The Story And Significance Of Deion Sanders - Held An NFL Record For The Most Defensive And Return Touchdowns In NFL History

Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. is an American football coach who is the head football coach at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the National Football League for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens, and nine seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and World Series.

Sanders played college football as a cornerback for the Florida State Seminoles, winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988 before being selected by the Falcons fifth overall in the 1989 NFL draft. He also played as a return specialist and occasionally as a wide receiver during his NFL career, receiving six first-team All-Pros and nine Pro Bowl honors. He won Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers and Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys. Sanders was inducted into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Known as "Prime Time" in his playing days and later "Coach Prime", Sanders briefly worked as an analyst for NFL Network before coaching high school players throughout the 2010s. In 2020, Sanders was named head coach of the Jackson State Tigers, leading them to two consecutive Celebration Bowl appearances and the school's first undefeated regular season in 2022. Sanders was named Colorado head coach in 2023. His sons Shilo and Shedeur played for him with Jackson State and Colorado.

Sanders had a nine-year, part-time baseball career, playing left and center field in 641 games with four teams. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 draft, but did not sign with them. The New York Yankees selected Sanders in the 30th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with the team on June 22. He batted .284 in 28 minor league games after signing.

The Yankees invited Sanders to spring training in 1989. Assigned to wear no. 71 as a uniform number, Sanders requested a single digit number. The Yankees gave him no. 30, the lowest number available, which offended many veteran players on the team. Sanders opened the 1989 season with the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Double–A Eastern League. Though Sanders planned to leave the Yankees in July to attend NFL training camp, he became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Falcons, and used the Yankees as leverage.

Sanders received a promotion to the major leagues, and spent the summer with the Columbus Clippers of the Triple–A International League. Sanders made his MLB debut on May 31, 1989.

At the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine, Sanders ran the 40-yard dash with times of 4.27s and 4.29s. seconds. He was the fifth pick overall in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons,where he played until 1993. Despite fumbling (and recovering) his first NFL punt return (which was re-kicked on a penalty), Sanders ran for a touchdown on his second attempt of his first game. During his time in Atlanta, he intercepted 24 passes (including a career-high seven in 1993), three of which he returned for touchdowns. In 1992, he also led the league in kick return yards (1,067), yards per return (26.7) and return touchdowns (two). On October 11, 1992, Sanders played in a Falcons game in Miami and then flew to Pittsburgh, hoping to play in the Braves' League Championship Series game against the Pirates that evening and become the first athlete to play in two professional leagues in the same day. Sanders, however did not appear in the baseball game that night. During his five years playing with the Falcons, Sanders scored 10 touchdowns (three defensive, three kick returns, two punt returns, and two receptions).

During the 1989 season, Sanders hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, becoming the only player ever to do so. Sanders is also the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Sanders and Bo Jackson were the preeminent multi-sport athletes of their time, but prior to the 1990 season, they had never squared off against each other in a professional game. That changed in 1990, when Jackson and Sanders met five times on the diamond—the most memorable of which came on July 17, in what was billed as "The Bo and Prime Time Show". After Bo Jackson's three-homer night, Sanders said, "He's (Bo's) one of the best athletes who ever put on a uniform." Sanders himself hit a dramatic inside-the-park home run in the same game that was unsuccessfully fielded by Jackson.

Sanders made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 1990 season. On May 22, 1990, Sanders became involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk. Sanders started by stepping up to the plate with one out and a runner on third, drawing a dollar sign in the dirt before the pitch and then failed to run to first base after hitting a routine pop fly to shortstop, trotting back to the dugout instead. The Yankee fans booed, and Fisk told Sanders to run the ball out and called Sanders a "piece of shit". Later in the game, Sanders told Fisk that "the days of slavery are over". Fisk was furious, later saying: "He comes up and wants to make it a racial issue, there's no racial issue involved. There is a right way and a wrong way to play this game."

By mid-July, Sanders expressed that he was unsure if he would remain with the Yankees or report to training camp for the upcoming NFL season. He requested a $1 million salary for the 1991 season, and the Yankees ended negotiations on a contract extension with Sanders. He left the team, finishing the 1990 season with a .158 batting average and three home runs in 57 games. In September 1990, the Yankees placed Sanders on waivers with the intention of giving him his release, as Yankees' general manager Gene Michael said that Sanders' football career was stunting his baseball development.

Sanders later signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1991 MLB season. On July 31, Sanders hit a key three-run homer to spark a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Braves' run to the National League West Division title. However, he left the Braves the very next day to report to the Atlanta Falcons because of a clause in his NFL contract and missed the postseason. Before the 1992 season, Sanders reworked his NFL deal, whereby he still reported to the Falcons for training camp in August, but was allowed to rejoin the Braves for the postseason.

During the 1992 season, his best year in the majors, Sanders hit .304 for the team, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games. In four games of the 1992 World Series, Sanders batted .533 with four runs, eight hits, two doubles, and one RBI while playing with a broken bone in his foot. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases and win probability added each led the team in the series. Despite Sanders' performance, the Braves ultimately lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. In Game 3, he narrowly avoided being a victim of what would have been only the second triple play in World Series history (following Bill Wambsganss' unassisted triple play in 1920). With Sanders on second base and Terry Pendleton on first, David Justice hit a deep fly ball to center field that Blue Jays center fielder Devon White unexpectedly caught with a leaping effort. Pendleton passed Sanders on the bases for the second out, but umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe after he scampered back to second base. Replays showed that Toronto third baseman Kelly Gruber tagged him on the heel before he returned to second.

The Braves traded Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Roberto Kelly on May 30, 1994. In 46 games played, Sanders batted .277 and stole 19 bases. The following year, he played in 33 games for the Reds, recording a .240 batting average with 16 stolen bases before being traded to the San Francisco Giants.

After five seasons with Atlanta, Sanders signed on to play the 1994 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He had arguably his best season as a professional football player, recording six interceptions and returning them for an NFL-best 303 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 50.5 yards per return. (Average yards per interception return is not an official NFL statistic however.) It was also the most interception return yardage in a single-season since Charlie McNeil in 1961. Two of his interceptions were returned for a gain of at least 90 yards, making him the first player to do this in NFL history. On October 16, 1994, Sanders made his dramatic return to the Georgia Dome in a 49er uniform. After getting into a scuffle with his former Falcon teammate Andre Rison, Sanders intercepted a pass from quarterback Jeff George and returned it 93 yards while mockingly staring down the entire Falcons sideline before high-stepping into the end zone. Sanders was later voted the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In Super Bowl XXIX, he recorded an end zone interception in the fourth quarter as the 49ers won over the San Diego Chargers, earning him his first championship ring.

On July 21, 1995, the Reds traded Sanders, Dave McCarty, Ricky Pickett, John Roper, and Scott Service to the San Francisco Giants for Dave Burba, Darren Lewis, and Mark Portugal. He batted .280, hit 5 home runs and stole 8 bases in 52 games for the Giants.

Sanders, along with his agent Eugene Parker, courted several teams in need of a cornerback. The teams in the "Deion Sweepstakes", as it was called by the media, were the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, who had lost their starting cornerback Kevin Smith to injury for the rest of the season.

On September 9, 1995, (in week 2 of the season), Sanders signed a lucrative contract with the Dallas Cowboys (seven years, $35 million with a $12.99 million signing bonus, because owner Jerry Jones was superstitious about the number 13), essentially making him at the time, the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. Sanders later stated in his book Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life that the Oakland Raiders offered him more money than any other team, but he chose to play in Dallas for more time on the offensive side of the ball, a chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and because of his friendship with Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin. Arthroscopic surgery kept him sidelined until his debut in week 9, which was once again in Atlanta against the Falcons; the Cowboys won, 28–13. He went on to help the Cowboys win their third title in four years in Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he returned a punt for 11 yards and caught a 47-yard reception on offense, setting up Dallas's first touchdown of the game and a 27–17 victory. Sanders played four more seasons with Dallas, earning Pro Bowl selection in all of them. On June 2, 2000, he was released in a salary-cap move.

In 1997, Sanders finished second in the NL with 56 stolen bases in 115 games while with the Cincinnati Reds before leaving baseball for three years.

Soon after the Cowboys released Sanders, the Washington Redskins signed Sanders to a seven-year, $56 million contract. At the end of the 2000 season and an above-average statistical year, Sanders abruptly retired in July 2001 after only playing one year with the Redskins.

On December 23, 2002, the Redskins waived Sanders from the reserve/retired list in order to potentially allow him to play for the Oakland Raiders in the 2002–03 NFL playoffs. If he had passed through waivers unclaimed, he would have been able to sign a free-agent contract with any team and play during the season. However, on December 25, five teams (the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans) placed waiver bids for him, with the Chargers claiming him by having the highest waiver priority. Since it was too late in the season to be activated from the reserve/retired list, he was unable to play for the Chargers for the rest of the season.

Sanders returned to the Reds in 2001, but was released after playing in only 32 games and batting just .173. After Sanders' release from the Reds, he signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, who assigned him to the Triple-A Syracuse SkyChiefs.

Sanders' football contract had been negotiated to allow for him to play both baseball and football, but the terms of the contract stated that Sanders could miss NFL training camp and the first few games of the season only if he were playing Major League Baseball. Since he was not then on an MLB roster, Sanders had to leave Syracuse and return to the Washington Redskins so he would not violate his NFL contract. In his final professional baseball game, Sanders hit a solo home run and an RBI single in Syracuse's 12–6 win over the Toledo Mud Hens. As those in MLB and the NFL urged Sanders to concentrate on only one sport (similar to what they did with Bo Jackson), he often explained, "football is my wife and baseball is my mistress."

