Joe Childress (October 26, 1933 – May 5, 1986) was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in 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 ...

(NFL). He played college football for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

College years

Childress was a two-time All-American at Auburn and was considered the finest fullback in the country during his junior and senior seasons. He led the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

in rushing and scoring his junior season in 1954 and was named the Gator Bowl MVP. Childress led Auburn with 1,677 yards rushing his senior season in 1955.

Pro career

Childress was selected in the first round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

. For his entire career, he played for the

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, primarily as a backup running back. He was known as an excellent receiver out of the backfield and a punishing blocker. His best season came in 1963 when he led the Cardinals in rushing and gained over 1000 yards from scrimmage while filling in for the injured

John David Crow John David Crow Sr. (July 8, 1935 – June 17, 2015) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 as a halfback for the Texas A&M Aggies. After college, he played professional f ...

. His best rushing game came on September 22, 1963 when he gained 136 yards on 22 carries against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. Later in the season against the Eagles, he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from

Charley Johnson Charley Lane Johnson (born November 22, 1938) is a former American football quarterback and retired professor of chemical engineering. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 years with three teams: the St. Louis Cardinals, Houst ...

Retirement

Childress retired as a player from the NFL in 1966. He coached five seasons with 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 a ...

and later went into the securities business. In his 40s, he contracted a type of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and began the battle which ultimately he lost in 1986 at the age of 52.

References

1933 births 1986 deaths Auburn Tigers football players Players of American football from Alabama Chicago Cardinals players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Deaths from cancer in Texas People from Robertsdale, Alabama {{Runningback-1930s-stub