Tom Fears
Tom Fears: Hall of Fame receiver, first Saints head coach, and NFL pioneer.
Thomas Jesse Fears (December 3, 1922 – January 4, 2000) was a Mexican-American professional football player who was a split end for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL), playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956. He was later an NFL assistant coach and head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins football team and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Split End (Wide Receiver)
- Team
- Los Angeles Rams
- College
- UCLA
- Playing era
- 1948–1956
- Playing style
- Sure-handed route runner, exceptional toughness and durability
Lore & Background
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears was the son of a Mexican mother, Carmen Valdés, and an American father, mining engineer Charles William Fears. The family moved to Los Angeles when Tom was age six. He first played football at Los Angeles's Manual Arts High School. Upon graduation, he enrolled at Santa Clara University, spent one year there, then served in World War II. After the war, he transferred to UCLA, winning All-American honors each of his two seasons. He was selected as a defensive back by the Los Angeles Rams in the eleventh round (103rd overall) of the 1945 NFL draft. He is distinguished as being the first Mexican-born player to be drafted into the NFL. Fears led all NFL receivers in catches during his first three seasons, broke the single-season record with 77 catches in 1949, and increased that to 84 in 1950. He helped the Rams win the NFL title in 1951, catching the winning touchdown. He retired as a player on November 6, 1956, finishing with 400 catches for 5,397 yards and 38 touchdowns. He later served as an assistant coach for the Packers, Rams, and Falcons, and became head coach of the New Orleans Saints on January 27, 1967. He was the first Latino head coach in the NFL according to the source. He was dismissed on November 3, 1970, with an overall record of 13–34–2. He later coached in the World Football League and served as an assistant at San Bernardino Junior College.
Reader's Guide
Tom Fears was a Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, known for setting NFL receiving records in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He later became the first head coach of the New Orleans Saints. His career included a Super Bowl victory as an assistant with the Packers and a controversial exit from the NFL after working on the film North Dallas Forty.
Did You Know?
- He caught a then-record 18 passes in a single game against the Green Bay Packers on November 12, 1950.
- He appeared on the radio program You Bet Your Life hosted by Groucho Marx in 1955.
- Fears was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976.
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