Don Maynard

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Don Maynard
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Position(s): Wide Receiver	Jersey #(s): 13
Born: January 25, 1935 (1935-01-25) (age 73) Crosbyton, Texas
Career Information
Year(s): 1958–1973
NFL Draft: 1957 / Round: 9 / Pick: 109
College: Texas Western
Professional Teams
New York Giants (1958) New York Titans / Jets (1960-1972) St. Louis Cardinals (1973) Houston Texans / Shreveport Steamers (1974 WFL season)
Career Stats
Receptions	633
Receiving Yards	11,834
Touchdowns	88
Stats at NFL.com
Career Highlights and Awards
4x Pro Bowl selection (1965, 1967, 1968, 1969) 5x All-Pro selection (1960, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969) AFL All-Time Team 1967 AFL All-Star Game Offensive MVP New York Jets #13 retired
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Donald Maynard (born January 25, 1935 in Crosbyton, Texas) was an American football player who played collegiately for Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso) and professionally with the National Football League's New York Giants and the American Football League's New York Jets and the World Football League's Shreveport Steamers.

After having been released by the Giants, Maynard became the very first player to sign with the New York Titans in 1960 (the team was renamed the Jets in 1963). Although scorned by the New York press as an "NFL reject", in 1960, he teamed with Hall of Famer Art Powell to form the first professional wide receiver tandem to each gain over 1,000 yards on receptions in a season, with the pair achieving this milestone again in 1962. Over the next 13 years Maynard put up receiving numbers that would earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Collecting 72 pass receptions in his first year as a Titan, he went on to compile four more seasons with 50 or more catches and 1,000 yards receiving, and held the professional football record for total receptions and yards receiving. A four-time AFL All-Star, he is sixth in all-time pro football touchdown receptions, and is a member of the All-time All-AFL Team.

In 1965 Maynard's was team with rookie Joe Namath. Maynard had 1,218 yards on 68 receptions and 14 TD's in Namath's first season (Namath had 22 TD passes that year), and in 1968 the duo hooked up 57 times for 1,297 yards (22.8 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns(Namath had 15 TD's that year). In 1967 where Maynard caught 1,434 of Namath's historic 4,007 passing yards. The receiving yards were a career high for Maynard and led the league; he also had 71 receptions, 10 TD's, and averaged 20.2 yards per catch. His team would go on to win the Super Bowl.

He finished his career in 1974, playing with the Houston Texans / Shreveport Steamers of the WFL, where he caught 5 passes for 62 yards.

One of only 20 players who were in the AFL for its entire 10-year existence, Maynard was also one of only seven players who played their entire AFL careers with one team. Maynard finished his career with 633 receptions for 11,834 yards and 88 touchdowns. His 18.7 yards per catch is the highest for anyone with at least 600 receptions.