Harold Carmichael

Lee Harold Carmichael, born September 22, 1949, spent the bulk of his NFL career as a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, suiting up for them from 1971 through 1983 before a final season with the Dallas Cowboys in 1984. He played college football at Southern University, where he was a Jaguar. Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall, he shares the record with Dan McGwire for being the tallest player ever to throw a touchdown pass in the NFL.

Carmichael grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, attending William M. Raines High School, where he played trombone in the band before taking up quarterback on the football team. At Southern University, he walked on and became a three-sport athlete. His height made him a natural fit as a center on the basketball team, and he also competed in the javelin and discus for track and field. On the football field, he switched to wide receiver, starting for four years without ever leading the team in catches.

He earned All-conference honors as a senior and was a teammate of Mel Blount. His post-career honors include inductions into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1989), the Florida Sports Hall of Fame (2004), the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2012), and the Black College Football Hall of Fame (2018). In January 2020, he was selected as one of ten seniors on the Centennial Slate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020.

The Eagles picked Carmichael in the seventh round of the 1971 draft, 161st overall. As a rookie, he was moved to tight end, starting six of nine games and leading the team’s tight ends with twenty receptions, which was fourth on the squad. The following year, he shifted back to wide receiver. His breakout came in 1973 under head coach Mike McCormack, when he led the league with 67 catches for 1,116 yards (a 16.7-yard average) and tied for fourth with nine touchdown grabs. Production dipped over the next three seasons as the team cycled through quarterbacks. In 1977, with Ron Jaworski taking over as starter, Carmichael again led the team with 46 receptions for 665 yards and seven touchdowns.

Over his career, he was voted to four Pro Bowls. In 1978, he finished third in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,072, and in 1979 he was second in receiving touchdowns with eleven. During the 1980 season, he set an NFL record by catching a pass in 127 consecutive games, and he helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl XV. The Eagles waived him on May 11, 1984. He signed as a free agent with the New York Jets on August 8, as the team sought receiver depth while Wesley Walker held out and Lam Jones recovered from a broken collarbone, but he was released on August 26. On September 6, he joined the Dallas Cowboys, who needed receiver help after Tony Hill was injured in the season opener. He appeared in two games, caught one pass, and was cut on November 14, announcing his retirement.

Carmichael finished his career with 590 receptions for 8,985 yards and 79 touchdown catches, plus 64 rushing yards on nine carries. At the time of his retirement, his career touchdown catches ranked seventh all-time, and his career catches ranked fifth. He left as the Eagles’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and total touchdowns (79), all four records still standing as of early 2017. He also holds Eagles postseason records for receiving yards (465), touchdowns (six), yards per reception (sixteen), and yards per game (66.4).

He and Brent Celek are the only Eagles with three touchdowns in a single postseason (1979), and he is one of four players with two touchdowns in a single postseason game. He holds the Eagles record for most regular-season games with a touchdown (69) and shares the playoff record (five) with Duce Staley and Brian Westbrook. At 6 foot 8 inches, he is believed to be the tallest wide receiver in NFL history and one of the few players who could throw a football from one end zone to the other.

Carmichael was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters. From 1973 to 1983, he led all NFL receivers in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. He entered the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Professional Football Researchers Association placed him in its Hall of Very Good Class of 2009. On January 15, 2020, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020.

After football, Carmichael settled in South Jersey and worked as a vice president for sales at a Philadelphia travel agency. He later ran several businesses, including steel fabrication and sports marketing. In 1998, the Eagles hired him as director of player and community relations, a role that blended mentoring, counseling, and troubleshooting between players and management. He shifted to a fan engagement liaison position in 2014 and retired from that role on April 2, 2015. He continues to serve as an ambassador for the team.