Role American football player Name Joe Auer | Rushing attempts–yards: 234–773 College: Georgia Tech Positions Running back | |
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Date of birth: (1941-10-11) October 11, 1941 (age 74) NFL draft: 1963 / Round: 5 / Pick: 57
(By the Los Angeles Rams) AFL draft: 1963 / Round: 15 / Pick: 120
(By the Kansas City Chiefs) Education Georgia Institute of Technology | ||
Place of birth: Trenton, New Jersey | ||
Heights Coach Joe Auer
Joseph Auer (born October 11, 1941) was an American football running back. He graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida and played collegiately for Georgia Tech and professionally in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills (1964–1965), and the Miami Dolphins (1966–1967). He also played in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons.
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He is most remembered for returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the Dolphins in their first regular-season football game in 1966, against the Oakland Raiders. Subsequently, he was the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player.
Sports career
Auer is best known as a professional American football player. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, and then traded that preseason to the Buffalo Bills for a first round draft pick, where he played for two years as the starting running back on their 1964 and 1965 championship team. He then played for the Miami Dolphins before ending his career with the Atlanta Falcons. Auer is most famous for taking the opening kickoff in the Miami Dolphins' first-ever game in 1966 and returning it 95 yards for a touchdown. He went on to be the Dolphins’ leading scorer that year; not surprisingly, he became the Dolphins' first MVP.
After retiring from football, Auer founded RaceCar Engineering, a company that built high-quality racecars, some of which set track records and won championships for the company’s customers. He then began Competitive Edge Motorsports, racing both the Busch and Nextel Cup Series in NASCAR between 2004 and 2006.