Paul Warfield: 1965 Philadelphia Football
Player: Paul Warfield
Card: 1965 Philadelphia Football Card #41
Team/Position: Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins / Split End, Wide Receiver
Cost: $20
The 1965 Philadelphia Football Set is absolutely gorgeous and as far as I can tell, it was the first set to place the NFL Shield on the front of the card. Upper Deck released their very own version of Philadelphia Football in 2009, which stayed fairly true to form, but was modeled after the ’64 set.
Anyways, onto yet another famous Ohio State Alum, Paul Warfield. Warfield came out of Ohio State as a two-time Big-10 Halfback of the year, along with being a critical part of Ohio State track team. Warfield was blazing fast and as smooth as anyone in the game.
The Cleveland Browns drafted Warfield in the first round of the ’64 draft with the 11th overall selection. Warfield was immediately switched into a wide-receiver, as Cleveland just happened to have a man by the name of Jim Brown in the backfield. Along with Warfield, the Cleveland Browns took a young LeRoy Kelly (Who I’ll feature later) in the 7th round of the 1964 Draft.
A silky smooth runner with blazing speed, Warfield was born to be a part of the vertical passing game. In his first year with the Browns, Warfield caught 52 balls for 920 yards and 9 touchdowns. The Browns eventually won the NFL Championship that year and Warfield was voted to the Pro Bowl for his part. Warfield would go on to earn eight Pro Bowl Selections and six All Pro Selections after winning both awards in his rookie year.
In 1970, Warfield was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick in what’s still considered a rather controversial trade. Warfield would go onto play in three Superbowls with the Miami Dolphins, winning two of them (vs. Washington and vs. Minnesota).
The Dolphins were a run oriented team during Warfield’s career, so his numbers are a testament to his athletic ability. It seems like every year a new receiver is surpassing ten-thousand yards, yet Warfield finished his career with only 8565 yards and 85 touchdowns and is in the HOF.
It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how players like Warfield hold up against the new generation of receivers. Warfield had the it factor that HOF voters look for, but fewer and fewer fans will remember just how terrific he was on the field. I suppose it’s up to the NFL and the NFL FILMS department to keep everyone’s memory fresh.
As long as the 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only undefeated team, people will remember Paul Warfield. If you were curious how Warfield did in the lowest scoring Superbowl of all time — He caught three balls for thirty-seven yards.
Warfield went back to Cleveland to finish up his career, and continues to work for the Browns as a Scouting Consultant.
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