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1971 Houston Oilers

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Record: 4-9-1, Finished 3rd in AFC Central Division
NFL Season Summary

Scored 251 points (17.9/g), 16th of 26 in the NFL.
 Allowed 330 points (23.6/g), 22nd.
 Differential of -79 points (-5.6/g), 19th.
 Expected W-L: 4.8-9.2.

 Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -14 (-1.0/g), 24th.

Simple Rating System: Total -6.7, Offense: -3.0, Defense: -3.8, SoS: -1.1, versus averages of 0.0.

Coached by Ed Hughes (4-9-1)

Training Camp: Schreiner Institute (Kerrville, Texas)

Starters

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),Hide Non-primary Starters
Pos Age Yrs GS Summary of Player Stats Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
 Offensive Starters
QB Dan Pastorini 22 Rook 13 127 for 270, 1,702 yards, 7 td, 21 int, & 26 rushes for 140 yards and 3 td Houston Oilers / 1st / 3rd pick / 1971
RB Woody Campbell 27 4 0 96 rushes for 259 yards, 1 td, & 20 catches for 179 yards and 0 td Houston Oilers / 10th / 242nd pick / 1967
FB Robert Holmes 26 3 0 91 rushes for 288 yards, 4 td, & 17 catches for 138 yards and 0 td Kansas City Chiefs / 14th / 375th pick / 1968
WR Jim Beirne 25 3 0 38 catches for 550 yards, 1 td Houston Oilers / 4th / 105th pick / 1968
WR Charlie Joiner 24 2 13 31 catches for 681 yards, 7 td Houston Oilers / 4th / 93rd pick / 1969
TE Alvin Reed 27 4 0 25 catches for 408 yards, 1 td
TE Willie Frazier 29 7 0 8 catches for 113 yards, 0 td
LT Gene Ferguson 24 2 0 San Diego Chargers / 3rd / 70th pick / 1969
LG Bob Young 29 5 0 St. Louis Cardinals / 19th / 261st pick / 1964
C Walt Suggs 32 9 0 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 24th pick / 1961
C Jerry Sturm 35 10 0
RG Elbert Drungo 28 2 0 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 65th pick / 1969
RT Sam Walton 28 3 0 New York Jets / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1968
 Defensive Starters
LDE Pat Holmes 31 5 0 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Philadelphia Eagles / 3rd / 40th pick / 1962
LDT Mike Tilleman 27 5 0 Minnesota Vikings / 12th / 163rd pick / 1965
RDT Ron Billingsley 26 4 0 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered San Diego Chargers / 1st / 14th pick / 1967
RDE Elvin Bethea* 25 3 14 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 77th pick / 1968
LLB George Webster 26 4 0 Houston Oilers / 1st / 5th pick / 1967
MLB Garland Boyette 31 9 0 0 interceptions, 4 fumbles recovered
RLB Ron Pritchard 24 2 0 Houston Oilers / 1st / 15th pick / 1969
LCB Zeke Moore 28 4 0 3 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Houston Oilers / 5th / 127th pick / 1967
RCB Willie Alexander 22 Rook 0 4 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered Houston Oilers / 6th / 134th pick / 1971
RCB Benny Johnson 23 1 0 Houston Oilers / 6th / 144th pick / 1970
SS Ken Houston* 27 4 0 9 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered Houston Oilers / 9th / 214th pick / 1967
FS John Charles 27 4 0 5 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered Boston Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1967
 Special Teams Starters
K Mark Moseley 23 1 0 16 of 26 field goals & 25 of 27 extra points Philadelphia Eagles / 14th / 346th pick / 1970
P Dan Pastorini 22 Rook 13 75 punts for a 40.6 average, 0 blocked Houston Oilers / 1st / 3rd pick / 1971
PR Ken Houston* 27 4 0 16 punt returns for a 5.7 average and 0 td Houston Oilers / 9th / 214th pick / 1967
KR Linzy Cole 23 1 0 32 kick returns for a 26.1 average and 0 td Chicago Bears / 9th / 210th pick / 1970

