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Best NFL Players of All Time: John Mackey
John Mackey was a difference maker for the Baltimore Colts.
When Mackey stepped onto the field in a Colts uniform in 1963, it didn’t take Johnny Unitas long to realize he had a weapon who could light up the scoreboard. Unitas may not have understood the position Mackey was playing, but he saw a big, fast, and strong, man who could run downfield from the tight end position and make big plays for the Colts.
Prior to the arrival of Mackey with the Baltimore Colts and Mike Ditka with the Chicago Bears (two years earlier), the position of tight end was nothing more than a glorified offensive tackle.
Perhaps the tight end would catch one pass per game or more likely, one pass every other game. The main job of the tight end was to block for the running game and get downfield in the passing game and block for a wide receiver or anker back who happened to get fairly deep.
The presence of the 6-2, 224-pound Mackey changed that. When he put on his familiar No. 88 jersey for the Colts, Mackey could block in the running game and also help keep Unitas upright when he settled into the pocket.
However, Mackey was capable of so much more. He was an outstanding route runner who could get open on short- and medium-range passes. He could stiff-arm his way out of tackles and continue to make big yardage as he ran around and over linebackers and defensive backs.
Mackey could also get deep. He had the kind of quickness and speed that allowed him to torment opposing defensive coaches with downfield catches from a position that rarely—if ever—delivered those plays.
His first season with the Colts was an eye opener. He caught 35 passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. While 35 receptions in a 14-game season doesn’t sound like much in 2014, it was a huge number for tight ends in the early 1960s.
But it was the yardage total that caused most of the problems. Mackey averaged 20.7 yards that season, and it was his speed that made the difference. He ran a 4.6 40 when he came out of Syracuse and joined the Colts, and a rookie coach named Don Shula was not afraid to change the job description for the tight end position.
Shula recognized that Mackey was faster than most of the defensive backs the Colts had, as he gave them a very difficult time in training camp and practice. As a result, Shula knew he could alter the Colts’ game plan, give Unitas a dynamic new weapon, and help the Colts become a legitimate NFL power once again.
Not only would Unitas put the ball in a spot that only Mackey could reach, but also he excelled at setting up the defense to exploit his tight end’s ability to make a big play at the key moment in the game.
“John could get open and make the big play,” Unitas said. “I could always count on him to get open at the big moment. I wanted to throw to him when the game was on the line. He would always catch it.”
The Colts finished 8-6 in 1963, and they finished in third place in the Western Conference behind the eventual champion Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
That was just the beginning of their climb. The Colts became something of a juggernaut in 1964, as they rolled to a 12-2 season.
Thanks in large part to Mackey, the Colts were nearly unstoppable on the offensive side of the ball as they scored a league-high 428 points that season.
Mackey caught 22-406-2 that season, but he had served notice the previous year, and opponents had to look out for him on every play. That gave Unitas a number of options every time the Colts had the ball, and the all-time great quarterback took advantage of them on an every-week basis.
The Colts were upset in the NFL championship game by the Cleveland Browns that season, but they would remain a winning team in each of Mackey’s nine seasons with the team.
The Baltimore Colts would win their only Super Bowl following the 1970 season when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13. While that Super Bowl became known as the “Blunder Bowl” because the two teams combined for 11 turnovers—still a record—it was Mackey who caught a 75- yard touchdown pass from Unitas in the second quarter that allowed the Colts to tie the game.
Off, the eld, Mackey would also become an unsung hero when he successfully challenged the “Rozelle Rule” in court. e Rozelle Rule required any team that signed another team’s free agent to pay compensation for the lost player, and it had a chilling effect on the signing of free agents within the league.
By winning that case, Mackey became a driving force for players who desperately sought free agency. The political ramifications of his stand also delayed his entry into the Hall of Fame, but he got there in 1992, 20 years aer his playing career ended.
Mackey’s latter years were marked by a cruel battle with dementia, something he endured from 2000 until he died in 2011. Mackey’s struggles were a driving force in the NFL-NFLPA negotiations that increased the pension for players suffering from dementia from $30,000 to $88,000 per year.
Mackey’s contributions on and off the field have been wide-ranging and consequential. Few players have ever matched his impact.
Best NFL Players of All Time: John Mackey Stats
Regular Season
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Att | Yds | TD | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb | AV |
1963* | 22 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 35 | 726 | 20.7 | 7 | 61 | 2.5 | 51.9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 36 | 20.3 | 729 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
1964 | 23 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 22 | 406 | 18.5 | 2 | 62 | 1.6 | 29 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -0.1 | 0.1 | 23 | 17.6 | 405 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
1965* | 24 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 40 | 814 | 20.4 | 7 | 68 | 2.9 | 58.1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 41 | 20 | 821 | 7 | 2 | 11 |
1966*+ | 25 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 50 | 829 | 16.6 | 9 | 89 | 3.6 | 59.2 | 1 | -6 | 0 | -6 | -6 | -0.4 | 0.1 | 51 | 16.1 | 823 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
1967*+ | 26 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 55 | 686 | 12.5 | 3 | 34 | 3.9 | 49 | 0 | 55 | 12.5 | 686 | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||||||
1968*+ | 27 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 45 | 644 | 14.3 | 5 | 45 | 3.2 | 46 | 10 | 103 | 0 | 33 | 10.3 | 7.4 | 0.7 | 55 | 13.6 | 747 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
1969 | 28 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 14 | 34 | 443 | 13 | 2 | 52 | 2.4 | 31.6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 36 | 12.4 | 446 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
1970 | 29 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 11 | 28 | 435 | 15.5 | 3 | 54 | 2 | 31.1 | 0 | 28 | 15.5 | 435 | 3 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
1971 | 30 | BAL | TE | 88 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 143 | 13 | 0 | 28 | 0.8 | 10.2 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 14 | 11.5 | 161 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
1972 | 31 | SDG | TE | 89 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 110 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 0.8 | 8.5 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 110 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Career | 139 | 118 | 331 | 5236 | 15.8 | 38 | 89 | 2.4 | 37.7 | 19 | 127 | 0 | 33 | 6.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 350 | 15.3 | 5363 | 38 | 11 | 68 | ||||
9 yrs | BAL | 126 | 114 | 320 | 5126 | 16 | 38 | 89 | 2.5 | 40.7 | 19 | 127 | 0 | 33 | 6.7 | 1 | 0.2 | 339 | 15.5 | 5253 | 38 | 10 | 67 | |||
1 yr | SDG | 13 | 4 | 11 | 110 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 0.8 | 8.5 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 110 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Playoffs
Year | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD | Lng | R/G | Y/G | Att | Yds | TD | Lng | Y/A | Y/G | A/G | Touch | Y/Tch | YScm | RRTD | Fmb |
1964 | 23 | BAL | TE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
1965* | 24 | BAL | TE | 1 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 8.3 | 25 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
1968*+ | 27 | BAL | TE | 3 | 3 | 8 | 161 | 20.1 | 1 | 49 | 2.7 | 53.7 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 1 | 11 | 15.8 | 174 | 1 | 1 |
1970 | 29 | BAL | TE | 3 | 3 | 4 | 102 | 25.5 | 1 | 75 | 1.3 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 25.5 | 102 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
1971 | 30 | BAL | TE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Career | 10 | 8 | 17 | 296 | 17.4 | 2 | 75 | 1.7 | 29.6 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 20 | 15.5 | 309 | 2 |
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