Lenny Moore
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For almost a decade starting in the late 1950s, the Baltimore Colts were one of the National Football League's premier teams. Flanker/halfback Lenny Moore was a major reason for the team’s successes. A Penn State product, Moore was a first-round draft pick of the Colts in 1956.
He was first used as a combination flanker and running back but his primary responsibility was to catch passes. Teaming with quarterback Johnny Unitas the two formed a terrific pass-catch combo that devastated the opposition for almost a dozen years.
In 1958, Lenny’s third season, the Colts marched to the NFL championship and Moore played a leading role, contributing 1,638 combined net yards, 938 of those on receptions, and 14 touchdowns. In the Colts’ overtime victory over the New York Giants in the title game, Moore grabbed five passes for 99 yards.
Following the season, he earned first-team All-Pro honors, something he would do again in 1959, 1960,1961, and 1964. Seven times he would be selected to play in the Pro Bowl.
In 1962, Moore was moved inside to the running back’s slot fulltime instead of flanked outside. A series of injuries seemed to slow the fleet-footed back and caused him to miss a number of games the next two seasons. In 1963, Moore could play in only about half the team's games.
But Lenny bounced back magnificently in 1964 and enjoyed the finest season of his career, scoring 20 touchdowns. That year, one wire service picked him the Comeback Player of the Year and another named him the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
From 1963 to 1965, Lenny scored touchdowns in 18 consecutive games, an NFL-record. When Moore retired following the 1967 season, he left behind some amazing statistics, 12,451 combined net yards, 5174 yards rushing, 363 pass receptions, and 113 touchdowns.