In 2004, Sanders announced his intention to come out of retirement after being convinced by his friend Joe Zorovich, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller, and linebacker Ray Lewis to play. He signed a one-year deal with the Ravens to be a nickelback. Sanders chose to wear the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively let people know that he was well aware of his relative senior status as an NFL player (additionally, his usual number 21 was already being worn by Ravens Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister). Against the Buffalo Bills in week 7 of 2004, Sanders scored his ninth career interception return touchdown, moving him into a tie with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams, and behind Rod Woodson (with 12), for second place all-time in the statistical category.

Sanders played in every game of the 2005 season. The Ravens failed to qualify for the postseason for the second straight year and he retired in January 2006.

While continuing to work as an NFL analyst, Sanders became the head coach for the Prime Prep Academy, which he co-founded. The executive director of the school twice tried to fire Sanders, in one instance after witnesses said Sanders grabbed a school official by the collar, causing the official to fall to the floor. He stayed as the head coach for 2012 and 2013. The school was shut down in 2015 amid a spate of problems.

In 2015, he was hired as the head coach for Triple A Academy, where he was the coach for two seasons.

In 2017, he became the offensive coordinator for Trinity Christian High School giving him the opportunity to coach his sons Shilo and Shedeur Sanders, along with his eldest son Deion Jr.

On September 21, 2020, Deion Sanders became the 21st head coach of the Jackson State Tigers of the historically black (HBCU) Jackson State University. The Tigers play in the second level of NCAA football, the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In his first season in spring 2021, abbreviated and delayed from its normally intended fall 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 disruptions, he led the Tigers to a 4–3 record, with one win by forfeit.

In the fall 2021 season, Sanders led the Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title and a program record of 11 wins, also being named the recipient of the fall 2021 Eddie Robinson Award as the season's top FCS head coach. Jackson State went on to play in the 2021 Celebration Bowl where they were defeated by South Carolina State 31–10. The following season, Jackson State again played in the Celebration Bowl where they were again defeated 41–34 by North Carolina Central, bringing Coach Sanders' overall bowl record to 0–2.

Sanders notably flipped the recruitment of defensive back Travis Hunter who was the number one overall recruit in the 2022 class. Hunter initially committed to Sanders' alma mater Florida State. The move was heralded by recruiting director Steve Wiltfong; he said it was "the biggest signing day moment in the history of college football" as Football Championship Subdivision programs and the HBCUs that compete at such a level of competition are not usual destinations for high level recruits out of high school. Hunter was the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS program. Not only did Sanders attract high-level recruits for HBCUs, he increased revenue for these once low funded teams and put HBCUs on the map. Sanders paid for meals and training facilities out of his own pocket.

On December 3, 2022, Sanders was named the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders made extensive use of the transfer portal in replacing nearly the Buffaloes' entire roster, with 46 players leaving in the transfer portal and 50 transferring in. Nine followed him from Jackson State, including sons Shedeur and Shilo, and former five-star recruit Hunter. After going 1–11 in the previous season, Colorado won their first three games of the 2023 season, then lost their next two, then recorded their only conference win of the season. Colorado finished the season 4–8 with a 1–8 record in Pac-12 play.

Colorado entered the 2024 season with a projected win total of 5.5 wins. They ultimately finished the regular season 9–3, tied for 1st in the Big 12 conference, but missing the conference championship game due to tiebreakers. CB/WR Travis Hunter won the Heisman trophy for Colorado, with QB Shedeur Sanders finishing 8th in Heisman voting. The team lost to BYU in the Alamo Bowl. Following the strong season, Colorado retired the jerseys of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders.

On March 28, 2025, Sanders agreed to a five-year, $54 million contract extension with Colorado.

During his 14-year NFL career, Sanders was a perennial All-Pro and considered by many as one of, if not the strongest pass defenders ever to play the game.

Sanders also occasionally lined up with the team's offense. During the 1996 season, Sanders skipped the baseball season, concentrating on football, and attended the first NFL training camp of his career to better familiarize himself with the nuances of the wide receiver position. He became only the second two-way starter (after the Cardinals' Roy Green) in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik.

Sanders is the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, to hit an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week, and to have both a reception and an interception in the Super Bowl. He is one of seven players to win back-to-back Super Bowls with different teams. He is also one of two players to score an NFL touchdown six different ways (interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and fumble recovery).

During his career, Sanders intercepted 53 passes for 1,331 yards (a 25.1 yards per return average), recovered four fumbles for 15 yards, returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards, gained 2,199 yards on 212 punt returns, and caught 60 passes for 784 yards. Sanders amassed 7,838 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns, nine interception returns, six punt returns, three kickoff returns, three receiving, and one fumble recovery. His 19 defensive and return touchdowns was an NFL record (now held by Devin Hester with 20 return touchdowns). In the postseason Sanders added five more interceptions, as well as three receptions for 95 yards, four carries for 39 yards, and two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving). He was selected to eight Pro Bowls and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994.

The Story And Significance Of Fred Dean - Set A Mark At The Time Of Six Sacks In A Game

Frederick Rudolph Dean was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League. A two-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler, he won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Dean played college football for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He was selected in the second round of the 1975 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. He was traded to San Francisco in 1981 due to a contract dispute. He is a member of both the Chargers Hall of Fame and 49ers Hall of Fame.

Dean was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 1975 NFL draft with the 33rd overall pick. Chargers coach Tommy Prothro initially projected him as a linebacker but eventually relented to Dean's wish to remain a lineman. As a rookie, he had seven sacks and registered his career-high of 93 tackles. He recorded 15.5 sacks in 1978. In 1979, the Chargers won the AFC West division while leading the AFC in fewest points allowed (246). Dean had nine sacks in 13 games and was named to the All-AFC team.

The Chargers again won the AFC West in 1980, with Dean teaming with fellow 1975 Charger draftees Gary "Big Hands" Johnson and Louie Kelcher as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks (60). Dean had missed the first two games of the season after not reporting, but still finished the season with 10.5 sacks. He and Johnson were named first-team All-Pro, with Kelcher being named second-team All-Pro. The trio along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive front that was nicknamed the Bruise Brothers.

In 1981, Dean was traded to the San Francisco 49ers due to a contract dispute with Chargers' ownership. He complained that he was the lowest-paid sixth-year defensive lineman in 1980 and that his salary was below the average of all defensive linemen. Dean contended that he was making the same amount of money as his brother-in-law who was a truck driver. Originally set to make $75,000 that season, the 49ers renegotiated his contract to reportedly near $150,000 a year. The Chargers' defense would not be the same afterwards, and Don "Air" Coryell's Chargers teams are now most remembered for its high-scoring, pass-oriented offense that did not have enough defense to make it to a Super Bowl. In 2013, U-T San Diego called the Chargers trading Dean "perhaps the biggest blunder in franchise history". "I can't say how much it affected us, because we did make it to the AFC championship game," said Johnson of the Chargers without Dean. "But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner, it might've been different".

With San Francisco, Dean was used as a pass-rush specialist, playing only when the 49ers switched from a 3–4 defense to a 4–3 or a 4–2 nickel. He joined the team mid-season for Game 6 against the Dallas Cowboys. After only a couple of practices, he played and was still able to record two sacks and apply pressure and repeatedly hurry Danny White in a 45–14 win by the 49ers. His performance was noted by author Tom Danyluk as "the greatest set of downs I have ever seen unleashed by a pass rusher". In what had been a game of possum, Bill Walsh, the 49er head coach, said to John Madden, who covered the game, "Fred (Dean) just got here... If he plays, he won't play much". But he played the whole game.

Two weeks later at home against the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers won 20–17 for their first-ever win against the Rams at home in Candlestick Park, as Dean sacked Pat Haden 4+1⁄2 times. Dean was named the UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year with 12 sacks while playing in 11 games for the 49ers. The 49ers went on to win Super Bowl XVI that year, and Steve Sabol (NFL Films) is quoted in 2006 as saying that Dean's acquisition was the last meaningful in-season trade, in that it affected the destination of the Lombardi Trophy. San Francisco, which was 3–2 when Dean arrived, won 13 of their final 14 games, including the playoffs.

In 1983, Dean recorded a career-high 17.5 sacks to lead the NFC and recorded a then-NFL record of six in one game, setting that mark during the 49ers’ 27–0 shutout of the New Orleans Saints on November 13, 1983.

Dean was also a key player on the 1984 squad than won Super Bowl XIX. He was reunited with his former Charger teammates Johnson, Kelcher and Billy Shields, who were acquired by the 49ers.

Dean ended his NFL career with 93 unofficial sacks, according to the Professional Football Researchers Association. Dean was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008, when his bust, sculpted by Scott Myers, was unveiled. He was also named to both the Chargers' 40th and 50th anniversary teams and inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

Dean was inducted into the Louisiana Tech University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2009, Dean was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

After his football career, Dean was a minister in his hometown, Ruston.

Dean died from COVID-19 while being airlifted from a hospital in West Monroe, Louisiana, to Jackson, Mississippi, on October 14, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was 68.

Dean is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.

The Story And Significance Of John Madden - Retired With The Second Highest Winning Percentage As A Head Coach In NFL History

John Earl Madden was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League. He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL/AFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI. Never having a losing season, Madden holds the highest winning percentage among NFL head coaches who coached at least 100 games. As of the end of the 2023 season, Madden has the most wins as head coach in Raiders history with 103 wins.

