Joe Don Looney
Encyclopedia
Joe Don Looney was an American football
running back
in the National Football League
for the New York Giants
, Baltimore Colts
, Detroit Lions
, Washington Redskins
, and the New Orleans Saints
. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy
in St. Petersburg, Florida
and Paschal High School in Ft. Worth, Texas for high school.
, Looney received four Fs and one D mark. Looney responded by dropping out and enrolling at Texas Christian University
. He was eventually kicked out of that school and transferred to Cameron Junior College, where he played for Leroy Montgomery. He set a punting record in the 1961 Junior Rose Bowl, as his team won the junior college national championship. He made All-America
n with the University of Oklahoma
in 1962, leading them to the Big Eight Conference
championship. He played in only three games in 1963. Coach Bud Wilkinson
kicked him off the team after Looney punched a graduate-assistant coach.
in the first round (twelfth overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft
by the New York Giants
. He was also selected in the sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft
by the Kansas City Chiefs
, but chose to play in the NFL instead. He was with the Giants just 25 days before they traded him to the Baltimore Colts
just before the 1964 season. Looney was only given 23 carries that entire season with Baltimore.
The Colts traded Looney to the Detroit Lions
following the 1964 season. He put together one good season, racking up 114 carries for 356 yards and five touchdowns. While with Detroit, coach Harry Gilmer
wanted Looney to carry in a play to the quarterback. Looney refused and told Gilmer "If you want a messenger boy, call Western Union
."
Detroit traded Looney to the Washington Redskins
, where he had an uneventful tenure. He had 55 carries for 178 yards. The only highlight of his time with the Redskins came on a play in which he didn't even have the ball. He was pass protecting for quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
on a play, and ended up leveling an onrushing pass rusher with a right hook to the jaw.
In 1968, Looney was called up by the United States Army
to go to Vietnam
. When he returned to the States, he signed on with the New Orleans Saints
.
He had three carries for -3 yards with the Saints that year, and retired after the season.
Looney was ranked as the most uncoachable player in NFL history by NFL Films president Steve Sabol. He would often intentionally run the wrong way on plays in practice in order to make things more challenging for himself. He once skipped several practices. When questioned about his absences, he responded by saying, "if practice makes perfect and perfection is impossible, why practice?."
and joined the Siddha Yoga
movement led by Swami Muktananda
. Stan Trout, a fellow convert, alleged that Looney was one of Muktananda’s “enforcers” who intimidated people into obeying him.
He died at the age of 45 on September 24, 1988 near Luna Vista north of Terlingua, Texas
when his motorcycle
ran off a rural highway and crashed into a fence.
, Texas
, the son of Don Looney
, who played on the 1938 NCAA championship team of Texas Christian University, and played end for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1940.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy
Admiral Farragut Academy is a college preparatory school with Naval training founded in 1933 in Pine Beach, New Jersey by, among others, Admiral Samuel Robison, one-time President of RCA, and former Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is named after Admiral...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
and Paschal High School in Ft. Worth, Texas for high school.
College career
During his first semester at the University of TexasUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, Looney received four Fs and one D mark. Looney responded by dropping out and enrolling at Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
. He was eventually kicked out of that school and transferred to Cameron Junior College, where he played for Leroy Montgomery. He set a punting record in the 1961 Junior Rose Bowl, as his team won the junior college national championship. He made All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n with the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in 1962, leading them to the Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
championship. He played in only three games in 1963. Coach Bud Wilkinson
Bud Wilkinson
Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships and 14...
kicked him off the team after Looney punched a graduate-assistant coach.
Professional career
Looney was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the first round (twelfth overall) of the 1964 NFL Draft
1964 NFL Draft
The 1964 National Football League Draft took place on December 2, 1963.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was also selected in the sixth round of the 1964 AFL Draft
1964 American Football League Draft
-First round:-See also:*List of American Football League players*History of American Football League draft*List of Professional Football Drafts-External links:*...
by the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, but chose to play in the NFL instead. He was with the Giants just 25 days before they traded him to the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
just before the 1964 season. Looney was only given 23 carries that entire season with Baltimore.
The Colts traded Looney to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
following the 1964 season. He put together one good season, racking up 114 carries for 356 yards and five touchdowns. While with Detroit, coach Harry Gilmer
Harry Gilmer
Harry Vincent Gilmer, Jr. is a former American football halfback and quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.-Early life:...
wanted Looney to carry in a play to the quarterback. Looney refused and told Gilmer "If you want a messenger boy, call Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
."
Detroit traded Looney to the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, where he had an uneventful tenure. He had 55 carries for 178 yards. The only highlight of his time with the Redskins came on a play in which he didn't even have the ball. He was pass protecting for quarterback Sonny Jurgensen
Sonny Jurgensen
Christian Adolph "Sonny" Jurgensen III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983....
on a play, and ended up leveling an onrushing pass rusher with a right hook to the jaw.
In 1968, Looney was called up by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
to go to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. When he returned to the States, he signed on with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
.
He had three carries for -3 yards with the Saints that year, and retired after the season.
Looney was ranked as the most uncoachable player in NFL history by NFL Films president Steve Sabol. He would often intentionally run the wrong way on plays in practice in order to make things more challenging for himself. He once skipped several practices. When questioned about his absences, he responded by saying, "if practice makes perfect and perfection is impossible, why practice?."
After football
After his retirement from football he converted to HinduismHinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and joined the Siddha Yoga
Siddha Yoga
Siddha Yoga is a spiritual path based on the Hindu spiritual traditions of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. The Siddha Yoga path was founded by Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa . The present spiritual head of the Siddha Yoga path is Gurumayi Chidvilasananda...
movement led by Swami Muktananda
Muktananda
Swami Muktananda is the monastic name of an Indian Hindu guru and disciple of Bhagavan Nityananda. Swami Muktananda was the founder of Siddha Yoga...
. Stan Trout, a fellow convert, alleged that Looney was one of Muktananda’s “enforcers” who intimidated people into obeying him.
He died at the age of 45 on September 24, 1988 near Luna Vista north of Terlingua, Texas
Terlingua, Texas
Terlingua is a mining district in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the Texas villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas,as well as the Mexican village of Santa Elena. The discovery of cinnabar, from which the metal mercury is extracted, in...
when his motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
ran off a rural highway and crashed into a fence.
Personal
Looney was born in Fort WorthFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the son of Don Looney
Don Looney
John Don Looney is a former professional American football end in the National Football League. He was born in Sulphur Springs, Texas. He played three seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, who played on the 1938 NCAA championship team of Texas Christian University, and played end for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1940.