Mike Renfro
Encyclopedia
Michael Ray Renfro is a former America
n professional football
player.
in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft
. A 6'0", 186-lb. wide receiver
from Texas Christian University
, Renfro played in 10 National Football League
seasons for the Oilers and Dallas Cowboys
from 1978 to 1987.
, but after the officials huddled together (instant replay did not exist at this time), the catch was ruled incomplete and the Steelers would go on to win 27-13. Replays clearly show that Renfro did get both feet inbounds with control of the football. Challenges based on instant replay would not become a part of the NFL rules until years later. Renfro's nullified catch did, however, get the instant replay process underway.
. Renfro caught seven passes for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns from Quarterback
Danny White
in a game the Cowboys lost 41-38 in overtime.
and transferred his college football scholarship over to track and field due to multiple injuries. He attended Carroll Senior High School
in Southlake, Texas
, where he helped lead the team to state championships as a wide receiver
three out of four years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n professional football
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...
player.
NFL draft
Renfro was selected by the Houston OilersTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the fourth round of the 1978 NFL Draft
1978 NFL Draft
The 1978 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978...
. A 6'0", 186-lb. wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
from 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...
, Renfro played in 10 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...
seasons for the Oilers and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
from 1978 to 1987.
Houston Oilers
Late in the 3rd quarter, Renfro appeared to make a touchdown catch for the Houston Oilers to tie the 1979 AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, but after the officials huddled together (instant replay did not exist at this time), the catch was ruled incomplete and the Steelers would go on to win 27-13. Replays clearly show that Renfro did get both feet inbounds with control of the football. Challenges based on instant replay would not become a part of the NFL rules until years later. Renfro's nullified catch did, however, get the instant replay process underway.
Dallas Cowboys
One of Renfro's best performances came on Thanksgiving Day 1987 against the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Renfro caught seven passes for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns from Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...
in a game the Cowboys lost 41-38 in overtime.
Personal life
His son, Clint, is currently a senior at TCUTexas 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...
and transferred his college football scholarship over to track and field due to multiple injuries. He attended Carroll Senior High School
Carroll Senior High School (Southlake, Texas)
Carroll Senior High School is a public secondary school in Southlake, Texas. It is located in the Carroll Independent School District.-History:...
in Southlake, Texas
Southlake, Texas
Southlake is a city in northeast Tarrant and southeast Denton counties, Texas. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 26,575. A suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas, Southlake is known for exemplary public schools, Southlake Town Square, and Carroll High School's 7-time state champion football...
, where he helped lead the team to state championships as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
three out of four years.