George Sauer Jr.
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| No. 83 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 10, 1943 Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | May 7, 2013 (aged 69) Westerville, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Texas | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1965: Red Shirt 5th round, 36 (By the New York Jets)[1]th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Regular season: | 10–4–0 (.714) | ||||||||
| Postseason: | 1–1–0 (.500) | ||||||||
| Career: | 11–5–0 (.688) | ||||||||
George Henry Sauer Jr. (November 10, 1943 – May 7, 2013) was an American professional football player and coach who was a wide receiver for six seasons with the American Football League (AFL)'s New York Jets, and later played in the World Football League (WFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns. His father, George Henry Sauer Sr., played for the Green Bay Packers from 1935 through 1937.
Biography
[edit]Sauer played college football for the Texas Longhorns as a wide receiver. He was a member of the undefeated 1963 Longhorns, and of the 1964 Longhorns that defeated previously unbeaten Alabama in the 1965 Orange Bowl.[2] After being teammates at Texas, Sauer and quarterback Jim Hudson continued as teammates for the New York Jets for five seasons, 1965 through 1969. Sauer led the American Football League (AFL) in receptions in the 1967 season. In 1968, he started and caught eight passes for the Jets in the third AFL-NFL World Championship Game, helping defeat the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts. His eight receptions and 133 yards led all receivers in that game.
Sauer retired at the peak of his career following the 1970 NFL season because he considered professional football dehumanizing.[2] In a 1971 interview with the Institute for the Study of Sport and Society, Sauer said, "When you get to the college and professional levels, the coaches still treat you as an adolescent. They know damn well that you were never given a chance to become responsible or self-disciplined. Even in the pros, you were told when to go to bed, when to turn your lights off, when to wake up, when to eat and what to eat. You even have to live and eat together like you were in a boys’ camp."[2] Sauer's father, on the subject of his son's retirement, stated, "He definitely does not like to be regimented."[2]
In spite of his disillusionment about playing professional football, Sauer returned to play for the New York Stars of the World Football League in 1974. That season, Sauer caught 38 passes for 547 yards, good for 14.4 yards per catch and three touchdowns.
After retiring, Sauer pursued writing and completed a novel. He also coached the Carolina Chargers, a minor league football team, in the late 1970s - first as the receivers coach in 1979,[3] then as the head coach in 1980.[4] In both seasons, the Chargers went to and lost the Championship game and in his season as head coach the team went 10-4. He was let go at the end of the season for financial reasons.[5]
As of 1994, the same year as his father's death, Sauer was a textbook graphics specialist living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He died on May 7, 2013, in Westerville, Ohio, of congestive heart failure, having suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[2]
NFL career statistics
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl champion | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1965 | NYJ | 14 | 11 | 29 | 301 | 10.4 | 33 | 2 |
| 1966 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 63 | 1,079 | 17.1 | 77 | 5 |
| 1967 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 75 | 1,189 | 15.9 | 61 | 6 |
| 1968 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 66 | 1,141 | 17.3 | 43 | 3 |
| 1969 | NYJ | 14 | 14 | 45 | 745 | 16.6 | 40 | 8 |
| 1970 | NYJ | 14 | 12 | 31 | 510 | 16.5 | 67 | 4 |
| Career | 84 | 79 | 309 | 4,965 | 16.1 | 77 | 28 | |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "1965 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Litsky, Frank (May 10, 2013). "George Sauer, Jets Receiver and Rebel, Is Dead at 69". The New York Times.
- ^ "Sauer Named Receivers Coach for Chargers". Spartanburg Herald Journal. March 19, 1979. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "Sauer Named Carolina Chargers Coach". The Hendersonville Times News. April 24, 1980. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "George Sauer, a Former Jet". The New York Times Biographical Service. 12: 995.
- 1943 births
- 2013 deaths
- American football wide receivers
- Charlotte Hornets (WFL) players
- New York Stars players
- New York Jets players
- Texas Longhorns football players
- American Football League All-League players
- American Football League All-Star players
- Sportspeople from Sheboygan, Wisconsin
- Players of American football from Wisconsin
- American Football League players
- Waco High School alumni