Bobby Crockett, a wide receiver for the University of Arkansas football team that went unbeaten in 1964 and won 22 consecutive games, died on May 29, his family said. He was 83.
Crockett, who also played three seasons for the AFL’s Buffalo Bills from 1966 to 1969, died at a hospital in Fayetteville, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
He had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and contracted pneumonia, according to the newspaper.
Crockett, who stood 6-foot-3, was part of a Razorbacks team that earned back-to-back Southwest Conference titles and was recognized by the Football Writers Association of America as the NCAA national champions. His teammates on the ‘64 squad included future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Alabama was recognized as No. 1 by The Associated Press and United Press International polls.
“We just appreciate everybody who has been reaching out to us because we all know how much people loved my father,” Bobby Crockett Jr. said told the Democrat-Gazette on Saturday. “My father was bigger than life. He fit into any setting there was.”
The elder Crockett made one of the most important catches in program history, a 34-yard touchdown pass from Fred Marshall to give Arkansas a 14-7 lead against top-ranked Texas, according to the newspaper.
The Razorbacks held on to win 14-13 in the Oct. 17, 1964, road game and finished with an 11-0 record.
Crockett knocked Texas from the No. 1 perch again in October 1965, the Democrat-Gazette reported. He made several catches in the Razorbacks’ 27-24 victory in Fayetteville, including a reception that put Arkansas at the Texas 1-yard-line that set up the winning score with 1:32 to play.
Crockett caught a Cotton Bowl-record 10 passes for 129 yards during the Jan. 1, 1966, game, according to the newspaper. He had the only touchdown for the Razorbacks in a 14-7 loss to LSU that snapped Arkansas’ 22-game winning streak.
According to his obituary, Crockett, an Arkansas native, was born on April 3, 1943, in Briggsville. He grew up in Dermott and excelled in sports at Dermott High School before signing with Arkansas.
After college, Crockett was a 10th-round pick of the Bills in the 1966 AFL draft. During his three seasons in Buffalo, he made 41 catches and scored three touchdowns.
All three of his scoring catches came during his rookie season, when Crockett made 53 receptions for 533 yards.
He was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2002 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, according to his obituary.
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