Wendell Hayes

Early life

Hayes was born in Dallas, Texas, and his family moved to Oakland, California. He attended Hoover Junior High School, graduating in June 1956, and then McClymonds High School. At McClymonds, he was a multi-sport athlete. He played fullback on the varsity football team, earning honorable mention All-City in 1957 and second-team All-City in 1958.

His head coach was Earl Meneweather, who became the Oakland Athletic League's first African American high school head football coach in 1957 and had played football at Humboldt State University. Hayes also played starting forward on McClymonds' 1959 championship basketball team, which included future NBA star Paul Silas and future MLB player Aaron Pointer; Hayes was honorable mention All-City that season. He ran the 100-yard dash and threw the shot put on the track and field team, becoming the Oakland Athletic League's shot put champion in May 1959. As a teenager, he was also an amateur boxer.

College career

In fall 1959, Hayes entered Oakland City College, where he played fullback for two seasons. He was the team's second leading rusher in 1959 and was twice All-Big Eight in football, including first-team All-Star in 1960. He also played forward and guard for the college's basketball team and was one of the conference's top scorers in 1960. Hayes later attended Humboldt State College.

As a junior in 1962, he played left halfback on the football team, also playing defense and serving as placekicker. He was expected to be a leading player in 1963 but lost his scholarship eligibility and did not play another season. On Humboldt's basketball team, he played forward, was the leading scorer, and was considered its most outstanding player. In a December 1962 game against Southern Oregon, he had 25 points and 16 rebounds.

He led the Far Western Conference in rebounding in the 1962–63 season and was a first-team conference All-Star. He also set a school record in the shot put on the track team.

Professional career

Hayes signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in late June 1963, becoming the first Humboldt player to sign an NFL contract. He performed well in training camp, surpassing running back Amos Bullocks as backup to Don Perkins by early August. In late August 1963, he required left leg surgery to remove calcium deposits, and Cowboys head coach Tom Landry expected him to miss the entire season. Hayes reportedly played on the Cowboys' taxi squad during 1963 but returned to appear in one game, returning two kickoffs in the last game of the season.

He returned to training camp in 1964 but was waived on August 30, 1964, after reportedly failing to report into a game for a blocking assignment on a field goal attempt, resulting in a blocked kick. After being released, he signed with the Denver Broncos in 1964 but was released before the season. The Oakland Raiders signed him to their taxi squad in 1964 before cutting him in December. He also played semipro football with the Oakland Gladiators in 1964.

Denver brought him back at the end of 1964, but coach Mac Speedie did not use him. The Broncos signed Hayes before the 1965 season, though Speedie apparently was unaware and expected him to be cut. Hayes played well enough in training camp to make the team, and early season injuries to running backs Abner Haynes and Charley Mitchell opened up opportunities for him to play more that season.