Ken Payne (October 6, 1950 – August 1, 2011) was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He sprinted and 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 ...

Langston Langston is a name of English origin. People with the name include: People with the given name * Langston Galloway (born 1991), American basketball player * Langston Hall (born 1991), American basketball player * Langston Hughes (1902–1967), ...

, helping the team to an 11-0 record and the 1973 NAIA playoffs. He was the fourth player drafted from the small college when 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 ...

selected him in the sixth round of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

. He was used sparingly during his rookie season, but in Week 2 of 1975 he had 167 receiving yards on a then-franchise-record 12 receptions. The record was tied, but not broken until 2016 by

Davante Adams Davante Lavell Adams (born December 24, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the ...

. He led the Packers in receptions and receiving yards for the next two seasons. However, he was cut by the Packers after just four games in 1977. The Philadelphia Eagles claimed him off waivers on October 17, but he had an emergency appendectomy just two days later and missed the rest of the season. He had just 13 receptions the next season, the last of his career. He lived the rest of his live in Oklahoma City, had eight children, and worked as a church bus driver until his death in 2011.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Ken 1950 births 2011 deaths American football wide receivers Langston Lions football players Green Bay Packers players Philadelphia Eagles players