Wentford Gaines
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| Position: | Defensive back / Return specialist | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 4, 1953 Anderson, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Ferrum College Tennessee Tech Cincinnati | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / Round: 9 / Pick: 265 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Wentford Elijah "Mumbo" Gaines (born February 4, 1953) is a former American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears.
Early life
Gaines was raised in
Tennessee Tech for a year before transferring to the University of Cincinnati where he played football and majored in Health Administration.[1]
Football career
Gaines was drafted in the ninth round of the
1976 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He lost his first two seasons due to injuries — a pulled hamstring in 1976 and a sprained ankle suffered in the team's final preseason game of 1977.[2] He finally made his NFL debut in 1978, but was cut by the Steelers after the season's first game.[3]
The Chicago Bears signed Gaines a month later.[4] He split time at left cornerback for the Bears with Terry Schmidt.[5]
Gaines once again landed on the injury list after suffering a dislocated wrist in the Bears eighth game of 1980.[6] His playing career ended when he was cut by the Bears during training camp in 1981.[7]
Post-football life
Gaines has twin sons, Jerrid and Jerrod. Jerrid played college football at
References
- ^ Emert, Rich (August 2, 1977). "Injuries help Gaines turn corner". The Beaver County Times. p. B-1. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- Observer-Reporter. AP. August 1, 1978. p. C-1. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- The Vindicator. AP. September 7, 1978. p. 24. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "Morgan Trying Out With Packer Squad". Milwaukee Journal. AP. October 7, 1978. p. 14. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- The Vindicator. November 10, 1978. p. 26. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "Bears may lose defensive back". The Free Lance–Star. AP. October 9, 1980. p. 10. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "Transactions". Boca Raton News. August 18, 1981. p. 3B. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ Rowe, Kermit (August 7, 2008). "Gaines back with Bengals". Springfield News-Sun. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- JournalNews. Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- ^ "Liberty Lines" (PDF). Jersey City Public Schools. January–February 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.