff Harris • Rayfield Wright • Troy Aikman • Michael Irvin • Emmitt SmithSeasons 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011Current League Affiliations League: National Football League • Conference: National Football Conference • Division: East DivisionDallas Cowboys Super Bowl XII Champions 1 Efren Herrera | 11 Danny White | 12 Roger Staubach | 18 Glenn Carano | 20 Mel Renfro | 21 Doug Dennison | 25 Aaron Kyle | 26 Preston Pearson | 31 Benny Barnes | 33 Tony Dorsett | 35 Scott Laidlaw | 36 Larry Brinson | 41 Charlie Waters | 42 Randy Hughes | 43 Cliff Harris | 44 Robert Newhouse | 46 Mark Washington | 50 D. D. Lewis | 53 Bob Breunig | 54 Randy White (Co-MVP) | 56 Thomas Henderson | 57 Bruce Huther | 58 Mike Hegman | 59 Guy Brown | 61 Jim Cooper | 62 John Fitzgerald | 63 Larry Cole | 64 Tom Rafferty | 65 Dave Stalls | 66 Burton Lawless | 67 Pat Donovan | 68 Herbert Scott | 70 Rayfield Wright | 71 Andy Frederick | 72 Ed Jones | 73 Ralph Neely | 75 Jethro Pugh | 77 Bill Gregory | 79 Harvey Martin (Co-MVP) | 80 Tony Hill | 83 Golden Richards | 86 Butch Johnson | 87 Jay Saldi | 88 Drew Pearson | 89 Billy Joe DuPree
Head Coach: Tom Landry
Coaches: Ermal Allen | Mike Ditka | Jim Myers | Dan Reeves | Gene Stallings | Ernie Stautner | Jerry TubbsDallas Cowboys Ring of Honor 1975: Bob Lilly • 1976: Don Meredith • 1976: Don Perkins • 1977: Chuck Howley • 1981: Mel Renfro • 1983: Roger Staubach • 1989: Lee Roy Jordan • 1993: Tom Landry • 1994: Tony Dorsett • 1994: Randy White • 2001: Bob Hayes • 2003: Tex Schramm • 2004: Cliff Harris • 2004: Rayfield Wright • 2005: Troy Aikman • 2005: Emmitt Smith • 2005: Michael Irvin • 2011: Drew Pearson • 2011: Charles Haley • 2011: Larry Allen
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1996 NFL Alumni Order of the Leather Helmet 1978: Pete Rozelle, George Halas, Art Rooney | 1979: Paul Brown, Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski | 1980: Don Shula, Wellington Mara, Dominic Olejniczak, Pro Football Hall of Fame | 1981: Lamar Hunt, Tom Landry | 1982: William Bidwill, Alex Wojciechowicz, Bud Grant | 1983: F. William Harder, LeRoy Neiman | 1985: George P. Marshall, Weeb Ewbank | 1986: Howard Cosell, Vince Lombardi, Vic Maitland | 1987: Ray Scott, Steve Sabol, Ed Sabol, Bert Bell | 1988: Raymond Berry | 1989: Tex Schramm | 1990: Bill Dudley, Ollie Matson, Steve Van Buren | 1991: Hugh McElhenny 1992: Chuck Bednarik, Art Modell | 1993: Elroy Hirsch, Marion Motley | 1994: Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh | 1995: Otto Graham, Chuck Noll | 1996: Johnny Unitas, Curt Gowdy | 1997: Pat Summerall, Ralph Wilson | 1998: Jim Brown, Al Davis | 1999: Bobby Mitchell, Paul Tagliabue | 2000: Len Dawson, Deacon Jones | 2001: Mike McCormack, Mel Renfro | 2002: Mel Blount, Jim Otto, Jim Tunney | 2003: Tom Flores, Willie Davis | 2004: Dick Vermeil, Val Pinchbeck, Don Weiss | 2005: Larry Wilson, Joe Greene | 2007: Sonny Jurgensen, Jack Youngblood | 2008: Eric Dickerson, John Madden, Alex SpanosCategories:- American football cornerbacks
- American football safeties
- Oregon Ducks football players
- Dallas Cowboys players
- Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- People from Houston, Texas
- 1941 births
- Living people
- Oregon Ducks track and field athletes
- Players of American football from Oregon
- Sportspeople from Portland, Oregon
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