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

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for 10 seasons in the American Football League (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 Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, 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 N ...

, and cousin, singer Marvin Gaye. 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 headquar ...

in the 1965 Red Shirt draft, then went to the San Diego Chargers 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 a ...

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 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 ...

beginning in 1970 where he finished out his NFL career. In 1974, he played with the Florida Blazers of the World Football League. 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 Melvin Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American professional football player and businessman. A native of Beaumont, Texas, Farr played college football as a halfback on the 1965 and 1966 UCLA Bruins football teams that were ...

as well as the uncle of former players Mel Farr, Jr. and Mike Farr. He and his brother attended

Hebert High School Hebert High School was a traditionally black high school in the South Park Independent School District in Beaumont, Texas, US. It was founded in the early 20th century to serve the black community, and became an accredited high school in 1923. In r ...

in Beaumont, Texas, 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