Mike Renfro
| Date of birth: | June 19, 1955 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth: | Fort Worth, Texas |
Career information | |
| Position(s): | Wide receiver |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) |
| College: | Texas Christian |
| NFL Draft: | 1978 / Round: 4 / Pick: 98 |
Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1978-1983 1984-1987 |
Houston Oilers Dallas Cowboys |
Career stats | |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Michael Ray Renfro (born June 19, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas) is a former American professional football player.
NFL career
NFL Draft
Renfro was selected by the Houston Oilers in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. A 6'0", 186-lb. wide receiver from Texas Christian University, Renfro graduated as the All-Time Leading Pass Receiver in Southwest Conference history. Renfro played in 11 National Football League seasons for the Oilers and Dallas Cowboys from 1978 to 1988.
Houston Oilers
Renfro caught balls from quarterback greats Dan Pastorini, Kenny Stabler and Archie Manning while a member of the Oilers. Renfro also was involved in one of the most controversial plays in NFL playoff history. A Pastorini pass to Renfro for an apparent touchdown in the 1980 championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was ruled not a catch, costing the Oilers a chance for victory and a trip to the Super Bowl. The play was cited as the impetus for league-wide instant replay in the NFL, which was instituted soon thereafter.
Dallas Cowboys
In 1984, Mike Renfro was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, where he played under head coach Tom Landry. Renfro was named the team’s most valuable player after the 1985 season and played for the Cowboys until his retirement from the NFL in 1988. One of Renfro's best performances came on Thanksgiving Day 1987 against the Minnesota Vikings. Renfro caught seven passes for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns from Quarterback Danny White in a game the Cowboys lost 44-38 in overtime.
Renfro's football family lineage
Mike’s dad, Ray Renfro was a four-time world champion All-Pro wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns from 1952-1964 and was once considered the fastest man in football. Ray and Mike are arguably the greatest father-son combination of wide receivers in NFL history combing for 604 receptions, 10,216 yards, and 78 touchdowns. Ray Renfro later went on to coach for the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. Ray was the quarterbacks and receivers coach during Dallas’ first Super Bowl win in 1972. (Mike Renfro was the water boy for the Cowboys that season and wears his father’s Super Bowl ring today.)
Mike's uncle, Dean Renfro, played receiver for the Baltimore Colts and was also the wide receivers’ coach at TCU during Mike’s playing days for the Horned Frogs. Mike’s two brothers played college wide receiver. Mike's two sons, Clint and Ford both played receiver at the collegiate level. Mike's nephew and cousin also played receiver at the collegiate level.
Personal life
His son, Clint, was a wide receiver and arguably one of the best high school recruits TCU has had. However, he was unable to participate in football due to multiple undiagnosed injuries. He did compete in Track & Field for two years at TCU. He was a conference champion and is the All-Time Record holder in the 400m hurdles at TCU. He attended Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas, where he helped lead the team to state championships as a wide receiver in 2004 and 2005. He was an All-State selection as a wide receiver in 2004. Clint was also the 5A state champion in 300-meter hurdles as a senior and runner-up as a sophomore and junior. He had the second-fastest 300-meter hurdle time in the country in 2006 (36.25).