While reading Tom Danyluk's terrific read The Super '70s I was reminded of a football player that had intrigued me greatly then but I had forgotten about over the years. Houston Oilers/New Orleans Saints "jack-of-all trades" Guido Merkens. He somehow managed a ten-year NFL career. A ten-year career in which he had only 13 starts. His career is barely a blip on the NFL stat sheets but he was a remarkable football player. He did a little bit of everything. He did more of everything than any NFL player that I've ever seen. Here's what Oilers/ Saints head coach Bum Phillips had to say about Guido Merkens.
Take Guido Merkens. He played wide receiver and backup quarterback for us. He punted, he held for all extra points, and covered every punt and kickoff in the eleven years that he played for me. He even started at strong safety once when we needed him. Jerrell Wilson, the old Kansas City punter, was a scout for us. Before the '78 season he told me, "Coach. I played softball this summer with a guy that I think would be a good football prospect. His name is Guido Merkens."
I said, "What did he play?"
He said, "He played quarterback at Sam Houston, but he's a heckuva athlete, and he's a good kid."
I said, "Well, tell him to come on down here."
So we brought Guido on down there and he made the team and played every doggone year. He was probably the best athlete out of all the kids I've ever had on my teams. He played everything that a guy can do for a football team. He wasn't a good enough player to start at any one position, but he was a good enough player at a lot of positions to help you win.
That isn't the usual path to the NFL. There aren't many coaches that would have even given Guido Merkens a shot. Bum Phillips was one that would. Anyone that watched Merkens play football can thank him for that. The Oilers teams of the late 1970s were some of the most entertaining of the era and one of the best. They had the misfortune of playing in the same conference and division as the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers of that era are some of the best teams of any era. Those Oilers-Steelers games were great games and we got a bunch of them. Regular season and postseason.
The "Love Ya Blue" Oilers. Earl Campbell, Dan Pastorini, Ken Burrough, Curley Culp, Elvin Bethea, Robert Brazile, and Guido Merkens. They were a terrific team and the city of Houston loved them. The Oilers were defeated by their division foe Steelers in the 1978 and 1979 AFC Championship games. Upon their return home from each title game loss the Oilers were greeted by at least 50,000 of their fans. Fans spread out from airport to home. Football players like Guido Merkens made this team easy to love. As a fan of another team I always enjoyed watching those Oilers teams because of their great players. By the way, Robert Brazile should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, I most enjoyed watching those Oilers teams because of Guido Merkens. He did everything. Sometimes I watched Oilers games simply to see what Merkens might do next. Safety was the biggest surprise. I figured that nose tackle was out of the question but I wasn't so sure of it that I could ever look away. What if Culp couldn't go? Merkens was fun. So much so that I hoped that the Vikings could find their own Guido Merkens. A football team could save about four roster spots with a single Guido Merkens.
For his career, Merkens had 36 receptions for 569 yards and 3 TDs. 16 carries for 35 yards. He completed 27 of 66 passes for 283 yards and 2 TDs. He returned 16 punts for 126 yards and 5 kicks for 60 yards.
The numbers tell only a fraction of the NFL career of Guido Merkens. He did so much more. Fans of the late '70s Houston Oilers will always remember Guido Merkens. I'll always remember little Guido Merkens.
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