Albert Reinhold Carmichael (November 10, 1928 – September 7, 2019) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. Carmichael holds the distinction of scoring the first touchdown in American Football League history, a 59-yard pass reception from

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

for the Broncos against the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

on September 9, 1960.

High school career

Carmichael prepped at

Gardena High School Gardena High School (GHS) is a public high school in Harbor Gateway, Los Angeles, California, United States, adjacent to the City of Gardena. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Small Learning Co ...

College career

Following a three-year enlistment in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

- he also played for the El Toro Marines, gaining about 1,000 yards in each of two years at the El Toro Marine Air Corps Station - Carmichael played one year of

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Santa Ana Junior College. At Santa Ana, he rushed for 1,110 yards with 19 TDs to earn Little All-American honors and was on a Junior Rose Bowl squad. Carmichael then played at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC). As a Trojan, he was a three-year letter winner (1950-51-52), leading the team in rushing as a sophomore and in kick returns as a senior. At USC he scored the winning touchdown in the

1953 Rose Bowl The 1953 Rose Bowl was the 39th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Thursday, January 1, at the end of the 1952 college football season. The fifth-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific Coast C ...

against

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Carmichael caught a third quarter pass from back-up quarterback Rudy Bukich to win the game, 7–0.

Professional career

Carmichael played for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

between 1953 and 1958; then he was with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

in 1960 and 1961. He twice led pro football in kick off return yards. He scored the first touchdown in American Football League history, a 59-yard pass reception from

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

for the Broncos against the

on September 9, 1960. He also has the tenth longest play in NFL history, a 106-yard kick off return for touchdown, at the time an NFL record held until 2007. When he retired, Carmichael was the NFL's all-time leader in kickoff return yardage. Following his playing career, Carmichael was inducted into the Green Bay Packers, Santa Ana College, All-Services and Orange County Halls of Fame.

Stunt double

Carmichael was a stuntman in more than 50 films, including ''

Jim Thorpe – All-American ''Jim Thorpe – All-American'' (UK title: ''Man of Bronze'') is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster as Jim Thorpe, the great Native American athlete who won medals at the 1912 Olympics and d ...

'' (1951) for

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

(1951), ''

Saturday's Hero ''Saturday's Hero'' is a 1951 American film noir drama sports film directed by David Miller. It is also known as ''Idols in the Dust'', and stars John Derek and Donna Reed. ''Saturday's Hero'' was the first film for Aldo Ray, who was still going ...

'' (1951), '' All-American'' (1953), '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959), '' It Started with a Kiss'' (1959), '' The Big Operator'', ''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

'' (1960), one of the doubles for

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

in ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

'' (1960), ''

Birdman of Alcatraz Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United S ...

'' (1962), ''

Son of Flubber ''Son of Flubber'' is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' (1961), Fred MacMurray reprises his role from the first film as ...

'' (1962), smf '' How the West was Won'' (1962), and the TV show '' Rawhide''.

Family

Carmichael married Jan and they had three children Chris, Pam, and Stacy. He lived in Orange County working in the pool-cleaning and automobile businesses before moving to Palm Desert to sell real estate in 1984.''Tapping His Potential: Late Start Didn't Slow Al Carmichael''
(by Mike DiGiovanna, October 21, 1992)- Retrieved 2019-02-03

References

External links

''106 Yards'' ~ Al Carmichael's autobiography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Al 1928 births 2019 deaths People from Palm Desert, California Players of American football from California Players of American football from Boston American football halfbacks American football return specialists Santa Ana Dons football players USC Trojans football players Green Bay Packers players Denver Broncos (AFL) players American stunt performers Stunt doubles Gardena High School alumni Sportspeople from Riverside County, California