Roster

ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+),
No. Age Pos G GS Wt Ht College/Univ BirthDate Yrs Drafted (tm/rnd/yr)
88 Allen Aldridge 26 DE 13 0 250 6-6 Prairie View 4/27/1945 Rook
19 Willie Alexander 22 DB 14 0 194 6-2 Alcorn St. 9/21/1949 Rook Houston Oilers / 6th / 134th pick / 1971
48 Bob Atkins 25 DB 12 0 215 6-3 Grambling St. 4/2/1946 3 St. Louis Cardinals / 2nd / 42nd pick / 1968
17 Braden Beck 27 K 2 0 200 6-2 Stanford 1/12/1944 Rook San Diego Chargers / 19th / 150th pick / 1965
81 Jim Beirne 25 WR-TE 14 0 206 6-2 Purdue 10/15/1946 3 Houston Oilers / 4th / 105th pick / 1968
83 Bruce Bergey 25 DE 1 0 240 6-2 UCLA 8/8/1946 Rook Kansas City Chiefs / 14th / 354th pick / 1971
65 Elvin Bethea* 25 DE 14 14 260 6-2 North Carolina A&T 3/1/1946 3 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 77th pick / 1968
82 Ron Billingsley 26 DT-DE 13 0 290 6-8 Wyoming 4/6/1945 4 San Diego Chargers / 1st / 14th pick / 1967
52 Garland Boyette 31 LB-DE 14 0 238 6-1 Grambling St. 3/22/1940 9
73 Lee Brooks 24 DT 11 0 261 6-5 Texas 12/7/1947 1 Houston Oilers / 2nd / 31st pick / 1970
00 Ken Burrough 23 WR 13 0 215 6-3 Texas Southern 7/14/1948 1 New Orleans Saints / 1st / 10th pick / 1970
35 Woody Campbell 27 RB 12 0 204 5-10 Northwestern 9/26/1944 4 Houston Oilers / 10th / 242nd pick / 1967
25 John Charles 27 DB 14 0 205 6-0 Purdue 5/9/1944 4 Boston Patriots / 1st / 21st pick / 1967
87 Linzy Cole 23 WR 14 0 172 5-11 TCU 4/21/1948 1 Chicago Bears / 9th / 210th pick / 1970
59 Phil Croyle 24 LB 14 0 223 6-3 California 10/30/1947 Rook Houston Oilers / 7th / 159th pick / 1971
34 Joe Dawkins 23 RB 6 0 223 6-0 Wisconsin 1/27/1948 1 Houston Oilers / 10th / 249th pick / 1970
10 Lynn Dickey 22 QB 7 2 214 6-3 Kansas St. 10/19/1949 Rook Houston Oilers / 3rd / 56th pick / 1971
71 Tom Domres 25 DT 5 0 260 6-3 Wisconsin 10/19/1946 3 Houston Oilers / 10th / 268th pick / 1968
75 Elbert Drungo 28 T-G 11 0 265 6-5 Tennessee St. 4/30/1943 2 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 65th pick / 1969
74 Gene Ferguson 24 T-DT 14 0 300 6-8 Norfolk St. 6/5/1947 2 San Diego Chargers / 3rd / 70th pick / 1969
83 Willie Frazier 29 TE 6 0 245 6-4 Ark-Pine Bluff 6/19/1942 7
66 Tom Funchess 27 T 12 0 265 6-5 Jackson St. 9/12/1944 3 Boston Patriots / 2nd / 32nd pick / 1968
86 Mac Haik 25 WR 4 0 195 6-1 Mississippi 1/19/1946 3 Houston Oilers / 2nd / 49th pick / 1968
79 Pat Holmes 31 DE-DT 14 0 255 6-5 Texas Tech 8/3/1940 5 Philadelphia Eagles / 3rd / 40th pick / 1962
