Robert Guy Talamini (January 8, 1939 – May 30, 2022) was an American football player. Talamini, a 6'1", 250 lb lineman, earned third-team All-SEC honors at the University of Kentucky and was drafted by the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

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. ...

(AFL). His professional career began with the AFL's first training camp in 1960, and was capped the day the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

stunned the NFL's

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

Super Bowl III Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name "Su ...

on January 12, 1969. 1986 Jeno's Pizza - 37 - Joe Namath (Bob Talamini crop)

Hall of Famers

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons ...

and

Billy Cannon William Abb Cannon (August 2, 1937 – May 20, 2018) was an American football halfback, fullback and tight end who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He attended Louisiana State Un ...

benefited from his blocking as the Oilers won the first two AFL Championships. Talamini made first-team All-AFL in 1962 and was a regular at American Football League All-Star games, selected to six straight, through 1967. He anchored an offensive line that gave Blanda time to set passing records that would last for decades and opened holes for the likes of Cannon,

Charlie Tolar Charley Tolar (September 5, 1937 – April 28, 2003) was an early American Football League (AFL) star who played his entire career with the Houston Oilers. Biography Tolar attended Northwestern State University of Louisiana. At Northwestern, T ...

Sid Blanks Sidney Blanks (April 29, 1941 – December 12, 2021) was an American football player and the first-ever African American football player to play in the Lone Star Conference. College career A halfback, Blanks played college football at Texas A& ...

and

Hoyle Granger Hoyle John Granger ( ;
Retrieved July 29, 2020 born March 7, 1944) is a former collegiate a ...

to run through. Talamini,

Don Floyd Donald Wayne Floyd (July 1, 1938 – March 9, 1980) was a professional American football defensive end who played in the American Football League (AFL). Early life Born in Abilene, Texas, Floyd played his high school football in Midlothian, Te ...

and Jim Norton were the last of the original Oilers. After two AFL crowns and three Eastern Division titles, Talamini watched the club rebuild and win the division again in 1967. The Oilers fell one game short in 1967, but Talamini got to realize his dream the following year when he was released and picked up by the

. Opening holes for

Matt Snell Matthews Snell (born August 18, 1941) is a retired professional football player who played for the New York Jets. He was Jets' owner Sonny Werblin's first coup, prior to his 1965 acquisition of Joe Namath. A powerful fullback out of Ohio State ...

and blocking defenders away from

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college foot ...

. Talamini was selected to the All-Time All-AFL second-team. In 2011, he was inducted in the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. Talamini died on May 30, 2022, at the age of 83.

References

See also