Throwback Thursday: Lenny Moore

I've long been fond of the Baltimore Colts teams of the late 1950s. It's easy to have an appreciation for a team quarterbacked by John Unitas. They were also a fantastic team, winning league titles in 1958 and 1959 and contending nearly every year after. The team was loaded on both sides of the ball. Hall of Famers were everywhere. John Unitas, Raymond Berry, Jim Parker, Gino Marchetti, Art Donovan and coach Weeb Ewbank. Running back, receiver, anything-you-need Lenny Moore may have been my favorite.

Lenny Moore played at Penn State before Joe Paterno was the head coach. It's difficult to imagine that there was ever such a time. Moore was the Baltimore Colts first-round draft pick in 1956. Starting out as a combination running back-flanker. Moore was an immediate success, winning Rookie of the Year. Despite his early success with the Colts, Moore was a little confused by John Unitas' after practice work with Raymond Berry and other receivers. He wondered why Unitas didn't invite him to these workouts. Berry told Moore that Unitas doesn't invite players to do what it takes to get better. You have to want to get better. Soon, Lenny Moore was working with Unitas after practice and the Colts were headed to championships.

In the 1958 NFL Championship game against the New York Giants, Moore had five catches for 99 yards. His greatest impact may have been as a decoy. Not known to the Giants was that Moore was playing injured. The Giants were terrified of the Colts' versatile weapon and rolled coverages his way. Drawing attention away from Raymond Berry. In a game destined to go into overtime and be considered the greatest ever played, Unitas and Berry took over the game at the end.

In the 1960s, Moore moved to running back full time. Injuries plagued his 1962 and '63 seasons. He bounced back in a big way in 1964 and enjoyed the finest season of his career, scoring 20 touchdowns. That year, one of the wire services named him the Comeback Player of the Year and another named him the Most Valuable Player. From 1963-65, Moore scored touchdowns in, an NFL record, 18 consecutive games. The record stood alone until LaDanian Tomlinson tied it in 2005. Moore is the only player to score 40 touchdowns both rushing and receiving. He scored 113 total touchdowns in his career. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection. The Colts retired his #24 jersey and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Often one can tell the level of skill of an athlete by the number of nicknames. Lenny Moore had a few. "Sputnik," for the fear he incited in opposing defenses; "The Reading Rambler" and "Lightning Lenny," for his unmatched speed; and "Spats," for the way that he taped his high top shoes, making them look like low tops. "Spats" may have been the most frequently used, especially by his peers.

I have always favored versatile football players, players with unique skills. Lenny Moore had talents rarely seen before and only occasionally seen in more recent times. He could run like Gale Sayers and catch like Lance Alworth. Lenny Moore would likely have made the Hall of Fame at either running back or receiver. Instead, he made at both.