I remember Charlie Tolar, but I thought he was touted as the human bowling ball. Either way, he was a very good RB during the beginning years of the Houston Oilers.
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Yep bowling ball.
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5-6 and 200 pounds. I went to the very first regular season Oilers’ game at the then Jeppesen Stadium, later the Rob, when the Oilers played the Los Angeles Chargers. All I remember is that the Oilers won. Funny, the Chargers then left for San Diego and are now back in Los Angeles.
A little irony, the KC Chiefs were originally the Dallas Texans and last night they waxed the Houston Texans.
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I remember riding the bus to the UH campus and being able to purchase a ticket!
Blanda to Hennigan is something we heard a lot of those first few years.
And of course Bowling Ball and Billy Cannon were favorites also. Great memories
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George Blanda was something else. He played QB and kicker for 30 or 40 years and then just kicker until he was able to go on social security. I think he retired at about 70 or 80.
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Blanda became a “full time” kicker in '66. Threw a bunch of interceptions early in the year and was replaced at QB but kept on for kicking. Was it a Dr. from another team that replaced him, or was that later on ? ? ? ? ?
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The doctor that you’re probably talking about is Charley Johnson, who came from St. Louis in 1970. He had a PhD in engineering. He was traded to Denver after the 71 season. Don Trull was going to replace Blanda in 67, but he got hurt, and they got Pete Beathard from the Chiefs. He wasn’t a good passer, but we had a great running game with Hoyle Granger, who led the AFL in yards from scrimmage. We won the division and Oakland clobbered us in the championship game. George Blanda was the backup qb for Daryl Lamonica, as well as the kicker. I can tell you all of that AFL stuff from memory, but I pay no attention to pro football, today.
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Charlie Tolar’s daughter was in my second grade class, at Freeman Elementary, in Freeway Manor. Pro football players weren’t living in the high rent districts back then. Walt Suggs lived in the neighborhood, too.
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George Blanda played from 1949 through 1975, with the exception of 1959, when he was retired from the Bears. George Halas didn’t want him, but didn’t want him playing in the AFL. He tried to sign him away from the Oilers, and offered him 25,000. Bud Adams made it 25,500.00 so he stayed. He was only 48 when he retired, but he looked 80.
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I lived by several Oilers - they all had second jobs and ended up doing those jobs once football was over. You went to school with their kids and they did everything you did. They were normal joes back then.
Alot of the coaches lived in Quail Valley and a lot of players lived close to Missouri City.
Once they started making serious money Sugar Land became the destination or gated parts of Lake Olympia. Some did ironically live off Fondren
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Joe Bugel, OL Coach, moved onto our street, when we later lived in Quail Valley. Bum lived pretty close, then later built a house nearby, right on Highway 6.
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Elvin Bethea and Earl Campbell lived near Fondren and West Bellfort. I was a young HPD patrolman back then, and we knew where they lived.
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Mike, I am curious now that you are talking about Mr Welch. Is this the same guy that Welch Middle School was named after? I attended Welch Middle school in Southwest Houston and the school was named after Louie Welch, who was former Mayor of Houston.
According to my Dad, Freeway Manor WAS the high rent district! My Mom grew up down the street from Freeman. My Dad was from “the other side of the tracks”, a single-wide trailer in South Houston.
Says Mom grew up in luxury: central air, two bathrooms and PAVED STREETS! 
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He lived in Oak Forest for long time, couple streets over from where I was mostly raised. Had a good run as Mayor of Houston!
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Sam guy
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Granger running mate back then was another Campbell…Woody Campbell.
You’re momma had central air? We had one window unit, and it was in my parents’ bedroom.
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When I was a HPD lieutenant, I had an officer named Andy Granger. When I found out who his dad is, I jokingly told him that if he wanted to have a long career, I wanted an autographed picture of his dad. It was on my desk the next day. Even better, I got eat breakfast with Hoyle Granger. He was about 65 years old, but he looked he could still play. I think he told me that made 11,000.00 as a rookie in 1966.
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The school is named after him. He tried a political comeback, and ran for mayor in 1984. A reporter asked him what he would do to deal with AIDS. His response was that we could shoot the (a word that starts with a Q, and was used to describe gay men). That was the end of his run.