Maury Youmans
| No. 82, 78 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | October 16, 1936 Eagle Bay, New York, U.S. | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | North Syracuse (NY) | ||||
| College | Syracuse | ||||
| NFL draft | 1959: 9th round, 105th overall pick | ||||
| AFL draft | 1960: 2nd round | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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* Offseason or practice squad member only | |||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Maurice Edward Youmans (born October 16, 1936) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Syracuse Orange.
Early life
[edit]Youmans attended North Syracuse High School, where he initially focused on playing basketball and averaged 20 points a game. He started playing football as a senior. After graduating, he spent one year at Dean Academy to improve his grades.
He accepted a scholarship from Syracuse University and was redshirted as a junior after having back surgery.
As a senior, he became part of a defensive/offensive line known as the "sizeable seven" that also included Bob Yates, Fred Mautino, Al Bemiller, Roger Davis, Bruce Tarbox and Gerry Skonieczki.[1] He blocked for Ernie Davis and was a member of the undefeated national championship team in 1959.
He also lettered in basketball, where he was a backup at center as a sophomore and senior.
Professional career
[edit]Chicago Bears
[edit]Youmans was selected by the Chicago Bears in the ninth round (105th overall) of the 1959 NFL draft with a future draft pick, which allowed the team to draft him before his college eligibility was over.[2]
As a rookie, he played left defensive end and his bookend partner was future hall of famer Doug Atkins, but missed games with a dislocated shoulder. After playing all of the games (14) in 1962, the next season he was kneed in the back and missed 8 games.
In 1963, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury that was complicated by a serious infection. He would end up missing the season the Bears won the NFL Championship.
The next year, he requested a trade thinking he was going to the Green Bay Packers, but instead was sent to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for offensive end Gary Barnes on June 18, 1964.[3]
Dallas Cowboys
[edit]In 1964, he was the defensive line's top backup and started the last 3 games in place of an injured Larry Stephens. The next season, he was the regular starter at left defensive end but was limited with an unstable knee.
Atlanta Falcons
[edit]After being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1966 NFL expansion draft,[4] he was traded to the New York Giants.
New York Giants
[edit]A knee operation didn't allow him to participate in the New York Giants training camp and was released on September 6, 1966.[5]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Syracuse's 'Sizeable Seven' Pacing Nation's Defenders". Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ↑ "1959 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Cowboys Trade Barnes to Bears". Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ↑ "Falcons Select Claridge". Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ↑ "Giants Ask Waivers On Maury Youmans". Retrieved February 3, 2020.
External links
[edit]- 1936 births
- Living people
- American football defensive ends
- American men's basketball players
- Centers (basketball)
- Chicago Bears players
- Dallas Cowboys players
- Dean Bulldogs (junior college) football players
- Syracuse Orange football players
- Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
- People from Cicero, New York
- People from Herkimer County, New York
- Players of American football from Onondaga County, New York
- Basketball players from New York (state)
- 20th-century American sportsmen