John Sykes (born May 13, 1949) was an American football running back. Sykes played

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 Morgan State University, where he broke several rushing records previously held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly. In his senior year and Morgan State he rushed for 1007 yards on 193 carries. That year he was named an honorable mention to the Little All-America college football team and named to the all-

MEAC The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the National C ...

team. Sykes was drafted by the

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 ...

in the 7th round of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

. After being cut by the Colts before the regular season started he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in September. After not playing in any games for the Cardinals he was cut and then signed by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

in November 1972 and placed on their taxi squad. After being activated by the Chargers he played in 2 games for the Chargers, returning two kickoffs for 44 yards. He returned one kickoff for 24 yards against the Denver Broncos on December 10, 1972, and he returned one kickoff for 20 yards against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on December 17. He was cut by the Chargers during training camp in 1973 and resigned by the Colts, but the Colts also waived him before the season started. In 1974 he played semi-pro football for the Hanover Rhinos. In 1975 he played for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

of the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

but his season was cut short by torn knee ligaments and the league folded during the season. After leaving professional football, Sykes became a physical education teacher at his alma mater of

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C. is the thir ...

and later at Highlandtown Middle School. Sykes died in 2019 of an apparent

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at the age of 70.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, John 1949 births 2019 deaths American football running backs San Diego Chargers players Players of American football from Baltimore Charlotte Hornets (WFL) players Morgan State Bears football players Baltimore Colts players