After retiring from coaching, Madden was a color commentator for NFL telecasts from 1979 to 2009 and won 16 Sports Emmy Awards. Madden appeared on all four major American television networks, providing commentary for games broadcast by CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. He also lent his name, expertise, and commentary to the Madden NFL video game series, which became the best-selling American football video game franchise. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

A football star in high school, Madden played one season at the College of San Mateo, in 1954, before he was given a football scholarship to the University of Oregon, studying pre-law, and playing football with childhood friend John Robinson. He was redshirted because of a knee injury and had a knee operation. Then he attended the College of San Mateo in 1955, then Grays Harbor College, playing in the fall of 1956, before transferring to Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where he played both offense and defense for the Mustangs in 1957 and 1958 while earning a Bachelor of Science in education in 1959 and then a Master of Arts in education in 1961. Madden's senior research project at Cal Poly focused on the use of weights to increase strides and speed in athletic training.

He won first-team all-conference honors at offensive tackle in his debut season at Cal Poly, and was a catcher on the Mustangs baseball team. Known amongst his teammates for his impressive downfield speed for a lineman, Madden also was selected by United Press International for Little All-Coast Second Team accolades following his junior season of 1957.[26] During the 1957 season, Madden caught a pass from future fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, then-teammate and Cal Poly quarterback, Bobby Beathard.

Madden was drafted in the 21st round (244th overall) by the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1958 (months before beginning his senior season at Cal Poly). His senior year, which again saw Madden regularly start on the left side of the offensive line,[28] was cut short due to a season-ending collarbone injury suffered while making a tackle against Long Beach State in October 1958, with four games remaining on the schedule.

However, on January 3, 1959, Madden played in the All-American Bowl in Tucson, Arizona, and was later praised by Lou Pavlovich of The Sporting News for his play in the showcase. Then, however, he suffered an injury on his other knee in his first training camp, during an Eagles scrimmage in August 1959, ending his playing career without having had an opportunity to play in a regulation game professionally.

Madden recounted how he became involved with coaching: "I got hurt in my rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles — a knee injury — and I couldn't play. While I was rehabbing, Norm Van Brocklin would be watching films and would explain what was happening. I ended up with a degree in teaching and my love for football meshed with teaching."

In 1960, he became an assistant coach at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. He was promoted to head coach in 1962. Madden went 12–6 in two seasons, including an 8–1 mark in 1963, during which his Bulldogs were ranked No. 9 nationally among city colleges. Following the 1963 season, he was hired as a defensive assistant coach at San Diego State, where he served through 1966. During that final campaign, the 1966 Aztecs were ranked among the top small colleges in the country. While at San Diego State, Madden coached under Don Coryell, whom Madden credited as being an influence on his coaching.

Building on that success, Madden was hired by Al Davis as linebackers coach for the AFL's Oakland Raiders in 1967, putting him in the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He helped the team reach Super Bowl II that season. A year later, after Raiders head coach John Rauch resigned to take the same position with the Buffalo Bills, Madden was named the Raiders' head coach on February 4, 1969, becoming, at the age of 32, the AFL/NFL's youngest head coach to that time.

Madden's first Raiders squad went 12–1–1 in 1969 but lost 17–7 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the last-ever American Football League Championship Game. This would become a frustrating trend during Madden's coaching career. Oakland won seven AFC West division championships and always played to a winning record during his ten seasons as head coach, but they also lost in six AFL/AFC Championship Games. One of the most frustrating playoff defeats came in 1972, when what appeared to be a last-minute AFC divisional round victory over the Steelers instead became a part of football lore when Franco Harris' "Immaculate Reception" gave Pittsburgh a 13–7 win. In 1974, after knocking the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins out of the playoffs in dramatic fashion, the Raiders again lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The Steelers would once more end the Raiders' season one game short of the Super Bowl in the 1975 AFC Championship game.

In 1976, the Raiders went 13–1 in the regular season and escaped the first round of the playoffs with a dramatic and controversial 24–21 victory over the New England Patriots. In their third straight battle with the Steelers in the AFC Championship game, Madden's Raiders finally defeated their nemesis 24–7 to reach Super Bowl XI. On January 9, 1977, Madden won his first and only NFL title with a 32–14 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Raiders made the playoffs in 1977 as a Wild Card team, but again lost the AFC Championship Game, this time to the Denver Broncos. The Raiders enjoyed their tenth straight winning campaign under Madden in 1978 but failed to qualify for the playoffs for just the second time in his tenure. Soon after their season ended, Madden announced his retirement on January 4, 1979, due to a troublesome ulcer and occupational burnout, stating that he was permanently ending his coaching career.

Among Madden's accomplishments as a head coach were winning a Super Bowl, and becoming the youngest coach to reach 100 career regular-season victories, a record he compiled in only ten full seasons of coaching at the age of 42. Madden is still the coach with the most wins in Raiders history.

Madden never had a losing season as a head coach. His overall winning percentage, including playoff games, ranks second in league history behind Guy Chamberlin and is the highest among those who coached 100 games. Madden achieved his record during a period that included head coaches Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, and Bud Grant, who are generally regarded as the top coaches of that era.

Madden joined CBS as a color commentator in 1979. After working lower-profile contests during his first years, he was elevated to CBS's top football broadcasting duo with Pat Summerall in 1981, replacing Tom Brookshier. Prior to teaming with Summerall on CBS, Madden was paired with a variety of announcers, such as Bob Costas, Vin Scully, Dick Stockton, Frank Glieber, and Gary Bender. The team of Madden and Summerall would go on to call eight Super Bowls together. On occasions in which Summerall was unavailable (during the CBS years, Summerall was normally scheduled to commentate on the U.S. Open tennis tournament during the early weeks of the NFL season), Madden would team with the likes of Vin Scully[58] and subsequently, Verne Lundquist. On their final CBS telecast together (the 1993 NFC Championship Game on January 23, 1994), Madden told Summerall that while CBS may no longer have the NFL, at least they have the memories. On ABC's final Monday Night Football telecast in 2005, Madden used a similar choice of words.

When Fox gained the rights to NFC games in 1994, CBS employees became free agents. Madden was the biggest star in football broadcasting, and Fox, ABC, and NBC made offers higher than the $2 million a year maximum for sportscaster salaries; NBC's owner General Electric (GE) offered to make Madden its "worldwide spokesman", and GE Rail would build for him a luxury train. After he almost joined ABC, Madden and Summerall, along with Producer Bob Stenner and Director Sandy Grossman -- known as the football broadcasting "A Team" -- helped establish Fox's NFL coverage, Madden and that group gave Fox credibility to broadcast what Rupert Murdoch called "the crown jewel of all sports programming in the world". Madden's contract paid him more annually than any NFL player. However, toward the end of his tenure, Fox was reportedly losing an estimated $4.4 billion on its NFL contract for the eight-year deal it signed in 1998, and it had been trying to cut programming costs as a result. Madden's Fox contract would have been worth $8 million for 2003.

In 2002, Madden became a commentator on ABC's Monday Night Football, working with longtime play-by-play announcer Al Michaels. Madden reportedly made $5 million per year.

In 2005, Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports, announced that Madden would provide color commentary for NBC's Sunday night NFL games, beginning with the 2006 season, making him the first sportscaster to have worked for all of the "Big Four" U.S. broadcast television networks. On October 13, 2008, NBC announced that Madden would not be traveling to the October 19 Sunday Night Football Seattle Seahawks–Tampa Bay Buccaneers game in Tampa, Florida, marking the end of Madden's 476-weekend streak of consecutive broadcast appearances. Madden, who traveled by bus, decided to take the week off because he had traveled from Jacksonville to San Diego, and would have had to go back to Florida before returning to his Northern California home. Madden was replaced by Football Night in America studio analyst Cris Collinsworth for the game, and returned for the following telecast on November 2, 2008, in Indianapolis (until 2010 the NFL did not schedule Sunday night games for one week in October, so as not to overlap with the World Series taking place roughly around the same time). Madden called his final game on February 1, 2009, for Super Bowl XLIII between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Madden announced his official retirement from the broadcasting booth on April 16, 2009. He was succeeded by Collinsworth.

Madden got his start in broadcasting calling in to longtime San Francisco radio personality "The Emperor" Gene Nelson's show on station KYA in the 1970s while coach of the Raiders. He followed Nelson when he moved to station KSFO, and the call-ins continued even after Madden's coaching retirement. Madden later made appearances on KNBR.[66] In 1997, he began calling in to radio station KCBS five days a week at 8:15 a.m. Pacific Time. This continued through Thanksgiving 2015, when he ceased calling after heart surgery and other health concerns. He began making twice-weekly appearances on KCBS radio again in 2017, appearing Mondays and Fridays at 9:15 a.m. He stopped making regular radio call-ins in August 2018, citing a desire to remove any obligations from his schedule. KCBS named him "Senior Investigative At-Large Correspondent", indicating that he may occasionally call in again. Madden also aired sports commentaries in syndication on the Westwood One radio network in the United States.

Madden's lively and flamboyant delivery won him critical acclaim and fourteen Sports Emmy Awards for standing Sports Event Analyst. His announcing style was punctuated with interjections such as "Boom!", "Whap!", "Bang!", and "Doink!"' and with his use of the telestrator, a device which allowed him to superimpose his light-penned diagrams of football plays over video footage. Madden's use of the telestrator helped to popularize the technology, which has become a staple of television coverage of all sports.

