Richmond Flowers Jr.
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Position: | 1969 / Round: 2 / Pick: 49 | ||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Richmond McDavid Flowers Jr. (born June 13, 1947) is a former
Flowers participated in track and field primarily as a hurdler, specializing in the 110-meter high hurdles. After capturing the NCAA championship in the event in 1968, he was a leading contender to win the gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics before suffering a hamstring injury just prior to the Olympic trials. He set several records during his career.
He was the son of
Early years
Flowers was raised in Dothan, a city located in Houston County in southeastern Alabama. During his early childhood, he appeared to be anything but a future athlete. He suffered from asthma, anemia, and dyslexia, and frequently missed school due to illness. He was also flat-footed, and had to wear heavy orthopedic Brogans. By the time he was in junior high, however, his asthma had cleared up, and his feet began to arch. In the Fall of 1962, Flowers' family moved to Montgomery, where he attended Sidney Lanier High School.[1][2]
His father was
Amid the chaos surrounding his father, the younger Flowers exploded onto the track and field scene. In the Spring of 1963, he set state high school records in the 120-yard high hurdles, the 180-yard high hurdles, and the long jump.[1] In 1964, he broke five state records at the state high school championships.[5] As a senior in 1965, he set regional records in the 120-yard high hurdles, the 180-yard low hurdles and the long jump. He tied the state record in the 100-yard dash and anchored the winning 4 × 100 metres relay team. At the Gulf Coast Relays in Mobile, he set a national high school record with 13.5 seconds in the 120-yard high hurdles. At an open meet in Modesto, California, in May 1965, he beat 1964 Olympic silver medalist Blaine Lindgren in the 42-inch hurdles.[1]
Flowers received scholarship offers from more than 100 colleges,[5] and was heavily recruited by Alabama head coach Bear Bryant. He was intrigued, however, by the University of Tennessee, where Coach Chuck Rohe was gradually building the track program into a national powerhouse. He made up his mind to attend Tennessee in 1965 following the Gulf Coast Relays, during which his father had been introduced and booed.[2]
College career
At Tennessee, Flowers was a three-time NCAA All-American in track. At the All-Eastern Games in
Along with track, Flowers joined Tennessee's football team, which Coach Doug Dickey had been rebuilding into a national contender. Starting at wingback during his sophomore year in 1966 (freshmen were ineligible to play varsity before the 1970s), Flowers caught 35 passes for 405 yards, and was named to the sophomore All-SEC team.[1] He registered five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee's 18-12 win over the Larry Csonka-led Syracuse Orange in the 1966 Gator Bowl. During his junior season in 1967, he caught 41 passes for 585 yards and four touchdowns, and was named an All-American by The Football News.[1]
By his junior year in 1968, Flowers was considered a leading contender for the
His Olympic ambitions in shambles, Flowers rejoined Tennessee's football team in time for the 1968 season. Lining up primarily at
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Flowers was selected by the
In
New York Giants
On October 25,
In
While playing for the Giants he also was a part of the International Track Association,[15] where he was contacted by the founders of the World Football League.
Houston Texans/Shreveport Steamer (WFL)
In
Personal life
Described by the 1967 Tennessee football media guide as the "aspiring J.P. Morgan of the squad" for his habit of analyzing stocks while the team was en route to away games, Flowers collected a business degree from Tennessee. After his professional football career, he obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law, and briefly practiced law in Nashville. In the early 1980s, he became Vice President of REFCO, a Chicago-based commodities trading firm. In 1983, Flowers lost millions of dollars on a bad investment, and was censured and fined by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.[1] He relocated to Coral Gables, Florida, where he began to rebuild his life. Following Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Flowers moved to Birmingham.[4] He has worked as a salesman for NuSkin International since 1989.
Flowers was named a "Living Legend" for SEC football in 1998,[5] and was listed among the twenty-five greatest SEC athletes by The Birmingham News. He was named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[5] Flowers and his father were the subjects of the 1989 CBS television film, Unconquered, starring Dermot Mulroney as Flowers and Peter Coyote as his father.[18]
Flowers' son, Richmond Flowers III, was a state champion hurdler in high school and was a member of the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mike Sielski, "Flowers: 'Fastest White Boy Alive,'" ESPN.com, March 30, 2005. Retrieved: September 6, 2013.
- ^ a b c John Underwood, "Winning Son of a Dedicated Loser," Sports Illustrated, June 6, 1966. Retrieved: May 6, 2023.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (August 11, 2007). "Richmond Flowers Is Dead at 88; Challenged Segregation and Klan". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c d William Nack, "In the Name of the Father," Sports Illustrated, July 7, 1997. Retrieved: May 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Richmond Flowers, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, 2005. Retrieved: September 8, 2013.
- ^ "The History Of The United States Olympic Trials" (PDF). Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Tech Bombs Fizzle," 1969 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 66.
- ^ "Happy Homecoming," 1969 Tennessee Volunteers Football Guide, p. 67.
- ^ Richmond Flowers, Tennessee Football All-Americans, UTSports.com. Retrieved: September 8, 2013.
- ^ "Fowers Like Job As Defensive Back". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Hayes Gets Chance As Cowboys Starter". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Cowboys Boot Cleveland". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Redskins Claim Dallas' Flowers". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Sports Briefs". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Jim Ryun Gets Another Chance". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Flowers Jumps Giants For Hawaii". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Texans to Play in Astrodome". Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Unconquered (1989), IMDb.com. Retrieved February 11, 2018.