The NFL lost a Hall of Fame legend on Monday.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that former wide receiver Don Maynard passed away at the age of 86.
Maynard was a Super Bowl champion on the 1968 New York Jets team, where he spent 13 seasons of his pro football career and was a four-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro in the 1969 season.
The Texas native was originally drafted by the New York Giants in the ninth round of the 1957 draft and played for the team in 1958 before he was unexpectedly cut the next season. He played the 1959 season in Canada before signing with the AFL’s New York Titans, who would eventually become the Jets.
Maynard’s best statistical season came in 1967 when he led the AFL with 1,434 receiving yard and averaged 102.4 yard per game.
He was an integral part of the Jets Super Bowl season, and while he did not record a catch in the upset victory over the Colts he still considered it his “greatest game in the world” because he forced double and triple-coverage from the Colts all game.
When he retired from the NFL after a season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Maynard held the NFL records in receptions (633) and receiving yards (11,834). He was also the first player to ever reach 10,000 receiving yards in the NFL.
Maynard was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. His No. 13 is retired by the Jets, who elected him as a charter member of their Ring of Honor in 2010.
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