Madden was also known for working the annual Thanksgiving Day games for CBS and later Fox. He would award a turkey or turducken to the winning team. He would also award a turkey drumstick to players of the winning team following the Thanksgiving Day game, often bringing out a "nuclear turkey" with as many as eight drumsticks on it for the occasion. The drumsticks served as an odd take on the "player of the game" award. Madden stopped announcing the Thanksgiving Day games after he moved to ABC in 2002, but the tradition continued. Fox, CBS, and the NFL Network (and later NBC) presented the Galloping Gobbler to the game's "Most Valuable" player through 2015.

Following his death, the NFL now honors Madden every Thanksgiving; beginning in 2022, the entire tripleheader of games was dubbed the "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration". A recording of Madden was played before each of the Thanksgiving games in 2022, and has continued since, along with the awarding of a “Madden Player of the Game” after each game, with NBC continuing on the tradition of awarding the turkey leg(s) to its player(s) of the game.

In 1984, Madden took the advice of NFL coach John Robinson—a friend of Madden since elementary school—and created the "All-Madden" team, a group of players who Madden thought represented football and played the game the way he thought it should be played. Madden continued to pick the All-Madden team through the 2001 season when he left to move to ABC and Monday Night Football. Madden added his "Hall of Fame" for his favorite players, he created a special 10th Anniversary All-Madden team in 1994, an All-Madden Super Bowl Team in 1997, and an All-Time All-Madden team in 2000. All Madden was also the title of Madden's third best-selling book (after Hey, Wait A Minute? I Wrote a Book and One Knee Equals Two Feet).

Madden was featured in the movie Little Giants. He also played himself as the broadcaster of the fictional games in the film The Replacements alongside his broadcast partner at the time Pat Summerall.

On December 25, 2021, the Fox network presented All Madden, a documentary highlighting Madden's rise to stardom as an NFL coach and broadcaster. Former and current NFL players appear in the film, which premiered prior to a Christmas Day contest on Fox between the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, just three days before his death.

Following his death, Fox chose to re-air the documentary with a special encore presentation two days later on December 30. Various streaming platforms also made the documentary available following the encore broadcast due to popular demand.

Madden appeared in a variety of radio and television commercials including Ace Hardware, Outback Steakhouse (the corporate sponsor of the Madden Cruiser),[80] Verizon Wireless, Rent-A-Center, Miller Lite, Toyota, Sirius Satellite Radio, and "Tough Actin" Tinactin. In particular, the Miller beer advertisements cemented Madden's image in the public eye as a bumbling but lovable personality.

Madden appeared in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons, "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday". Madden also hosted an episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1982 with musical guest Jennifer Holliday. As well, Madden was featured in U2's music video for the song "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of". He made a similar appearance in the video for Paul Simon's 1972 single "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", in which he attempts to teach football fundamentals to a group of kids playing a pickup game.

To minimize travel to studios, Madden built Goal Line Productions in Pleasanton, California.

From 1988 on, Madden lent his name, voice and creative input to the John Madden Football series of football video games, later called Madden NFL, published by EA Sports/Electronic Arts. Entries in the series have consistently been best-sellers, to the extent that they have even spawned TV shows featuring competition between players of the games. Despite Madden's retirement as a broadcaster in 2009, he still continued to lend his name and provide creative input to the series, which were so popular that he became better known as the face of Madden to contemporary football fans than as a Super Bowl-winning coach and broadcaster, up until his death in 2021.

Madden viewed the game as an educational tool. During initial planning conversations with Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins in 1984, Madden envisioned the program as a tool for teaching and testing plays. He stated in 2012 that Madden NFL was "a way for people to learn the game [of football] and participate in the game at a pretty sophisticated level".

The EA Sports series continues to use his name, iconography and licence following his death, and announced on Madden Day (June 1, 2022) that all editions of Madden NFL 23 would feature Madden on the cover in tribute of his legacy, with the next gen version cover being a picture of Madden celebrating his victory as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI and the All Madden Edition cover being based on the cover of the series' 1st installment, John Madden Football.

Madden met his wife, Virginia Fields, in a bar in Pismo Beach, California. They married on December 26, 1959, at St. Mary of the Assumption in Santa Maria, California. Afterward, they lived in Pleasanton, California, and had two sons, Joseph and Michael. Joe played football at Brown University and Mike attended Harvard University, where he started as receiver on the football team.

Madden and Virginia celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary two days before his death.

Madden's aversion to flying was well known, although his fear was not realized until many years into his adult life. He had lost people close to him in the October 29, 1960, California Polytechnic State University football team plane crash that claimed the lives of 16 players, the team's student manager, and a football booster. However, it was not until 1979 that he had his first panic attack on a flight originating in Tampa, Florida; he never flew on a plane again. Madden, however, stated once in an interview that his fears were not about turbulence, flying, or heights, but primarily claustrophobia.

During his Saturday Night Live hosting appearance in the early 1980s, a short film aired depicting Madden making the journey to New York City to host SNL by train. In the mid-1980s, Madden was a frequent rider on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited; Amtrak let the famous customer use the dining car at any time. However, beginning in 1987, Greyhound Lines supplied Madden with a custom bus and drivers in exchange for advertising and speaking events, dubbed the Madden Cruiser. The Madden Cruiser shells were manufactured by Motor Coach Industries. The coach-bus sponsors over the years included Walker Advantage Muffler and Outback Steakhouse. In 2018, Madden donated the original Madden Cruiser to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where it was restored to its original condition.

Madden never did commentary for the Pro Bowl, which was held in Honolulu during every year of his broadcasting career. Likewise, Madden never called any preseason game held outside of North America, even when his play-by-play partner was on the telecast. Madden found an unexpected use for his bus in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when he provided transportation for former ice-skating champion Peggy Fleming, whose flight home to Los Gatos, California, had been grounded.

Madden died at his home in Pleasanton, California, on December 28, 2021, at the age of 85. While the cause of death has never been disclosed, many believe it was due to a heart attack, citing open-heart surgery he had in 2015. In a press release announcing Madden's death, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that Madden "was football", adding, "there will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today."

In addition to hosting an annual bocce tournament which raised money for both the Special Olympics and diabetes research, Madden began funding six scholarships to his alma mater, Cal Poly, for students graduating from various East Bay high schools, starting in September 2021.

In October 2022, Cal Poly and the Madden family announced that Madden had donated a leading contribution toward a total $30-million football facility on the Cal Poly campus. The facility, to be named the John Madden Football Center, would furnish all-new lockers, strength and conditioning facilities, a nutrition center, offices, training rooms and a film-review theater for the team's coaches, players and trainers.

The facility will encompass 30,000 square feet and is anticipated to open in 2029, with the entrance adjacent to the university's memorial for the 1960 airline crash victims, many of whom were Madden's friends.

As of June 2016, Madden's bocce tournament, co-hosted with Steve Mariucci, had raised $5 million for Northern California Special Olympics, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Diabetes Youth Foundation.

The Story And Significance Of Charlie Joiner - Retired As The NFL Career Leader In Receptions, Receiving Yards, Games Played At Wide Receiver, And Seasons Played At Wide Receiver

Charles B. Joiner Jr. is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League for 18 seasons. He played 11 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, with whom he earned all three of his Pro Bowl selections, and was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1980. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Joiner played college football with the Grambling State Tigers and was a three-time, first-team all-conference selection in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He was selected as a defensive back in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft by the AFL's Houston Oilers, who soon returned him to the wide receiver position. Joiner played three and a half seasons each for the Oilers (1969–1972) and Cincinnati Bengals (1972–1975), missing substantial time through injuries with both teams.

Cincinnati traded Joiner to the Chargers, with whom he played for eleven seasons (1976–1986). He made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the team, but his role was reduced in the following two seasons, nearly leading him to retire as early as 1978. Joiner's career was revitalised once head coach Don Coryell installed his Air Coryell passing offense. He had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1979–1981, making two further Pro Bowls (1979–1980) and the 1980 All-Pro team.

He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was noted for his precise route running, as well as his longevity and late-career success, with over half his catches coming after his 32nd birthday. Joiner went on to serve as a wide receivers coach for twenty-six years before retiring completely after the 2012 season.

Joiner graduated from Grambling in 1969 and was selected in the fourth round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft with the 93rd overall pick by the AFL's Houston Oilers. A Corpus Christi Times draft review described him as a having "great speed (4.5 in the 40) and excellent hands." The Oilers drafted Joiner with intent to use him at defensive back; this upset Robinson, who stated his former player could "beat any defensive back one-on-one" in a press release urging Houston to keep him on offense. Joiner's own expectation was that he would "play a few years," qualify for an NFL pension and then move on to another career.

The Oilers eventually chose to play Joiner both ways as a rookie, installing him as their fourth wide receiver for the 1969 season. He was playing on offense when his rookie season was brought to an end by injury—he was tackled after making a catch in a week 7 victory over the Denver Broncos and suffered a compound fracture of the right arm. Head coach Wally Lemm described Joiner as a "fine young prospect" after the injury.

Joiner had another injury setback in 1970 when he broke an arm in the first preseason game. He missed the first five regular season games before returning to face the San Diego Chargers, producing 5 catches for 100 yards and scoring his first professional touchdown on a 46-yard pass from Jerry Rhome. He scored twice in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals later in the season, one of those on a career-long 87-yard touchdown catch.

Houston moved Joiner up in their depth chart by trading starting wide receiver Jerry LeVias before the 1971 season; general manager John W. Breen gave Joiner's performance in a preseason scrimmage as a reason for the trade. While the Oilers struggled for much of the season, they had one of the highest ranked passing attacks in the American Football Conference (AFC) and Joiner led the team in both receiving yardage and touchdowns.

