Joe Don Looney

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joe Don Looney
Date of birth: October 10, 1942
Place of birth: Fort Worth, TX, United States
Date of death: September 24, 1988 (aged 45)
Place of death: Terlingua, Texas, United States
Career information
Position(s): Running back
Jersey №: 35
College: Oklahoma
Cameron Junior College
Texas Christian
AFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 6 / Pick: 44
(by the Kansas City Chiefs)
NFL Draft: 1964 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
Organizations
 As player:
1964
1964
1965-1966
1966-1967
1969		 New York Giants
Baltimore Colts
Detroit Lions
Washington Redskins
New Orleans Saints
Stats at NFL.com

Joe Don Looney (October 10, 1942 – September 24, 1988) was an American football running back in the National Football League for four different teams.

Looney was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He played as a running back for the Cameron Junior College Aggies of Lawton, Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Sooners in college, and later a member of the New York Giants, the Baltimore Colts, the Detroit Lions, the Washington Redskins, and the New Orleans Saints over the span of a six year career.

During his first semester at Texas, Looney received four Fs and one D mark. Looney responded by dropping out and enrolling at Texas Christian. He was eventually kicked out of school there and transferred to Cameron Junior College, where he played for Leroy Montgomery. He set a punting record in the 1961 Junior Rose Bowl, as his team won the junior college national championship. He made All-American with Oklahoma in 1962, leading them to the Big Eight Conference Championship. He played in only three games in 1963. Coach Bud Wilkinson kicked him off the team after Looney punched a graduate-assistant coach.

There is an anecdote about Looney from his time at Oklahoma that might help illuminate his character. At that time, student dormitories were still segregated by sex and there was no 'visitation'. One evening Looney went to a women's dorm to meet his date but she wasn't in the lobby. He went to the desk and the receptionist called up to the girl's room. 'Oh, Sally says she's sorry, she's almost ready', the receptionist told Looney. 'She'll be down in five minutes'. Looney turned and walked out, saying 'Joe Don waits for no one'.[citation needed]

The New York Giants made him their 1st round selection in the 1964 NFL Draft. He was with the team 25 days.

The Giants traded him to the Baltimore Colts just before the '64 season. Joe Don was only given 23 carries that entire season with Baltimore.

The Colts traded Looney to the Detroit Lions following the 1964 season. He put together one good season, racking up 114 carries for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns. While with Detroit, coach Harry Gilmer wanted Looney to carry in a play to the quarterback. Looney refused and told Gilmer "If you want a messenger boy, call Western Union."[1]

Detroit traded him to the Washington Redskins.

His tenure in Washington was largely uneventful. He had 55 carries for 178 yards. The only highlight of his time with the Redskins came on a play in which he didn't even have the ball. He was pass protecting for quarterback Sonny Jurgensen on a play, and ended up leveling an onrushing pass rusher with a right hook to the jaw.

In 1968, Looney was called up by the United States Army to go to Vietnam. When he returned to the States, he signed on with the New Orleans Saints.

He had three carries for -3 yards with the Saints that year, and retired after the season.

After his retirement from football he converted to Hinduism and joined the Siddha Yoga movement led by Swami Muktananda. Stan Trout, a fellow convert, alleged that Looney was one of Muktananda’s “enforcers” who intimidated people into obeying him.[2]

He died at the age of 45 on September 24, 1988 near Luna Vista north of Terlingua, Texas when his motorcycle ran off a rural highway and crashed into a fence. There were no skidmarks on the road.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ WashingtonPost.com: The Redskins Book: Page 67
  2. ^ The Secret Life of Swami Muktananda

[edit] References