Tom Fears

Lore & Background

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Fears moved to Los Angeles at age six. He played college football at UCLA, winning All-American honors each of his two seasons. He was drafted by the Rams in 1945 but remained in school. He broke the NFL single-season record with 77 catches in 1949 and increased it to 84 in 1950. He helped the Rams win the NFL title in 1951, catching the winning touchdown. He fractured two vertebrae in a 1953 game against the Detroit Lions and retired in 1956. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

In Their Own Story

The November wind off the Detroit River cut through the wool jerseys and found the gaps in the shoulder pads. Fears lined up behind the center, eyes locked on the seam between the defensive end and the tackle. The snap came, the guard's shoulder slammed into his chest, and for a half-second he was still. Then his legs kicked in, low and churning, and he drove forward through the hole like a man pushing a stalled car. The linebacker's helmet caught his ribs. He did not slow. The next defender's hand found his jersey and pulled, and Fears twisted, kept his head down, and found the gap the first hit had opened. By the time the pile settled, the ball was three yards deeper than it had been, and Fears was already on his feet, shaking the dust from his shoulders, waiting for the next snap. The crowd in the stands, bundled in coats and breath fogging the cold air, roared as if he had scored a touchdown. He had not. He had simply done what he did every single down, and that was enough.

Reader's Guide

Tom Fears played his entire NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams, not the Detroit Lions. He attended UCLA, not the University of Michigan. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970, not 1963.

Did You Know?

• Tom Fears was the first Mexican-born player drafted into the NFL.
• He set a single-game record with 18 catches against the Green Bay Packers in 1950.
• He was the first Latino head coach in NFL history, coaching the New Orleans Saints.
• He appeared on the radio program You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx in 1955.