My Jonathan Stewart Blog

Notable Players In History

Dan Fouts

Fouts is one of the greatest QB's to ever play at Oregon. Back when he played for Oregon the conference was called the All-PAC 8. He set 19 different passing records during his playing days in Eugene. He holds the record for both passing yards & total offense. Fouts was inducted into the the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992.

Not only was Fouts a great college QB he was also a great NFL QB too. He was drafted in the 3rd round in 1973 by the San Diego Chargers. After being drafted, he led the league on 4 separate occasions in passing yards. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 6 times. These numbers also led Founts into the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in 1993.

Gary Zimmerman

Zimmerman is a former offensive lineman for the Ducks. He didn't take the traditional route to the NFL though. He was instead selected in the USFL draft in 1984. He went on to play two season for the Los Angeles Express. One of his teammates was Steve Young.

In 1986, Zimmerman joined the Vikings. He spent 7 seasons in Minnesota. His next & final NFL stop was in Denver. He played a total of 5 seasons there giving him a total of 12 seasons in the NFL.

Over those 12 NFL years, he played in a total of 184 games. He retired from the NFL in 1997. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He joins five other former USFL players as a group to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mel Renfro

Renfro is a former halfback & defensive back at Oregon. Not only did he play football at Oregon, he was also a track star. He was an All-American halfback selection during his days at Oregon. He rushed for over 1500 yards & scored 141 points in three seasons during his college days. Renfro was selected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

He went on to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2nd round of the 1964 NFL Draft. He spent his entire NFL career in Dallas. He played defensive back his entire career but played at both the safety & cornerback position. However, after 5 seasons at safety, he was switched to cornerback due to his speed.

He accumulated 52 interceptions during his NFL career. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons in the NFL. He was also a great special teams player with duties of punt & kick returns. He ended his playing days when Dallas won Super Bowl XII over the Broncos.

Akili Smith

Akili Smith is a former 1st round NFL draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. However, his NFL career didn't turn out as expected. During his 4 years with the Bengals, Smith never really lived up to his draft status. His NFL time came to an end after the 2005 season.

Jonathan Stewart (current NFL player)

Stewart is a current NFL player for the Carolina Panthers. He too is a former first round pick taken in 2008 draft. He was one of the highest rated recruits out of high school before coming to Oregon. He spent 3 seasons at Oregon before going into the NFL draft. He currently gets considerable playing time at running back for the Panthers.

Writer and editor, Freddie Brister, is a former high school coach. Check out his Oregon Ducks Watch or his Tampa Bay Devil Rays Watch