36 Robert Holmes 26 RB 8 0 221 5-9 Southern 10/5/1945 3 Kansas City Chiefs / 14th / 375th pick / 1968
28 Andy Hopkins 22 RB 2 0 186 5-10 S.F. Austin 10/19/1949 Rook Houston Oilers / 15th / 368th pick / 1971
29 Ken Houston* 27 DB 14 0 197 6-3 Prairie View 11/12/1944 4 Houston Oilers / 9th / 214th pick / 1967
45 Leroy Howard 22 DB 7 0 175 5-11 Bishop 6/16/1949 Rook
33 Benny Johnson 23 DB 10 0 178 5-11 Johnson C. Smith 6/29/1948 1 Houston Oilers / 6th / 144th pick / 1970
12 Charley Johnson 33 QB 14 4 200 6-1 Schreiner College,New Mexico St. 11/22/1938 10 San Diego Chargers / 8th / 63rd pick / 1961
St. Louis Cardinals / 10th / 109th pick / 1960
18 Charlie Joiner 24 WR 14 13 188 5-11 Grambling St. 10/14/1947 2 Houston Oilers / 4th / 93rd pick / 1969
22 Zeke Moore 28 DB 13 0 198 6-3 Lincoln (MO) 12/2/1943 4 Houston Oilers / 5th / 127th pick / 1967
11 Mark Moseley 23 K 12 0 202 5-11 Texas A&M,S.F. Austin 3/12/1948 1 Philadelphia Eagles / 14th / 346th pick / 1970
37 Dave Olerich 27 LB-TE 14 0 220 6-1 San Francisco 11/14/1944 4
7 Dan Pastorini 22 QB 14 13 208 6-2 Santa Clara 5/26/1949 Rook Houston Oilers / 1st / 3rd pick / 1971
2 Dickie Post 26 RB 7 0 190 5-9 Houston 9/27/1945 4 San Diego Chargers / 4th / 94th pick / 1967
58 Ron Pritchard 24 LB 14 0 235 6-1 Arizona St. 4/9/1947 2 Houston Oilers / 1st / 15th pick / 1969
89 Alvin Reed 27 TE 14 0 235 6-5 Prairie View 8/1/1944 4
60 Tom Regner 27 G 8 0 235 6-1 Notre Dame 4/19/1944 4 Houston Oilers / 1st / 23rd pick / 1967
85 Floyd Rice 22 LB-TE 14 0 223 6-3 Alcorn St. 8/31/1949 Rook Houston Oilers / 9th / 212th pick / 1971
24 Mike Richardson 25 RB 7 0 196 5-11 SMU 12/8/1946 2 Houston Oilers / 7th / 171st pick / 1969
64 Ron Saul 23 G 3 0 255 6-2 Michigan St. 2/5/1948 1 Houston Oilers / 5th / 110th pick / 1970
41 Leroy Sledge 25 RB 6 0 230 6-2 Bakersfield JC 10/11/1946 Rook
62 Jerry Sturm 35 C-T-G 14 0 260 6-3 Illinois 12/31/1936 10
76 Walt Suggs 32 T-C 11 0 260 6-5 Mississippi St. 5/15/1939 9 Houston Oilers / 3rd / 24th pick / 1961
78 Mike Tilleman 27 DT 14 0 272 6-7 Montana 3/30/1944 5 Minnesota Vikings / 12th / 163rd pick / 1965
32 Ward Walsh 24 RB 13 0 213 6-0 Colorado 11/21/1947 Rook
92 Sam Walton 28 T 14 0 270 6-5 Texas A&M-Commerce 1/3/1943 3 New York Jets / 3rd / 72nd pick / 1968
90 George Webster 26 LB 10 0 220 6-4 Michigan St. 11/25/1945 4 Houston Oilers / 1st / 5th pick / 1967
56 Bob Young 29 G-DE-DT 14 0 270 6-1 Texas,Texas St.,Howard Payne 9/3/1942 5 St. Louis Cardinals / 19th / 261st pick / 1964
Team Total 25.8 14 226.6 6-2.1 2.8