John Gilliam

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John Gilliam
Date of birth	August 7, 1945
Place of birth	Greenwood, South Carolina
Position(s)	Wide Receiver
College	South Carolina State University
NFL Draft	1967 / Round 2
Pro Bowls	1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1967-1968, 1977 1969-1971 1972-1975 1976 1977	New Orleans Saints St. Louis Cardinals Minnesota Vikings Atlanta Falcons Chicago Bears

John Gilliam (born August 7, 1945 in Greenwood, South Carolina) was an American football wide receiver.

Gilliam was a receiver out of South Carolina State University, and was drafted in the second round by the expansion New Orleans Saints. He played his first two seasons in New Orleans, and then had stints with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1969 to 1971, Minnesota Vikings from 1972 to 1975, the Atlanta Falcons in 1976, and brief stints with the Chicago Bears and back in New Orleans for 1977. He was elected to the Pro Bowl all four years while he was with Minnesota.[1]

He is famous for returning the opening kickoff 94 yards in the Saints' inaugural game in 1967 against the Los Angeles Rams for their first touchdown in franchise history.

Gilliam played with the Chicago Winds of the WFL in 1975, catching 20 passes for 390 yards, 19.5 average and 2 touchdowns. The Winds folded after 5 games and Gilliam returned to the Vikings in time for the 1975 season.