Place of birth Wallace, Idaho Name Lee Folkins Receiving yards 1,040 Weight 98 kg | Height 1.96 m College Washington Role American football player Positions Tight end | |
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Date of birth (1939-07-04) July 4, 1939 (age 76) NFL draft 1961 / Round: 6 / Pick: 82 | ||
High school Roosevelt High School Education University of Washington | ||
Lloyd Leroy Folkins (born July 4, 1939) is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Washington.
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Early years
Folkins attended Roosevelt High School before accepting a scholarship from the University of Washington.
He started as a sophomore playing both offense and defense, standing out as an offensive end, where he eventually formed a massive duo with John Meyers, with both standing 6–5 and over 200 pounds each.
In 1959, he helped the Huskies reach the 1960 Rose Bowl, winning it for the first time in school history, with a 44-8 upset against the University of Wisconsin.
In 1960, he was a preseason All-American candidate and again helped the Huskies reach the 1961 Rose Bowl, which they won 17-7 against the University of Minnesota.
Green Bay Packers
Folkins was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round (82nd overall) of the 1961 NFL Draft. He was converted to play tight end and was a reserve behind Ron Kramer. He was part of the Packers 1961 World NFL Championship Team, but spent most of his time playing special teams.
On September 4, 1962, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for an eighth-round draft choice (#104-Keith Kinderman).
Dallas Cowboys
Folkins started the 1962 season as the backup for Pettis Norman at tight end, but by the fourth game he had won the starter position and developed into a very good pass receiver, catching 39 receptions for 536 yards and six touchdowns. In the 1962 Chicago College All-Star Game he swung at a collegiate player, but connected instead with the head official, rendering him unconscious.
He made the Pro Bowl in 1963 after making 31 catches for 407 yards and 4 touchdowns, becoming part of the franchise's legacy of Pro Bowl tight ends that includes: Jim Doran, Dick Bielski, Mike Ditka, Billy Joe Dupree, Jackie Smith, Doug Cosbie, Jay Novacek and Jason Witten.
After catching 70 passes his first two seasons in Dallas, Folkins caught only five passes in 1964 due to injury, but had 15 punts for 497 yards. On September 6, 1965, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a twelfth round draft choice (#173-Les Shy).
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 1965, Folkins didn't have a big impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers because of recurring injuries, but he played a part in beating the Cowboys that season, he recovered a Bob Hayes kickoff fumble that he returned for a touchdown and afterwards tossed the ball to a surprised Tom Landry.
After playing in only 8 games and catching just five receptions, he decided to the retire at the end of the 1965 season. He played for five years, with 80 receptions for 1,042 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Personal life
Folkins survived a 66,000 volt jolt, that happened during a work accident.