Lee Roy Caffey (June 3, 1941 – January 18, 1994) 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 ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

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) for 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 ...

, Green Bay Packers,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and San Diego Chargers. Caffey is one of the top 100 Green Bay Packers of All-Time (#57). Caffey and teammates, Ray Nitchke and Dave Robinson, were named one of the top 10 best linebacking trios in the history of the NFL by ESPN. He 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 ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and is one of Texas A&M’s top 10 best players in the NFL.

Early years

Born and raised in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, Caffey started his football career in Thorndale at the age of ten, when he played on a pee wee league that played a team from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

in the 'Milk Bowl Championship' and shook hands with American legend, Pro Football Hall of Fame member and Olympic gold medalist

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

. At

Thorndale High School Thorndale High School is a public high school located in the city of Thorndale, Texas, USA and classified as a 2A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Thorndale Independent School District located in southwestern Milam County. In 2015, t ...

, Caffey won the state title in the high jump and was all-state in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

as a senior in 1959. He broke his collarbone in football his senior year and was out most of the season, so he was recruited to play college football at

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

based mostly on his basketball skills.

College career

Caffey accepted a football scholarship from

, where he played both sides of the ball and led the Aggies in rushing as a fullback in his junior season of 1961. Defensively, the Aggies had 11 games where they allowed just 7 points or less and in 3 years gave up an average of 12 points. Following his senior season in 1962, Caffey played in the 1963 Challenge Bowl and on the College All-Star team, which beat the two-time defending champion Green Bay Packers 20−17 in early August, prompting head coach and general manager

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

to trade for him the next season. According to Caffey, Lombardi personally called him and said “you’re going to be my linebacker”. Caffey was a three-year letterman and a member of the Texas A&M Hall of Fame, and a member of the Texas A&M All-Decade Team of the 1960s. He was the first Texas A&M Aggie to play in a Super Bowl and is considered one of Texas A&M's top 10 best players in the NFL. Caffey wore #34 during his college years. In 1993, he was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Caffey was selected by the

in the seventh round (88th overall) of the 1963 NFL draft. He was also an AFL fourth round draft choice (25th overall) of 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 ...

. He started 6 out of 14 games and was named to the NFL All Rookie team. He returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown against the New York Giants. Caffey wore #34 as an Eagle.

Green Bay Packers

On May 5, 1964, Caffey was acquired by the Green Bay Packers in the famous '

Jim Ringo James Stephen Ringo (November 21, 1931 – November 19, 2007) was a professional American football player, a Hall of Fame center, and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was a 10-time Pro Bowler during his 15-year Early years Born i ...

' trade and played under Head Coach Vince Lombardi. He started in 11 games his first year with Green Bay, during his six years with the team he would start in 80 of a possible 84 regular season games, and would become an All-Pro Player. At with 10.0 speed in the , he was one of the fastest linebackers in the league, and was versatile enough to play both the outside or middle position. Caffey intercepted nine passes, returning two for touchdowns, most notably one for 52 yards against Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in the 1966 season opener at

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. He played on the unprecedented three consecutive championship teams at Green Bay, which include the 1965 NFL championship,

Super Bowl I The first AFL–NFL World Championship Game (known retroactively as Super BowlI and referred to in contemporaneous reports, including the game's radio broadcast, as the Super Bowl) was an American football game played on January 15, 1967, at the ...

(led the team with 7 tackles), and Super Bowl II. Caffey played in the legendary Ice Bowl in 1967 and is credited with making 3 tackles for a loss, forcing a fumble, and accounted for the Packers' only sack by dumping

Don Meredith Joseph "Dandy" Don Meredith (April 10, 1938 – December 5, 2010) was an American football quarterback, sports commentator, and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career (1960–1968) with the Dallas Cowboys of the Nat ...

for a 9-yard loss; then spilling running backs

Dan Reeves Daniel Edward Reeves (January 19, 1944 – January 1, 2022) was an American football running back and coach in the National Football League (NFL). During his 38 years in the NFL, Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls, the third most for an ...

and Craig Baynham for 4- and 3-yard losses. Caffey was named AP and UPI

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

in . Caffey made his only

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

appearance following the 1965 season. In 2006, Caffey and fellow linebackers Dave Robinson and Ray Nitschke were named one of the top 10 best linebacking trios in the history of the NFL. Caffey wore #60 as a Packer.

Chicago Bears

On January 21, 1970, after Lombardi's departure from Green Bay, Caffey,

Elijah Pitts Elijah Eugene Pitts (February 3, 1938 – July 10, 1998) was an American football player, a halfback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, ten with the Green Bay Packers. Late in his career, he briefly played for the Los Angeles ...

, and

Bob Hyland Robert Joseph Hyland (born July 21, 1945) is a former American football guard who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, and the New England Patriots. He played coll ...

were traded to the

for the second overall pick in the 1970 NFL draft (#2- Mike McCoy). Caffey would start all 14 games as outside linebacker for the Bears, beside Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, in the 1970 season under Head Coach George Halas. Caffey wore #60 as a Bear.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 21,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, Caffey was acquired by the

in a trade for a seventh round draft choice (#182- Jim Osborne) and played in 6 games as a Cowboy. After acquiring several other former Packers, Head Coach Tom Landry called Caffey his ‘insurance policy’. He was also a player mentor for the franchise's first championship team ( Super Bowl VI) under

Tom Landry Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Dur ...

, where Caffey received his third career Super Bowl ring and fourth NFL championship ring. Caffey wore #60 as a Cowboy.

San Diego Chargers

In September 1972 he joined the San Diego Chargers along with several other former Green Bay Packers. He appeared in 12 games with 9 starts. Caffey was set to be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers who were rebuilding their team and wanted him at linebacker along side Jack Ham when he decided to announce his retirement. Caffey wore #50 as a Charger.

Legacy

Caffey is considered one of the most underrated linebackers in the NFL and gave very few interviews. A popular team favorite, he is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and was selected to the 75th Anniversary All Time Packer Team, he ranks #57 on the Top 100 Green Bay Packers of All-Time, was selected to the Texas High School All Super Bowl Team, and was nominated for ESPN's All Time Super Bowl Team. In 2006, the Green Bay Packers' linebacking corps of

Ray Nitschke Raymond Ernest Nitschke (December 29, 1936 – March 8, 1998) was a professional American football middle linebacker who spent his entire 15-year National Football League (NFL) career with the in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in , he was the a ...

, Dave Robinson, and Lee Roy Caffey was named one of the NFL's Top 10 Greatest Linebacking Trios in the history of the NFL.

Personal life

In early 1994 at age 52, Caffey lost a lengthy battle with colon cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. He is buried in

Milam County Milam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 24,754. The county seat is Cameron. The county was created in 1834 as a municipality in Mexico and organized as a county in 1837. Milam Coun ...

at Salty Cemetery, southeast of Thorndale and many former teammates attended his funeral. Some of the pall bearers included former NFL greats, Jerry Kramer, Boyd Dowler, Donny Anderson, Tommy Joe Crutcher, Forrest Gregg, and Don Talbert. He was survived by his wife of 33 years, Dana, two daughters, and a son.

References

External links

Texas A&M University Athletics Hall of Fame profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Caffey, Lee Roy 1941 births 1994 deaths People from Thorndale, Texas Players of American football from Williamson County, Texas American football linebackers Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Green Bay Packers players Philadelphia Eagles players San Diego Chargers players Texas A&M Aggies football players Western Conference Pro Bowl players Deaths from colorectal cancer Deaths from cancer in Texas People from Rockdale, Texas Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame