Miller Farr Jr. (April 8, 1943 – July 18, 2023) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for 10 seasons in 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) and 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). Farr attended Wichita State University, lettering in football and track. In his senior year, he led the nation in kickoff and punt returns. He was a member of a family of athletes and artists, including a brother and cousins, football players Mel Farr, Lem Barney, and

Jerry LeVias Jerry LeVias (born September 5, 1946) is a former American football player. He played college football at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) with the Houston Oilers and in the Nat ...

, and cousin, singer

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

. Farr was a first-round draft choice by the AFL's

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in the 1965 Red Shirt draft, then went to 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 ...

for 1965 and 1966. He played defensive back for 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 ...

from 1967 through 1969. During the 1967 season, Farr was the AFL co-leader in interceptions with ten (t – Westmoreland, Janik). Despite a bout with hepatitis, he intercepted two passes for touchdowns in one game in 1968. He led the AFL in interception touchdowns that year and was selected All-AFL and All-Pro. Following the AFL–NFL merger, Farr signed with the St. Louis Cardinals beginning in 1970 where he finished out his NFL career. In 1974, he played with the

Florida Blazers The Florida Blazers were an American football team who played in the World Football League in 1974. The team moved to San Antonio in 1975 and became the San Antonio Wings. History The Blazers began in 1974 when oceanographic engineer E. Joseph W ...

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 ...

. A three time American Football League All-Star, Farr established an AFL record for the most touchdowns on pass interceptions in a game (2) and tied the AFL record for a season (3). Farr was selected to the All-Time All-AFL second-team. Farr was from a family full of professional football players. He was the older brother of former NFL player Mel Farr as well as the uncle of former players Mel Farr, Jr. and

Mike Farr Michael Anthony Farr (born August 8, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played a total of four seasons, three with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League and one with the New England Patriots. He known as the Thir ...

. He and his brother attended Hebert High School in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

, and were among 16 pro footballers given the keys to the city in 1971. Farr died on July 18, 2023, at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farr, Miller 1943 births 2023 deaths American football cornerbacks Denver Broncos (AFL) players Detroit Lions players Florida Blazers players Houston Oilers players San Diego Chargers players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Wichita State Shockers football players American Football League All-Star players American Football League All-Time Team Players of American football from Beaumont, Texas American Football League players

See also

References