Houston traded Joiner to Cincinnati six games into the 1972 season, on October 24; he and linebacker Ron Pritchard were sent to the Bengals in exchange for running backs Paul Robinson and Fred Willis. Joiner had been leading the Oilers in receiving with 16 receptions for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns, and had scored in his final game the day before the trade. He said, "I really didn't think it was me they were talking about. I was their leading pass receiver for two years and it really hurt me."

Houston traded Joiner to Cincinnati six games into the 1972 season, on October 24; he and linebacker Ron Pritchard were sent to the Bengals in exchange for running backs Paul Robinson and Fred Willis. Joiner had been leading the Oilers in receiving with 16 receptions for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns, and had scored in his final game the day before the trade. He said, "I really didn't think it was me they were talking about. I was their leading pass receiver for two years and it really hurt me."

Joiner said of his new team, "You come to a new situation and you may be a little scared, but everyone here has been friendly and it's been real good," adding that he found passes from the Bengals' quarterbacks to be thrown softer and to be easier to catch.

Cincinnati and Houston were scheduled to meet the Sunday after the trade. Joiner saw limited action with a single catch for 19 yards in a 30–7 win. Overall, he struggled to make an impact with his new team in 1972, catching only eight passes in eight games—he remained on the bench for the entirety of two of these. The Cincinnati Enquirer described him as a "disappointment" who "never quite measured up."

Joiner's progress was praised by offensive assistant coach Bill Walsh in the build-up to the 1973 season, with Walsh noting a particular improvement in accurate route running. Nonetheless, he entered the 1973 season with his position in the team under threat after the Bengals selected another wide receiver, Isaac Curtis, in the first round of the NFL draft; Curtis was expected to start as a rookie. Joiner suffered another injury setback in preseason, this time to his knee, and began the regular season on the inactive list. Head coach Paul Brown was impressed by his attitude as he fought to regain fitness after the injury, saying "No man ever worked harder or gave it more to get himself back in shape." Joiner returned to face the Cleveland Browns after missing three games but was immediately injured again; he caught a 26-yard pass on the Bengals' first play from scrimmage but suffered a fractured collar bone while being tackled and was believed to be out for the year.

Joiner returned sooner than expected, missing six further games before beginning a consecutive appearance streak that would last for over 13 years. Quarterback Ken Anderson praised Joiner's impact, saying that having both he and Curtis on the field stretched the opposing defense, who could not double cover both of them. Joiner finished the season with 13 catches for 134 yards from his five appearances. The Bengals were successful as a team, winning the AFC Central division with a 10–4 record. Joiner's first playoff game ended in a 34–16 defeat to the Miami Dolphins. The Bengals' passing attack was largely shut down, and he caught only two passes for 33 yards.

Cincinnati gave Joiner a new multi-year contract in the run-up to the 1974 season. He scored his first Bengals touchdown in week 5, a 65-yarder against Cleveland. He shared time with Chip Myers as Curtis' partner during the year.

Brown planned to use Joiner together with Myers and second-year receiver John McDaniel as a trio of partners for Curtis in 1975. He was the most successful of the three as the season progressed, posting new career bests of 37 receptions for 726 yards, an average of 19.6 yards per catch. On November 23, 1975, he set a Bengals then-single-game record with 200 receiving yards in a 35–23 loss to Cleveland; it would remain his personal career high.

Cincinnati won a wild card spot in the playoffs with an 11–3 record. They again lost in the first round, this time 31–28 to the Oakland Raiders. Joiner scored his first postseason touchdown as the Bengals came close to rallying from seventeen points behind in the final quarter—he said, "We should have won the ball game, we just ran out of time." It was his final game as a Bengal.

On April 1, Cincinnati traded Joiner to the San Diego Chargers for defensive end Coy Bacon. Brown acknowledged that Joiner was coming off a good year, but identified the defensive line as a stronger area of need for his team. Joiner was happy to reunite with Walsh, who had just joined the Chargers as their offensive coordinator. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts was impressed by his new receiver in preseason: "I love Charlie Joiner. He has a knack for finding the open spot."

Joiner became the Chargers' leading receiver during a successful 1976 season with the team. He had a run of four consecutive 100-yard games early in the year, and secured his first 1,000-yard receiving season with two games to spare. He finished the year with 50 receptions for 1,056 yards (the third most in the league, and 285 more than Curtis had in Cincinnati) while averaging 21.1 yards per catch, and was named second-team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) at season's end.

The trade for Joiner benefited both teams in the short term, as both he and Bacon were named to the Pro Bowl and voted MVP by their respective teams that year. Beyond 1976, Bacon only played one more year in Cincinnati, while Joiner's career with the Chargers covered a further decade.

Joiner gave some thought to retirement before committing to play the 1977 season. He was reunited with his Grambling quarterback James Harris on the field, as Fouts was holding out through much of the season. Joiner was often double covered as newly acquired receiver Johnny Rodgers was injured, and their No. 1 draft pick from the year before, running back Joe Washington, was recovering from knee issues. Joiner finished with 35 catches, 542 yards and 6 touchdowns, short of his 1976 performance in all three statistics but still enough to led all Chargers wide receivers.

Ray Perkins became the Chargers' offensive coordinator in 1978, their third offensive coordinator in three years. He emphasized using running backs as possession receivers and rookie No. 1 pick John Jefferson as the deep threat while phasing out Joiner, who had undergone offseason knee surgery. He informed head coach Tommy Prothro before the season that he was considering retirement, but Prothro was able to persuade him to continue. Don Coryell became San Diego's head coach in 1978, replacing Prothro midseason; Coryell had a reputation as an offensive strategist, but largely stuck with Perkins' system in 1978. Joiner struggled with post-surgery knee problems during the year and finished with 33 receptions, two fewer than in 1976 despite the regular season increasing from fourteen games to sixteen.

In the 1979 season, Joiner featured heavily in the pass-based offense known as Air Coryell. The Chargers bolstered their receiving corps entering the season by using their first-round draft pick to select tight end Kellen Winslow. Coryell also hired Joe Gibbs as the new offensive coordinator that season after Perkins left for the New York Giants. They noticed that Joiner had been getting open the year before, and envisioned him as a key to their offense.

It was a successful regular season for the Chargers, as they posted a 12–4 record and earned their first divisional title in 14 years. Joiner played a key role in the division-deciding game, a 17–7 win over the Denver Broncos in the regular-season finale. He was forced back to the locker room twice during the game with injuries, but returned to the field bandaged both times. He sustained a concussion during the game and finished it with stitches over one eye, as well as hip and thigh injuries. Joiner finished the game with 3 catches for 58 yards and the game-winning touchdown. It was an inspirational performance with Jefferson unable to play and John Floyd, the Chargers only other receiver, being just a rookie; Coryell later remembered it as "The Charlie Joiner Game."

Joiner finished second in the AFC in receptions to Baltimore's Joe Washington, his former Chargers teammate, with a career-high 72 catches covering 1,008 yards and four touchdowns. His reception total was the most by a Charger since Lance Alworth's 73 in 1966, and the most by a player Joiner's age (32) in NFL history at that time. Joiner was the third player in league history to catch 70 or more passes after age 30, joining Don Maynard and Ahmad Rashad, who were each 30. He was named to the Pro Bowl, replacing an injured Lynn Swann, who himself was a replacement for Steve Largent. Joiner was the oldest player in the all-star game.

Joiner's third playoff game ended in another defeat; his former team the Oilers overcame key injuries to surprise San Diego 17–14 in their own stadium. A disappointed Joiner commented: "I think we took it for granted... You got to fight in this game. We let them take it away from us. They wanted it more than we did."

Joiner had again expected to retire after the previous season, but returned in 1980 saying he wanted "one more shot at the Super Bowl." He had a career-high 10 catches in one game in a 44–7 win over the New York Giants, accounting for 171 yards and a touchdown. Joiner finished the year with 71 receptions for 1,132 yards, and teamed with Jefferson and Winslow to become the first trio of receivers on a team to reach 1,000 yards in the same season. The three were all named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

The Chargers won their division again, this time with an 11–5 record. In the divisional playoffs, Joiner's 9-yard touchdown catch from Fouts began a comeback that saw the Chargers turn a 14–3 halftime deficit into a 20–14 victory, Joiner's first in the playoffs. San Diego progressed to the AFC championship game, where Joiner led the team with 6 catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, but could not prevent a 34–27 home defeat to the Raiders. Reflecting on a second consecutive season of being eliminated at home, Joiner said, "We have to think about opportunities. We really missed the last two years."

Joiner once again considered retirement before the 1981 season, saying "Frankly, I don't know how much longer I can play. I feel my skills have diminished." Nonetheless, he continued his career, beginning the season as the Chargers' top wide receiver due to Jefferson holding out and eventually being traded. In San Diego's opening game at Cleveland, Joiner caught 6 passes for 191 yards, which would be his best total with the Chargers. This prompted Fouts to say, "I don't why he's so much better than he was when I first saw him, but he is. I've never seen him better." After another strong performance in week 2, Joiner already had 13 catches for 357 yards on the season, and felt his knees to be in better condition than past seasons. His production decreased in the following weeks as opposing defenses double covered him, but the addition of Wes Chandler to replace Jefferson relieved that pressure. Joiner finished with 70 catches, making him the first receiver with at least 70 catches in three consecutive NFL seasons. He also had a team-leading and career-high 1,188 yards receiving, and the Chargers won their third consecutive AFC West title with a 10–6 record.

In the divisional playoffs, Joiner played a key role in San Diego's 41–38 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins, a game that became known as The Epic In Miami. He caught 7 passes for 108 yards, including a 39-yard reception on the penultimate play of the game set up Rolf Benirschke's game-winning 29-yard field goal. The Chargers advanced again to the conference championship, but lost 27–7 to Joiner's former team Cincinnati in a game later known as the Freezer Bowl due to frigid gameday conditions.

Joiner committed to another season in July, signing a new contract. The 1982 season was reduced to nine games by a players' strike. Joiner had no touchdowns in the regular season, though he did produce three 100-yard games.

San Diego finished 6–3, making the playoffs for the last time in Joiner's career. They won their first game 31–28 at the Pittsburgh Steelers, but lost the next 34–13 in Miami, with their powerful offense largely shut down. Joiner scored his only touchdown of the season during the Miami defeat. He said, "The Chargers are human. You can't ask everything of us, every game."

During the offseason Joiner intimated that his decision on whether to continue his career might rest on whether Fouts, a free agent, negotiated a new contract with the Chargers. Fouts did eventually sign, and Joiner was back for another season.

The Chargers had a disappointing 1983 campaign; Fouts missed time through injuries, and they finished 6–10. Joiner played the full season despite cracked ribs, he caught 65 passes for 960 yards and 3 touchdowns, and was voted both the most valuable and most inspirational Charger by his teammates. His late-career surge had seen Joiner catch 314 passes in the past five seasons after only catching 282 in his first ten.

Joiner quickly expressed an interest in returning for the 1984 season, and said that he was "kind of looking forward to camp." He nonetheless did not attend his first mandatory practice, as he was holding out for a two-year contract and the Chargers were only offering him one year. Winslow said of his absence, "It's like there's a missing link, the chemistry isn't there. It's as if you're missing an ingredient." The holdout lasted only six days before Joiner agreed to a one-year contract. He entered the season needing 52 receptions to break Charley Taylor's NFL record of 649 for a career.

Joiner made little impact during the early part of the season, with only eight catches during the first four games; in week 4 against the Raiders he had no catches at all, ending a streak of 85 consecutive games with a catch (78 regular season, 7 postseason). He improved enough to finish with 61 catches on the year.

Joiner passed Taylor as the career leader in receptions on November 25, 1984, breaking the mark with 6 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in a 52–24 loss against the Steelers. The record-breaking 650th catch was a 3-yarder from backup quarterback Ed Luther late in the game. Joiner expressed disappointment that the landmark had come in an away game, in a loss, and that Fouts hadn't thrown the record-breaking pass.

During the offseason Joiner signed another one-year contract, committing to a tenth year with the Chargers. He stated in training camp that he considered himself "on the bubble" as a player who might struggle to maintain a place in the team at the expense of younger receivers. Joiner continued to play in every game, and passed Jackie Smith's record of 210 appearances at a receiving position early in the season. He finished the 1985 season with 59 catches for 932 yards, and tied his career high by scoring 7 touchdowns.

Joiner signed another one-year contract, and entered the 1986 season only 128 receiving yards behind Don Maynard's NFL record of 11,834 for a career. He would turn 39 during the course of the season and was the second-oldest active player behind Jeff Van Note of the Atlanta Falcons, as well as the oldest wide receiver in league history.

He surpassed Maynard's record of receiving yards in a week 5 away game against the Seattle Seahawks. The record-breaking catch was a 20-yarder from Fouts during the 3rd quarter of a 33–7 defeat; the game was halted briefly and Joiner got a standing ovation from the Seattle crowd. Joiner broke his right hand late in the season. In week 15, he was available to play in what would have been his final home game, but was kept on the sidelines by new head coach Al Saunders due to his injury. It was the first game he had missed since 1973 with the Bengals, and broke a 194-game regular season appearance streak. Joiner was disappointed, but said that the younger receivers had practiced all week for the game and it would have been unfair to them if he had played. Saunders expressed regret for not using him, saying that the Joiner's streak and potential last home game didn't cross his mind. Joiner did play the following week, ending his career with 3 catches for 25 yards in a 47–17 defeat at Cleveland.

Joiner finished the year with 34 catches, his least productive season since 1978, and retired from playing after the season. He said, "I'd thought about it for about eight or nine years and I finally did it. I'm 39 and that's too old to be playing football for a wide receiver. I've had a great career, I think, and I'm just proud of the fact that I finished No. 1, even though it probably won't last that long."

Joiner was the last active player from the AFL. He finished his 18 AFL/NFL seasons with 750 receptions for 12,146 yards, averaging 16.2 average per catch, and 65 touchdowns. He caught 586 passes in 11 seasons with San Diego after totaling 164 in seven seasons with Houston and Cincinnati. Joiner had 50 or more catches in seven seasons, five with 60 or more, and three with at least 70 with the Chargers. He retired as the then-NFL leader in career receptions and receiving yards. At the time, he also played the most seasons (18) and games by a wide receiver (239). At age 39, Joiner also retired as the oldest wide receiver in NFL history, Joiner had 530 receptions after he was 30 years old, including 396 starting from the 1980 season, during which he turned 33. He credited his success and longevity to Coryell: "Thanks to Coach Coryell’s offense and his revolutionary passing game, he prolonged my career, from the day I got to the Chargers until the day I retired. I will forever be grateful to him and what he did for the game of football."

Joiner excelled despite neither being among the quickest nor most talented receivers in the NFL. Throughout his career, he was overshadowed by more glamorous receiving mates, including LeVias and Ken Burrough in Houston, Curtis in Cincinnati, and Jefferson, Chandler, and Winslow with San Diego. In addition to good health and longevity, Joiner was an intelligent player and precise pass route runner, capable of changing direction without sacrificing speed due to a short stride and low centre of gravity. He had a tendency to fumble while with the Bengals, but fixed the problem and seldom fumbled while in San Diego. Joiner rarely ran deep routes, specialising in running inside patterns and making tough catches in traffic. He became aware early in his time in San Diego that he no longer had the sprinting speed of his youth, and compensated with an improved knowledge of defenses brought on by experience. Quiet and modest as an individual, Joiner was voted the Chargers' most inspirational player seven times by his teammates.

Hall of Fame coach Walsh called Joiner "the most intelligent, the smartest, the most calculating receiver the game has ever known." Gibbs, his offensive coordinator in San Diego, praised Joiner as "a totally dedicated guy who was just a great producer." "Without question, he is the finest technician—running routes and reading coverages—in the National Football League", said Ernie Zampese, the Chargers' receiving coach. Bengals teammate Bob Trumpy praised Joiner's work ethic, saying, "You know why he's caught all those balls? Because he's busted his tail in every practice, on every play in practice. Whatever quarterback he's been with has known that Charlie will be there, every time. He trusts Charlie." Joiner was Fouts' favorite receiver on third down. "All I’m trying to do out there is look for a port in a storm. He’s the port. Having Charlie is like having a fail-safe button," said Fouts.

Joiner was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996, becoming the third Grambling player to be selected. In 1999, he was ranked No. 100 on The Sporting News's list of the 100 greatest football players, while a 2019 USA Today article ranked him as the ninth-best player in Chargers history. He was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. The Chargers inducted Joiner into their hall of fame in 1993 and retired his No. 18 in 2023.

In 1987, Saunders hired Joiner as an assistant coach working with wide receivers. He was retained by the following head coach, Dan Henning, but Henning's entire coaching staff were dismissed following the 1991 season, ending Joiner's sixteen-year run with the team as a player and coach. He joined the Marv Levy's Buffalo Bills shortly afterwards, again serving as a wide receiver coach, then moved on to take the same role with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2001. Joiner stayed with the Chiefs for seven seasons before losing his job with them in 2008; he re-joined the Chargers three weeks later for final stint working with their receivers. Joiner spent five more years in San Diego, then announced his retirement at the age of 65, saying football was "definitely a young man's game."

Joiner's retirement ended a 44-year professional career, eighteen as a player and twenty-six as a position coach. Twenty-one of those years were spent with the Chargers.

After leaving the Oilers, Joiner continued to live in Houston throughout the rest of his playing career, only moving to Rancho Bernardo in San Diego when he joined the Chargers' coaching staff. He has an accountancy degree from his time in college, and worked part time for Gulf Oil during the offseason for ten years. Joiner was unusual in not employing a sports agent, as his knowledge of finance allowed him to manage his own contract negotiations.

Joiner is married and has two daughters.

The Story And Significance Of Kellen Winslow - Tied For The Most Receiving Touchdowns In A Game With Five

Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. is an American former professional football tight end who played in the National Football League. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the league's history. Winslow played his entire NFL career (1979–1987) with the San Diego Chargers after being selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors in 1978. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Winslow had a late start to his football career, not playing until his senior year of high school. Noted for his unusual combination of size and speed, he was recruited by the Missouri Tigers, where he played from 1975 to 1978, ranking among the team's reception leaders during his last two seasons. He was named All-American as a senior, entering the NFL draft as one of the highest-regarded prospects for the league.

San Diego traded up to draft Winslow with the 13th overall pick in the draft. Over the next nine seasons, he was named a first-team All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowler five times. After a promising rookie season (1979) was ended by injury, Winslow became a key figure in head coach Don Coryell's offense from 1980 to 1983, twice leading the league in receptions. His success in the passing game had long-term effects on the usage of tight ends, who had previously been perceived as good blockers who would catch occasionally. Highlights for Winslow included a five-touchdown performance against the Oakland Raiders and a starring role in the 1981 playoff game known as the Epic in Miami.

Winslow was progressing at a record-breaking pace in 1984 when a serious knee injury knocked him out of the game for a year. He recovered enough to play from 1985 to 1987, but generally failed to recapture his pre-injury form. Winslow planned to return for a tenth year in the league but after a single appearance in the 1988 preseason the condition of his knees forced him to retire.

