College Texas Southern AFC-NFC
Pro Bowl 1970 Positions Wide receiver | Name Warren Wells Afl all star 1968 Role American football player | |
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Born November 14, 1942 (age 81)
Franklin, Louisiana ( 1942-11-14 ) NFL Draft 1964 / Round 12 / Pick 160 Honors American Football League Champion, 1967 1964
1967-1969
1970 NFL Detroit Lions
AFL Oakland Raiders
NFL Oakland Raiders | ||
Education Texas Southern University | ||
Oakland Raiders (Warren Wells)
Warren Wells (born November 14, 1942 in Franklin, Louisiana) is a former American college and Professional Football player, who played wide receiver for five seasons, one for the NFL's Detroit Lions (1964) and, after spending two years in the U.S. Army, four for the American Football League's Oakland Raiders.
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Early life
Wells grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where he attended the black Hebert High School; he was one of 16 pro footballers honored with the keys to the city in 1971.
Professional football career
While with the Raiders, with mostly Daryle Lamonica as his quarterback, he was one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the league, finishing with over 20 yards per catch in all four seasons. In 1969, he led the AFL in yards received (1260), yards per catch (a whopping 26.8), and touchdowns (14). He also led the AFL in touchdowns in 1968 (11), as well as finishing 4th in yards received (1137). He was an AFL All-Star in 1968 and an AFC-NFC All-Pro in 1970. Wells held the career NFL record in yards per catch (23.1) up to the date of a change in NFL guidelines, currently a minimum 200 career receptions, Wells falling short at 158.
Legal troubles
Before the 1971 season started, Wells' career was cut short following legal difficulties relating to his divorce and subsequent criminal charges. Following the Pro Bowl game in Los Angeles on January 24, 1971, Wells was met by police in the locker room and arrested on a warrant for a probation violation originating from his conviction in 1969 for aggravated assault (Eugene Register Guard, Jan 25, 1971 "Warren Wells Nabbed After Tilt"). Further, according to an article in the Dallas Morning Star, dated July 7, 2016, (Flashback: DFW produces a ton of football talent, but another part of Texas is 'the pro football capital of the world') "in 1969, he was charged with rape, a charge later reduced to aggravated assault. His probation was revoked in 1970 because he was drinking in a bar, a violation further complicated when a woman stabbed him in the chest. He missed the 1971 season while serving 10 months in a California prison. His career over, his personal life disintegrated quickly. In 1976, he was arrested in Beaumont for robbery while panhandling." Also noted, by the Bay Area newspapers during this time was that he (Wells) was arrested for carrying a gun in his car, and that a judge, instead of sending him to prison, allowed him to enter Synanon House, a drug rehabilitation center. The Raiders released him in 1971 and he never played football again.
