The "What If" Thread-- Bo-knew health? Marcus Dupree-knewdiscipline? Etc., Etc. (AFC, drafted)

[dalebx28]

The "what if trend" had bo knew health? Had Marcus Dupree knew discipline?

What would the record books look like??

[DOUBLE H]

For the Op's benefit I re-worded this a tad and I'd like to open up conversation on this thread not only for players who retired way too early due to injury but for other reasons, be it other career choices, tragic accidents, or what have you.

[dalebx28]

The reason I started this thread was because everyone kept talking about Bo Jackson being as good as Saunders or even better but the fact are the fact. Now we can talk about the what if

Had Marcus dupree had discipline he might have been the best back ever I saw him at Oklahoma state and he was really an exciting player to watch. Also caught a little of him in the usfl. But he never reach his full potential.

[Mr. GE]

Originally Posted by dalebx28

The reason I started this thread was because everyone kept talking about Bo Jackson being as good as Saunders or even better but the fact are the fact. Now we can talk about the what if

Had Marcus dupree had discipline he might have been the best back ever I saw him at Oklahoma state and he was really an exciting player to watch. Also caught a little of him in the usfl. But he never reach his full potential.

Dupree went to Oklahoma... Not Okie State. And his problem was not discipline. He wa a country boy from Mississippi who was not ready to be a star. he was home sick at Oklahoma and couldn't take the coaches riding him. Then he was taken advantage of by a family friend in the USFL... And the final straw was that his knees wouldnt hold up.

After all that he still managed to work out on his own and make it to the NFL for a couple years. Discipline was not an issue

[dalebx28]

Originally Posted by Mr. GE

Dupree went to Oklahoma... Not Okie State. And his problem was not discipline. He wa a country boy from Mississippi who was not ready to be a star. he was home sick at Oklahoma and couldn't take the coaches riding him. Then he was taken advantage of by a family friend in the USFL... And the final straw was that his knees wouldnt hold up.

After all that he still managed to work out on his own and make it to the NFL for a couple years. Discipline was not an issue

my bad thanks ......... i knew he was good. i get credit right

[DOUBLE H]

As a kid growing up in the late 1950's there are several instances about the NFL that remains with me umpteen years later. One of them are the men I've talked of in other football threads who IMO eventually turned America from a baseball watching nation to a football watching nation; Vince Lombardi, Jim Brown, and John Unitas. When I watched the NFL early games with my Dad (Bronco games were 2 p.m. MST) I would remember NFL HOFer and CBS commentator Red Grange do the morning breakdown of the teams before kickoff. Invariably we would get Chicago Bears in the morning, sometimes Green Bay. Red loved to talk about running backs. And one of them is a back that I can guarantee has never been talked about on this forum. He had a ton of talent. His name is Willie Galimore.

Galimore played 6 years with the Bears. He came out of Florida A & M and was picked 5th in the draft, I believe. He never had years where he would go for 1000 yards, but there were two reasons for it. In most of his seasons he would be injured and miss a few games. The other was Rick Casares was their fullback and their chief threat. It was only the year before he was drafted that Chicago won the NFL Championship, beating New York 47-7. Fast forward to 1963-Galimore was one of the factors in the Bears defeating the New York Giants again in the 1963 NFL Championship game 14-7. The Bears finished 11-1-2 that year and it would be 22 years before the organization would see a season like that again.

In the 1964 Bears training camp near Rensellaer, Indiana, Galimore and teammate John Farrington were killed in a tragic automobile accident. The Bears went into a funk that IMO they couldn't get out of for a long time. The year afterwards Gale Sayers was drafted #1 and Dick Butkus #2, but success eluded the Bears for a couple decades. Galimore's #28 was retired by the club. He was popular with his teammates and was noted, particularly in his home town of St. Augustine, Florida, for his community involvement, particularly regarding the civil rights movement. There are a few sites online if you do a search on Galimore that would go into this at greater detail.

When I first got cable in the late 70's, I subscribed to Inside The NFL on HBO. 15 years after his death his name was brought up by someone who I also admire-NFL HOFer and Philadelphia Eagle Chuck Bednarik. Bednarik, who was one of the shows hosts, said once if Galimore had not died in that horrific crash, would Gale Sayers still have been drafted #1 by the Bears?

Notable on the field, very notable off the field-Willie Galimore.

