Al “Hoagy” Carmichael started his career playing for some of the most distinguished football programs in the country.
After spending time with the Marine Corps and playing service football, he competed collegiately at the University of Southern California, where he played in the same backfield as Frank Gifford. He even caught the winning touchdown in USC’s 7-0 win against Wisconsin in the 1953 Rose Bowl. From there, he went on to spend six years playing for the Green Bay Packers, a franchise typically referred to as the first dynasty of the NFL. He is now part of the Packers Hall of Fame.
Then in 1960, Carmichael joined the Broncos, taking what some would consider a step down at the time — moving onto a brand new team in an upstart league.
But Carmichael felt otherwise, and wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“If I had to do it again, I would do it again, because I think it was one of the greater things I experienced, being on a new team, starting out in a whole new league,” he said. “Not everybody gets that opportunity. I feel real honored being a member of that 1960 team.”
Carmichael ended up scoring the first touchdown in AFL history — a 59-yard reception from quarterback Frank Tripucka in a win against the Boston Patriots. He went on to total 1,950 all-purpose yards with the Broncos in the final two seasons of his professional career, including 147 all-purpose yards in the Broncos’ first home game — a 34-14 win against the Oakland Raiders.
With the modern-day Broncos preparing to take on the Raiders this week, there was no better time for Carmichael, 81, to come back and visit the team’s Dove Valley facilities.
“I want to say that it’s an honor to be here,” said the former halfback, wide receiver and kick returner. “This is a real true occasion because I never got to look at the facility they have here. Just looking at it blows you away.”
Two of Carmichael’s former teammates on the 1960 squad, Gene Mingo (far right) and Chuck Gavin (far left), came to Dove Valley as well once they heard there could be a potential reunion. The three teammates said they don’t often get the chance to see each other, so they wanted to take full advantage on Wednesday.
Carmichael is perhaps best remembered for his 106-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as a Packer in 1956. That stood as a pro football record for 51 years until New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs broke the mark with a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2007. Not coincidentally, Carmichael has written an autobiography entitled “106 Yards,” which tells stories from his football days as well as his job as a Hollywood stunt man during the offseasons.
Ever the storyteller, Carmichael reminisced on Wednesday of an occasion when he was dressed like a Civil War soldier, riding a horse down an embankment. Unfortunately, the horse lunged a bit just as it reached the bottom of the hill, and Carmichael “got hurt in the wrong place” and “could hardly walk for about a week.”
After his playing career and days in Hollywood were over, Carmichael moved on to real estate and made a living selling homes. A few years ago, he retired and met his wife, Barbara.
He said coming back and reminiscing about his days in Denver was a great pleasure, and something he is glad he got a chance to do.
“I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it,” he said.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Here are some photos from today’s practice, courtesy of Chris Gentilviso.
Tags: 1960, AFL, Al Carmichael, Chuck Gavin, Gene Mingo, Hoagy
let get a other win and first
let get the off going and let knowshon show himself off
I didn’t even know Vernon Fox was still on the team! I used to literally hate him and Marquan Manuel for letting the opposing RB’s break big gains. i can’t even count how many times i yelled at the tv over those two lol
(Blog Continued) I just feel like Scheffler and Hillis were so explosive last year for us but McD doesn’t realize it. And Royal hasn’t been getting the receptions that he should be getting but maybe it’s a mix of McD’s style and Orton’s inability to be a gunslinger, not that we need that type of guy but he does need to be a little more aggresive. All I’m saying is that we put ourselves in the best position to win when we can effectively use all of our good players even when we’re just putting them in for the threat of a run or pass.
On a side note, I know we’re far from it especially since we’re playoff contenders but I still say we get a QB first round.
colt in first rounds will be good but i doubt we get any qb
Young or Old its time to get fired up for the faiders.
FTR, I bet we are way more fired up about it the the Raiders fans are. Imagine… Their first round pick QB has been a back up and now that their new starter is out, Jamarcus won’t even be the replacement, he is now in essence the third string QB! And on top of that their season is already over,what a nightmare! And we have a QB with a fantastic winning record with whom we are working towards the post season, and all some of the posters here are talking about is the need to draft aQB in the first round next year, whatever….. There is not a single franchise QB in next year draft, just a few good ones, maybe, we have a good one already and the fans already want to take a shot at drafting a QB who could be just another bust. Thank god these posters don’t run our team, I don’t agree with everything McD
Sorry, hit the wrong key befor I finished the post. …..everything McD does, far from it, but I believe in his choice of QB, Orton has been ok for now and will be only better next year, then Brandstater will be ready to take over, no doubt in my mind he is the long term guy, I like his physical attributes better than anyone in next year’s draft, that’s for sure.