Winslow entered the 1979 NFL draft rated as "unquestionably the best prospect at tight end" by analyst Don Heinrich. Chicago Bears general manager Jim Finks said, "Some people can play tight end with two of the three requirements. I hear Winslow has all three—size, speed and strength." Winslow was expected to be chosen early in the first round, with the Kansas City Chiefs (drafting No. 2 overall) and the Cincinnati Bengals (No. 3 overall) both likely destinations.

In the event, Winslow was unexpectedly yet to be chosen by the time the draft reached the Cleveland Browns who had selection No. 13. At that point the San Diego Chargers, who were not scheduled to pick until No. 20, made a deal with Cleveland to move up seven places and select Winslow. The Chargers were delighted with the trade, as they had rated Winslow as the top player in the draft, and had twice unsuccessfully tried to trade up into the top seven picks to get him. Head coach Don Coryell explained that the Chargers had an area of need at tight end, as their current starters Bob Klein and Pat Curran were both in their 30's and likely to retire soon. Winslow himself had expected to go to Cincinnati but was pleased when the Chargers selected him as he liked to catch the ball and was aware of Coryell's affinity for the passing game.

Less than three weeks after the draft, Winslow signed a series of one-year contracts to play for the Chargers. Coryell described him as "a big strong man who has great potential and ability," and suggested Winslow could play both tight end and wide receiver. When the season began, Winslow did serve in both roles, being both the second tight end behind Klein and a third wide receiver behind Charlie Joiner and John Jefferson depending on the formation. He caught his first career touchdown in week 2 of his rookie season on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Dan Fouts. When an injury to Klein forced Winslow into the starting line-up, he responded with a seven-catch performance that left him as the Chargers' leader in receptions. The following week, he lost a key fumble in a 7–0 defeat to the Denver Broncos. A Los Angeles Times article described him as inconsistent, both as a blocker and a receiver, and "like a runaway locomotive without tracks" when carrying the ball.

Winslow's season ended in a week 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks due to a fractured left fibula. While he was initially projected to be out for only six weeks, Winslow was still missing for the Chargers' season-ending playoff loss to the Houston Oilers. Winslow finished with 25 catches, which had led the team at the point when he was injured, for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Winslow later believed that the injury had positive effects, saying in a 2006 interview, "My breaking my leg my rookie year turned out to be a blessing, because I got a chance to sit back and look at some things... from another angle and came back my second year and things really made sense."

Winslow entered the 1980 season with a chance to claim the number one tight end position, as Klein retired during the offseason. Due to a series of minor injuries, Winslow was unable to win the place in preseason, with Greg McCrary beginning the regular season as the starter. In week 2, Winslow had a breakthrough performance against the Oakland Raiders with 9 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in an overtime win. Coryell used Winslow in various positions and formations throughout the game, trying to force a mismatches where the 6 foot 5 Winslow would be covered by a smaller defender.

As the season progressed, Winslow established himself as a key component of the Air Coryell offense and eventually led the league with 89 catches, setting a new NFL record for tight ends by breaking the previous mark of 75 held by Mike Ditka. He became the first tight end to exceed 1,000 receiving yards since Jackie Smith in 1967. Some sources credit Winslow's 1,290 yards as having set a new tight end record. He was instrumental in the Chargers' second consecutive AFC West division title, and was voted both a Pro Bowler and first-team AP All-Pro.

Winslow caught only a single pass in San Diego's first playoff game, a 20–14 divisional playoffs victory over the Buffalo Bills. This was partially due to an injury to McCrary early in the game. The Chargers frequently used a two-tight end formation, with McCrary lining up as a regular tight end and Winslow appearing in variable positions, often going in motion. They had no backup to McCrary, so Winslow was forced to replace him as a conventional tight end, with far less scope to catch passes. McCrary attempted to play through the injury the following week, but Winslow still had only 3 catches for 42 yards, and San Diego lost the AFC Championship game 34–27 to Oakland.

The 1981 season began slowly for Winslow, with only five catches in the first two games. He drew more double coverage after Jefferson was traded to the Green Bay Packers; Winslow also theorized that teams were more aware of the threat he posed following his performances the previous year. Aided by the midseason arrival of wide receiver Wes Chandler in place of Jefferson, Winslow saw more single coverage as the season went on and produced better numbers. A highlight was a 55–21 win in Oakland when Winslow caught 13 passes for 144 yards and 5 touchdowns. The five receiving touchdowns tied an NFL single-game record that has not been surpassed as of 2024, while the 13 receptions tied Lance Alworth's franchise record. Winslow said of the performance, "I just happened to get my number called today. A lot of things were going our way and they just happened to go my way in particular."

San Diego were struggling with a 6–5 record before Winslow's five-touchdown game, but recovered to finish 10–6 and win their third consecutive AFC West title. Winslow led the league in receptions for the second consecutive season, finishing with 88 catches for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was again named to the Pro Bowl (where he won co-MVP) and the AP All-Pro first team.

Winslow excelled in the Chargers' divisional playoff game, a 41–38 overtime win over the Miami Dolphins played in draining humidity that became known as the Epic in Miami. He had 13 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown, and blocked a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation time. Winslow leaped in the middle of the line to block the kick, barely deflecting the ball with the outside of his right hand: he said, ""For all the receptions and all the yardage, I got more satisfaction out of blocking the field goal. It was something I'd never done before. It had always been a dream of mine." His 13 receptions set a new single-game playoff record, while his yardage total was a playoff record for tight ends. He achieved these statistics despite repeatedly having to leave the game with dehydration and severe cramps; he was also treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder and received three stitches in his lower lip. After the game, a picture of Winslow being helped off the field by his teammates became an enduring image in NFL lore.

Winslow's performance in the Miami game was greatly praised afterwards. Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka said, "Kellen Winslow portrayed in Miami what it takes to be great. The difference between great and good is a matter of heart. He gave a tremendous amount to help his team win one of the great games ever played." Dolphins' tackle Bob Kuechenberg said the game made Winslow's career in a 2017 interview, adding "I deeply resented the fact that they literally carried him off the field five times and he'd come back and do some other miracle." A 2012 ESPN article rated it the second-best single-game playoff performance in NFL history up to that point, while a 2014 San Diego Union-Tribune article named it the joint-best playoff performance by a Charger.

While Winslow scored again the following week, it was the Chargers' only touchdown in a 27–7 AFC Championship game loss at Cincinnati. The game became known as the Freezer Bowl for the unusually frigid and windy conditions. Winslow commented afterwards, "I wouldn't send my dog out in that kind of weather."

The 1982 season was interrupted by a 57-day NFL players strike which reduced the regular season to nine games. Winslow expressed impatience with the process, claiming that players' union director Ed Garvey and management negotiator Jack Donlan were both on "ego trips." While Garvey was seeking a wage scale for the players, Winslow believed that abolishing the NFL draft and encouraging the development of the rival United States Football League (USFL) would do more to increase their salaries. On the field, his success continued—Winslow's 54 receptions were the most in the AFC, while his 721 yards were second to his teammate Chandler. For the third consecutive season, he was named both a Pro Bowler and AP first-team All-Pro.

San Diego qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, taking their place in an expanded 16-team Super Bowl tournament as the AFC's fifth seed and travelling to the Pittsburgh Steelers for their first game. The Steelers led 28–17 in the final quarter, but two touchdowns by Winslow gave San Diego a 31–28 win; he had 7 catches for 102 yards and the two scores. A rematch with the Dolphins in Miami followed. Winslow was unable to repeat his performance of the previous year, playing with a twisted ankle for most of the game and finishing with only one catch for 18 yards as Miami won 34–13. Winslow said of the defeat, "You can say it either way: They had a great day, or we had an off day. But really it was both." It was the last playoff game of his career.

An National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) survey released after the season reported his annual salary as $210,000, joint third-most on the Chargers but behind 64 players league-wide, including some tight ends.

The Chargers had a disappointing 1983 season and missed the playoffs for the first time in Winslow's career, although he himself had another statistically productive year. Winslow had 14 catches for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns in a win over the Chiefs, breaking the franchise single-game receptions record he'd previously shared with Alworth. He finished the year with 88 catches for 1,172 yards and 8 touchdowns, and was voted to another Pro Bowl, though this time as the AFC's reserve tight end behind Todd Christensen of Los Angeles. Winslow had caught more passes than any other player over the five-year period 1979–83.

Winslow entered the 1984 season seeking to renegotiate his contract. He had two years remaining on a five-year contract and a verbal agreement from Chargers ownership that he could negotiate a new deal in 1984. He requested an amount which the Chargers refused, with Winslow's agent Jim Steiner stating shortly before the regular season started that the two sides were far apart with their offers. Steiner declared Winslow's intention to play in week 1 at Minnesota, "out of respect for the team, Don Coryell and the coaching staff," then retire if no agreement was forthcoming. On September 2 he followed through on the threat, catching four passes in the game then travelling to East St. Louis instead of flying back to San Diego with his teammates. He criticized ownership for letting players such as Jefferson and Fred Dean leave in the past due to similar contract disputes, saying "I feel cheated... they've turned their back on me. I have nowhere else to go but home." Chargers general manager Johnny Sanders said that there would be no further negotiations with Winslow while he refused to report to camp. San Diego declined to place Winslow on the retirement list, which would have prevented him playing for the rest of the year. On September 5, Steiner suggested that Winslow could still be induced to return, but that they were investigating other means of income, including television work. The Chargers signed veteran tight end Al Dixon as a replacement on September 6. The Houston Gamblers of the USFL declared an interest in signing Winslow, staging a press conference with the player on September 8. Winslow stated at the conference that he would return to San Diego and play the remaining two years there; he was not permitted to sign for the Gamblers until his Chargers contract expired, but expressed an interest in joining them for the 1986 season. Winslow then returned to the Chargers, allowing negotiations to re-open. On September 12, Winslow agreed to a new five-year contract with San Diego.

