George McGowan (born March 10, 1948) is an American-born former football player for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) where he played for eight seasons from 1971 to 1978. During his career with the Eskimos, he set CFL league records for most catches in a game (15) and most catches in a season (98) and won two Grey Cups before his career was cut short by knee injuries. McGowan was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 10, 1948, he grew up Glendale, California. McGowan attended University of Kansas and played for the Jayhawks for two years. In 1968, he had great success as a receiver, with 32 receptions for 592 yards and five touchdowns. In 1969, he was moved to defensive back, and was less impressive.
It took McGowan several training camps (one with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL) and a couple of years until he ended up in Edmonton as a receiver.
CFL careeredit
He would play 8 seasons in Edmonton. In his first year, 1971, he caught 49 passes for 827 yards, and 54 for 1015 yards the next season. 1973 was one of his greatest years, and his 81 catches for 1,123 yards won him the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award.
An injury limited his performance to 8 receptions in 1974, but McGowan provided the comeback story of the next year, catching a then-record 98 passes for 1,472 yards. In his last three seasons, injuries steadily limited his effectiveness, and he caught 60, 40 and 34 passes respectively during that time.
His career totals were 424 receptions for 6,356 yards (14.9 yard average) and 42 touchdowns. He was an all star 3 times and played in 5 Grey Cup games, winning two. He also caught a then-record 15 passes in the September 3, 1973, game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
George McGowan was always considered the equal of the great receivers of his day, and was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
His former head coach, Ray Jauch, recalled, "George ran patterns just like they were drawn up in the playbook. He'd get to the correct spot and catch the ball. And although he didn't possess great speed, his quickness allowed him to break the odd long one. He could run with almost anyone for the first 30 or 40 yards."[1] He is remembered for his hand-eye coordination and for catching as well in a crowd as in the open.
Referencesedit
^. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2008-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), Ted Soutar, "Soudog's CFL History Fan Site", July 8, 2002
January 01, 1970
george, mcgowan, other, people, named, disambiguation, born, march, 1948, american, born, former, football, player, edmonton, eskimos, canadian, football, league, where, played, eight, seasons, from, 1971, 1978, during, career, with, eskimos, league, records, . For other people named George McGowan see George McGowan disambiguation George McGowan born March 10 1948 is an American born former football player for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League CFL where he played for eight seasons from 1971 to 1978 During his career with the Eskimos he set CFL league records for most catches in a game 15 and most catches in a season 98 and won two Grey Cups before his career was cut short by knee injuries McGowan was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003 George McGowanNo 76Born 1948 03 10 March 10 1948 age 76 Bethesda Maryland U S Career informationStatusRetiredCFL statusAmericanPosition s WRHeight6 ft 2 in 188 cm Weight190 lb 86 kg CollegeKansasCareer historyAs player1971 1978Edmonton EskimosCareer highlights and awards2 Grey Cup champion 1975 1978 CFL All Star1973 1975 1976CFL West All Star1973 1975 1976Awards1973 Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy1973 CFL MOPHonors1985 Edmonton Eskimos Wall of HonourRecordsEskimos Record Most Receptions Game 15 September 3 1973Career statsCanadian Football Hall of Fame 2003Early career editBorn in Bethesda Maryland on March 10 1948 he grew up Glendale California McGowan attended University of Kansas and played for the Jayhawks for two years In 1968 he had great success as a receiver with 32 receptions for 592 yards and five touchdowns In 1969 he was moved to defensive back and was less impressive It took McGowan several training camps one with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and a couple of years until he ended up in Edmonton as a receiver CFL career editHe would play 8 seasons in Edmonton In his first year 1971 he caught 49 passes for 827 yards and 54 for 1015 yards the next season 1973 was one of his greatest years and his 81 catches for 1 123 yards won him the CFL s Most Outstanding Player Award An injury limited his performance to 8 receptions in 1974 but McGowan provided the comeback story of the next year catching a then record 98 passes for 1 472 yards In his last three seasons injuries steadily limited his effectiveness and he caught 60 40 and 34 passes respectively during that time His career totals were 424 receptions for 6 356 yards 14 9 yard average and 42 touchdowns He was an all star 3 times and played in 5 Grey Cup games winning two He also caught a then record 15 passes in the September 3 1973 game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders George McGowan was always considered the equal of the great receivers of his day and was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2003 His former head coach Ray Jauch recalled George ran patterns just like they were drawn up in the playbook He d get to the correct spot and catch the ball And although he didn t possess great speed his quickness allowed him to break the odd long one He could run with almost anyone for the first 30 or 40 yards 1 He is remembered for his hand eye coordination and for catching as well in a crowd as in the open References edit The greatest receiver not in the Hall of Fame Archived from the original on October 27 2009 Retrieved 2008 07 11 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Ted Soutar Soudog s CFL History Fan Site July 8 2002 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title George McGowan amp oldid 1207962622, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