I truly believe we have the potential to destroy and humiliate the Raiders Sunday. Everything that’s happened points to that, us losing a close one at the Colts, them playing their third string QB, the secondary is upset and will just eat them alive. I think they’ll be reduced to the running game only, it shall be a blow out if they are not succesful with the run to keep it away from us.
Heck, I’m going to post my pick now, because I’ll be out on my boat the next three days, don’t worry though I’ll catch up with all the picks Saturday pm, so keep them coming. My pick, Broncos win 30-10.
I am going blow out 44 – 7
Broncos win of course
Broncos 31 raiders 13
I just want to see the chargers one more time this year.
I think I actually hate them more than the raiders and thats BAD.
I have equal disdain for the Faiders and Dolts. They’re both divisional opponents I want to beat the crap out of. The Chiefs are just embarrassing and hardly a threat. In any case, GO BRONCOS!!!
look at the “elite” QBs in the league…look that their numbers in their 5th year (orton is in his 5th year)…with the exception of rivers, they are all pretty dang even…TD/INT, pass yards, passer rating…all inthe same ball park AND KO still has 3 games left…doom and marsh are a MUST as far as new contracts go..but i think you have to put orton in the conversation too…you can beat me down but the numbers dont lie…
grace, Orton will definitely be signed, that’s a gimme to me, probably for 3 years, as a starter for the near future and would be a great back up if and when Brandstater beats him out for the starting job. I mean what’s best about him is how tough he is, every team would love to have at least one tough hombre at QB on their team that they can rely on no matter what, he plays with all kinds of injuries, you gotta love the guy’s heart and his head is in the right position too, always level headed, never blames anyone, the perfect teammate if you ask me. He will be a Denver Bronco for the next few years, no doubt in my mind.
About this next year draft thing we were talking about last night, folks saying we need to draft a QB in the 1st round and I said it will never happen, well I totally stand by it. Others say we need to draft a nose tackle and I agree all heartidly, we could use help anywhere on the 3 positions of the D line, just like we could of last year but we went RB and linebacker/DE combo instead which brings me to this point of view I have that has never ever been mention here yet.
If a good bruising RB is available, we need to grab him. When you think of it, I’m falling in line with McD’s thinking here, RB is where we are hurting at and he got Moreno, unfortunately, regardless how great Moreno becomes, which he is very far away from now, he is not big and bad enough in this game to stand up to the punishment year round as a full time RB. Buckhalter, same thing and aging, Jordan worthless skill wise, Hillis worthless too because McD doesn’t like him, hence doesn’t play him. We need some big, bad, bruising RB that can stand up to the beating and perform year round at a high level regardless of the beating, just like Orton does at his position, so if one is available I say grab him. Just my opinion. And please don’t tell me to talk about the game at hand or the season at hand instead of our draft needs, because I do that 90 % of the time anyway, so I have earned the right to go left field once in a while. LOL.
I hope that all you are right that the Broncos are going to crush the Raiders. The Raiders have a good defense and they have a QB, Charlie Frye, that does have some experience starting in the NFL (although he did not do well). I hope the team does not take them lightly. The Raiders have won some games against some good teams. With that being said, I do think the Broncos are going to win.
As far as the Orton talk, all you can say is he wins games. He is not the most mobile, he is not a gunslinger or flashy but he is smart, he is accurite, and he does not make a lot of mistakes. He has a good record as a starter.
Chris Henry just died, 26, how sad.
Very sad about Chris Henry. He was suspended from the league in the past and seemed like he was getting his life together and having a decent year until his injury.
27-13 Broncos.
With J Russell not starting, the Raiders will be a bigger challange that with him.
24-17 Broncos
SAD NEWS ABOUT HENRY, HE WAS TURNING HIS LIFE AROUND. CINCY HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE HE GOT HURT .2-2 AND THE TWO WINS WERE BY A TD TO BOTH THE LIONS AND BROWNS.