Winslow had missed one game due to his holdout, but returned in week 3 to face the Oilers at home. The Jack Murphy Stadium crowd booed him when he was announced at the start of the game, a 31–14 victory in which he had 10 catches for 146 yards. Three weeks later, he broke the Chargers single-game receptions record for the second time with 15 catches for 157 yards in a 34–28 win at Green Bay. Despite having missed a game, he was on course to break Charley Hennigan's league record of 101 catches in a season before being stopped by a serious knee injury.

"Jeff Barnes was on the inside, came and hit me low and that's when the doctors say the posterior cruciate went. When I got hit in the front, my knee snapped back and then Rod Martin tackled me over the front, and I got twisted, and that's when probably the medial collateral ligament went during that time. Nothing dirty about it."

In week 8, late in a 44–37 loss to the Raiders, Winslow took a short pass over the middle for his 55th reception of the season. His knee twisted while being tackled by Los Angeles linebackers Jeff Barnes and Rod Martin. In the immediate wake of the injury, Winslow described himself as "flopping on the field like a flounder out of water." Once medical staff reset his knee, Winslow smiled and exchanged jokes with the Raiders as he left the field, but learned in the treatment room that his injury would require season-ending surgery after the game. Team physician Gary Losse, who performed the surgery over the course of two hours, later said that Winslow's knee looked like "spaghetti... like a couple of mop ends." Losse also said, "The ligaments had almost an explosion-like appearance, it was a very, very severe knee injury." The severity was due in part to both the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) being damaged. Reflecting on his season the following week, Winslow was relieved that he had insisted on a guaranteed contract during negotiations, which ensured he would be paid in full for five years even if he was unable to play again.

Interviewed during April 1985, Winslow reported that his recovery was proceeding ahead of schedule. He was optimistic of a midseason return in the coming season, and of again being the best tight end in the league. In August, he was placed on the physically unable to perform list. Winslow returned to action in week 7, two days short of a year after the injury happened. In a loss at the Minnesota Vikings, he caught two passes, produced key blocks on a pair of touchdown runs, and described the game as "like old times." Two weeks later, he was used on only four plays in a win over Denver, all of which were running plays. He was visibly upset over his lack of usage, and failed to report for practice the next day, instead flying to Canada to promote a drink in which he had a financial stake. The following day, he returned to the team and apologised for his absence.

Winslow was used primarily as a blocker or decoy throughout the season, and finished with only 25 catches for 318 yards and no touchdowns from his ten appearances. Compared with his play before the injury, Winslow struggled to break tackles and change directions sharply when running pass routes. He said, "I'll never be the Kellen Winslow of old. There will always be something missing because of the reconstruction."

Winslow improved in 1986, catching 64 passes for 728 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 45 of his catches coming in the final nine games. Offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese described his movement as more fluid and his play as more confident. Winslow would later describe his own play as still being tentative and scared during the 1986 season.

During the offseason Winslow underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee to clear out scar tissue from his injury; he reported improved running ability afterwards. The 1987 season was shortened by a players strike, which saw one week cancelled and three more played primarily with replacement players. Winslow sat out the entire strike, which he described as frustrating. He taped over his jersey number during a training session in protest at his No. 80 being used by one of the replacement players.

On the field, Winslow was pleased to find that he was that he was better at breaking tackles than the previous year. His play after the strike prompted his new head coach Al Saunders to say that he was once again playing at a league-leading standard. Winslow made his 500th career reception during the season, following Ozzie Newsome as the second tight end to pass the landmark. He finished with 53 catches from his twelve games, second-most among NFL tights ends, though his 9.8 yards per reception was the least of his career. His performances earned him his fifth Pro Bowl nomination (his first since the knee injury) and a place in the AP All-Pro second team, while his teammates named him their offensive player of the year. He said that during the year he had accomplished "the regaining of respect, both on this team and around the league... a resurgence to the level a lot of people wondered I could still play at."

Winslow expected to continue his career in 1988, though he hinted it might be his last season, reporting that the Chargers did not seem eager to extend his contract. Entering the season at 30 years old, he was the second-longest tenured Charger, behind only center Don Macek. He again had arthroscopic surgery during the offseason, and failed one physical before passing a second one and joining his teammates at training camp in August. He was unable to play in the Chargers' first two preseason games and featured briefly in the third. Subsequently, he had to leave training early on consecutive days, missed a third day entirely, and was ruled out of the final preseason game due to his knee. Saunders said, "It's just not coming around. It's concerning him and I know it's concerning us."

On August 29, Winslow announced to journalists that he had been suspended without pay by the Chargers following a meeting with team officials. Describing his physical state during his preseason appearance as "total ineptness," Winslow said he had informed Saunders and director of football operations Steve Ortmayer that he was unable to continue his career. The Chargers maintained that he was fit to play having passed a physical, and had been suspended for refusing to do so. This caused a dispute as to whether Winslow should be paid his guaranteed salary of $795,000 for the coming season. He would forfeit the money if he officially retired; the Chargers offered him half the amount to retire, which Winslow refused. Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFLPA, supported Winslow—he said that the Chargers had suspended their player while citing an outdated collective bargaining agreement, and that the NFLPA intended to file a lawsuit against the team. Winslow also threatened litigation, but instead decided to wait while Steiner negotiated with Ortmayer to find a compromise retirement settlement.

On September 30, the two sides reached agreement and Winslow's retirement became official. The terms of the agreement were not revealed. Winslow was critical of the Chargers' handling of the situation, saying that they had stripped him of his dignity by imposing the suspension. Ortmayer responded that there no should be no negative connotations to being placed on the suspended players list, as the NFL required all players on the roster to be given one of the available designations.

Interviewed the following year, Winslow described his career as "like a fairy tale," saying that he had been fortunate with his choice of high school and college, and with having a head coach in Coryell who could best exploit his abilities.

Through his nine years in the NFL, Winslow caught 541 passes for 6,741 yards and 45 touchdowns in the regular season. His receptions total ranked 14th in league history at the time of his retirement. Winslow played in five Pro Bowls, and was named to three AP All-Pro first teams and one second team. Further honors followed his retirement, as he was voted into the NFL's All-1980s team, 75th anniversary team, and 100th anniversary team. In 1995, Winslow was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Chargers Hall of Fame; the Chargers retired his No. 80 jersey in 2023.

Winslow is widely recognized as one of the best to play his position, and credited with revolutionizing the usage of tight ends in the NFL. Tight ends prior to Winslow were primarily blockers who lined up next to an offensive lineman and ran short to medium routes; Winslow said upon being drafted, "I can get just as deep as wide receivers and just as fast," and Coryell quickly identified him as someone who could line up as a wide receiver on some plays and a tight end on others. As his career progressed, the Chargers would use Winslow unpredictably in a number of positions over the course of a game, including flanker, split end, slotback, H-back, wingback or conventional tight end. He might start the play in a three point blocking stance or a two point receiver's stance, or be put in motion so he would not be jammed at the line.

Winslow was credited with creating the H-back position by Joe Bugel, an offensive coordinator with the Washington teams who made use of H-backs to win multiple Super Bowls. He said, "It takes the complete athlete, a guy who can block an end or a linebacker or take a cornerback or strong safety deep." Saunders described Winslow as "a wide receiver in an offensive lineman's body," while Coryell said, "If we're asking Kellen to block a defensive end and not catch passes, I'm not a very good coach." Former head coach Jon Gruden called Winslow the first "joker" in the NFL. Head coach Bill Belichick noted that the pass-catching tight ends who get paid the most money are "all direct descendants of Kellen Winslow" and that there were fewer tight ends in the 21st century who could block on the line. Winslow himself credited Coryell and his coaching staff for thinking outside the box to utilize his abilities in new ways: "There were many athletes before me who could do the things that I did. You talk about Charlie Sanders... Could stand in there and hold his own. Could run good routes. Probably could split him out. But I came into a situation with the offensive system where I could do those things."

Lists of the top 100 NFL players at any position frequently feature Winslow: In 1999, he was ranked No. 73 by The Sporting News, a 2010 NFL Network series had him at No. 67, and a panel of USA Today journalists placed him at No. 79 in 2019.

In the immediate wake of his retirement, Winslow served as marketing vice president and major stockholder for a San Diego-based nutrition company. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego in 1993 and spent some time as a sports agent, while doubling as a radio commentator for his alma mater the Missouri Tigers. Later, he worked as a college football announcer with Fox Sports Net. Winslow served in various sports administrator roles, having been athletic director at Central State University, vice president for athletics and wellness at Lakeland College, and director of athletics at Florida A&M University.

Winslow has been married twice. He had two sons, Kellen II with his first wife and Justin Winslow with his then-girlfriend. Kellen II also played tight end in the NFL.

Winslow has been a vocal proponent of affirmative action, particularly in football—he dedicated a substantial section of his Hall of Fame induction speech to highlighting the lack of African Americans in non-playing roles. When his son announced his intention to sign with the University of Washington, Winslow objected as the coaching staff featured no African Americans; Winslow II eventually signed with the University of Miami instead. Winslow described this as “a black father teaching his black son about the ways of the world.”