halfback

When the Detroit Lions unveiled an I-formation against the Bears at old Tigers Stadium, Butkus knocked every member of the “I” — the center, quarterback, fullback and halfback — out of the game.

Arizona State used a variety of trick plays - two on halfback passes - to trail by eight at halftime and pulled within 24-21 on Pyne’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Badger in the third quarter.

A quietly confident all-American halfback with a sharp intellect and quick reflexes, Davis was drawn by President John F. Kennedy’s vision of the Special Forces as a sort of counterinsurgency dream team.

“I played halfback, fullback and emergency tight end, and I started on five special teams. I get confused on one play, and they never let me forget it.”

Along with halfback Eugene “Mercury” Morris, they would form the nucleus of the Dolphins’ fearsome ’72 rushing attack.