[Mr. GE]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

As a kid growing up in the late 1950's there are several instances about the NFL that remains with me umpteen years later. One of them are the men I've talked of in other football threads who IMO eventually turned America from a baseball watching nation to a football watching nation; Vince Lombardi, Jim Brown, and John Unitas. When I watched the NFL early games with my Dad (Bronco games were 2 p.m. MST) I would remember NFL HOFer and CBS commentator Red Grange do the morning breakdown of the teams before kickoff. Invariably we would get Chicago Bears in the morning, sometimes Green Bay. Red loved to talk about running backs. And one of them is a back that I can guarantee has never been talked about on this forum. He had a ton of talent. His name is Willie Galimore.

Galimore played 6 years with the Bears. He came out of Florida A & M and was picked 5th in the draft, I believe. He never had years where he would go for 1000 yards, but there were two reasons for it. In most of his seasons he would be injured and miss a few games. The other was Rick Casares was their fullback and their chief threat. It was only the year before he was drafted that Chicago won the NFL Championship, beating New York 47-7. Fast forward to 1963-Galimore was one of the factors in the Bears defeating the New York Giants again in the 1963 NFL Championship game 14-7. The Bears finished 11-1-2 that year and it would be 22 years before the organization would see a season like that again.

In the 1964 Bears training camp near Rensellaer, Indiana, Galimore and teammate John Farrington were killed in a tragic automobile accident. The Bears went into a funk that IMO they couldn't get out of for a long time. The year afterwards Gale Sayers was drafted #1 and Dick Butkus #2, but success eluded the Bears for a couple decades. Galimore's #28 was retired by the club. He was popular with his teammates and was noted, particularly in his home town of St. Augustine, Florida, for his community involvement, particularly regarding the civil rights movement. There are a few sites online if you do a search on Galimore that would go into this at greater detail.

When I first got cable in the late 70's, I subscribed to Inside The NFL on HBO. 15 years after his death his name was brought up by someone who I also admire-NFL HOFer and Philadelphia Eagle Chuck Bednarik. Bednarik, who was one of the shows hosts, said once if Galimore had not died in that horrific crash, would Gale Sayers still have been drafted #1 by the Bears?

Notable on the field, very notable off the field-Willie Galimore.

Great first hand information as always... I had never heard of this guy before. Thanks for sharing.

[mco65]

Willie Galimore - never heard of him..
I will check him out...

[Cali BassMan]

Retired way to early----Jim Brown

[DOUBLE H]

The Kansas City Chiefs have three players that fall into this category. What is eery about this is they all played one position-running back.

Joe Delaney came out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Not a huge school by any stretch but the Chiefs scouting department was sold on him right away, making him their top pick in the 1981 draft. That year he rushed for 1121 yards and was UPI NFL Rookie of the Year, then was named to the AFC Pro Bowl in the strike shortened 1982 season. Delaney was trying to save a couple kids who were playing in a park in Ruston, Louisiana. They were playing in a pond that clearly wasn't designated for swimming. One kid was saved, but the second wasn't and he died along with Joe Delaney himself. After his death there was a foundation set up on his behalf by KC Chief fans called "37 Forever", which is also associated with the American Red Cross for a variety of subjects, particularly swimming lessons. It was set up for disadvantaged kids. 37 was Delaney's number.

Stone Johnson came out of Grambling University. He previously had been named to the U.S. Olympic Track Team, had a lot of potential. Wasn't drafted by either league but Kansas City signed him as a free agent in the 1963 draft. In an exhibition game against the Oakland Raiders Johnson suffered a cracked vertebrae in his neck. He went into a coma and sadly never came out of it, dying ten days later.

The one player that long time Chief fans talk of the most though was Mack Lee Hill. He was 5'11" and 227 pounds and went by the nickname "Mack the Truck." Hill came out of Southern University and like Johnson was not drafted, but signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in the 1964 draft.. Like Joe Delaney he was named league Rookie of the Year. Halfway through his second season he tore a ligament in his knee. The next couple days as surgery was performed severe complications set in and Hill died on the operating table. At first the thought was something went wrong with the anesthesia but it was determined later that Hill had suffered an embolism. From what I remember he was on the table for hours fighting for his life.

After the 1965 season head coach Hank Stram set up an award called the "Mack Lee Hill" award to the rookie of the club with the most contribution for that specific year.

Like Delaney, Hill was extremely popular with Chief fans. Both were named Rookie of The Year and had bright futures ahead of them, along with Johnson. Kansas City Chief owner Lamar Hunt immediately retired Stone Johnson's number when he died and of course Hill's and Delaney's were retired as well.