Paul Warfield

Early years and college

Paul Dryden Warfield was born in Warren, Ohio. His father, Dryden Warfield, was a deacon in a Baptist church. Warfield attended Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, where he was a star running back and defensive back for the Panthers. He scored 92 points as a junior in 1958, a campaign highlighted by a 6–0 victory over powerhouse Massillon Washington High School. The following season, as a senior he scored 93 points, including all three of his team's touchdowns in the final game of the season. As a basketball player he was noted for his speed, often leading fast breaks. He also ran track and field at Warren G. Harding, and was the state broad jump champion in 1957. He set state records in the broad jump, 100-yard dash, and 180-yard hurdles.

Warfield then attended Ohio State University, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team under coach Woody Hayes. As he did in high school, he continued to star as both a running back and defensive back. As the secondary ball-carrier behind fullback Bob Ferguson during Ohio State's national championship season in 1961, Warfield carried 77 times for 420 yards and five touchdowns. He was a third-team All-Big Ten Conference selection by the conference's coaches. In 1962 he rushed for 367 yards and two touchdowns, and his 6.4 yards-per-carry average led the Big Ten. As a senior in 1963 he rushed for 260 yards and a touchdown and caught 22 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He was voted by the Big Ten's coaches as the first-team halfback on both the 1962 and 1963 All-Big Ten teams.

A two-time letterman in track and field at Ohio State, Warfield competed as a broad jumper, hurdler, and sprinter. He excelled as a broad jumper, recording a personal best of 26 feet 2 inches, and was an Olympic prospect before he decided to play professional football.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns selected Warfield with the eleventh pick of the 1964 NFL Draft. Browns owner Paul Brown intended for Warfield to play as a defensive back. But during workouts prior to the season, his play as a wide receiver impressed head coach Blanton Collier, and he was converted to the position. In his rookie season, he caught 52 passes for 920 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 17.8 yards per reception, and his speed served to compliment the power of star running back Jim Brown. The Browns finished the season atop the East Division with a 10–3–1 record, and defeated the Baltimore Colts 27–0 in the 1964 NFL Championship Game. Warfield was invited to his first Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA).

In the 1965 Chicago College All-Star Game, which annually pitted the reigning NFL champion against star college players, Warfield shattered his collarbone and missed the majority of the 1965 season as a result. He returned for the penultimate game of the season and caught three passes for 30 yards before bruising his collarbone, causing him to miss the final game of the regular season. The Browns returned to the NFL Championship Game in 1965, in which Warfield caught two passes for 30 yards in a 23–12 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Warfield returned to form in 1966, catching 36 passes for 741 yards and five touchdowns, and in 1967 recorded 32 receptions for 702 yards and eight touchdowns. In 1968, Warfield caught 50 passes and for the only time in his career eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, finishing with 1,067. His career-high 12 receiving touchdowns led the league that year. The Browns again reached the NFL Championship Game, where they were shutout by the Baltimore Colts, 34–0. Warfield earned first-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), Pro Football Weekly, and NEA, and made another Pro Bowl appearance.

Trade

After another NFL championship game appearance for the Browns and Pro Bowl season for Warfield in 1969, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins for the third pick in the 1970 draft. The trade came as a shock to Warfield, who had established himself as one of the Browns' most popular players. "I have to admit going to Miami was not a place I desired to go," said Warfield 30 years later. The Browns used the pick acquired in the trade on Purdue University quarterback Mike Phipps. The trade is considered one of the most lopsided in NFL history, as Phipps had only limited success for the Browns, while Warfield was a major factor in the Dolphins' championships in the early 1970s.

Miami Dolphins

In need of a deep-play receiver, Dolphins head coach Don Shula stated he "jumped at the chance" to acquire Warfield, saying he had always admired him and called him "a real thoroughbred, equal to the best in the game." In his first season with Miami, Warfield caught only 28 passes but recorded 703 yards, an average of 25.1 yards per catch. He was invited to his first Pro Bowl with the Dolphins and was named a second-team All-Pro by the NEA. The Dolphins finished with a 10–4 record and lost to the Oakland Raiders in the divisional round of the 1970 playoffs.

In 1971, Warfield caught 43 passes for 996 yards and again led the league in receiving touchdowns, with 11. He earned first-team All-Pro honors from the AP and UPI, among other selectors, and made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. Through the Dolphins' first two games of the 1971 playoffs, against the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Colts, Warfield caught nine passes for 265 yards and a touchdown. Shortly before Super Bowl VI between the Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys, President Richard Nixon famously telephoned Dolphins coach Don Shula to suggest that they run a particular pass play to Warfield. The play, a down-and-in pattern, was tried and resulted in an incomplete pass. Covered by star defensive back Mel Renfro, Warfield was limited to four receptions for 39 yards as the Dolphins were defeated 24–3.

Although Warfield caught only 29 passes during the 1973 season, 11 of those receptions were touchdowns, with four coming in the first half of the regular season finale over the Detroit Lions.

Memphis Southmen and return to Browns

In 1974, shortly after the Dolphins won Super Bowl VIII, Warfield and teammates Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick made what were then surprising decisions. They left the Dolphins at the conclusion of the season for what appeared to be more lucrative pastures with the Toronto Northmen of World Football League. (The Northmen moved to Memphis without playing a game in Toronto, and became the Memphis Southmen.) Warfield played the 1975 season with the Memphis Southmen, before finishing his playing career with the Browns in 1976 and 1977.

In his 13 NFL seasons Warfield caught 427 passes for 8,565 yards for 20.1 yards per catch and scored 85 touchdowns. He added another 204 yards on 22 rushing attempts. In his only WFL season (1975) he caught 25 passes for 422 yards, a 16.9 yards per catch average, and three touchdowns. He was in the Pro Bowl eight times and was named All League six times.

Later years

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983, one of only four Dolphins players to be elected in their first year of eligibility (Dan Marino, Jim Langer, Jason Taylor). In 1999, he was ranked number 60 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 1979 Ohio State inducted him into its Varsity "O" Hall of Fame for both his football and track accomplishments.

On November 19, 1990 he was inducted into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll. On September 19, 2010, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor. In 1977, he earned a M.A. degree from Kent State University. He worked for WKYC in Cleveland as a sportscaster in 1977-78. He also worked as a scout and football front office executive.

In 2013, Warren G. Harding High School had a life size statue made of Warfield. Warfield had the honor of performing the coin flip at the Ohio State–Michigan game in 2006, in which the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 ranked Wolverines 42–39 in Columbus, Ohio. He has worked as a special assignment scout for the Browns. He is retired and living in Rancho Mirage, California.