Tommy Mason
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Newport Beach, California, U.S.
 Mason in the Oval Office in 1975 | |||||||||||||
| No. 20 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | July 8, 1939 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | January 22, 2015 (aged 75) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Lake Charles | ||||||||||||
| College | Tulane | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1961: 1st round, 1st overall pick | ||||||||||||
| AFL draft | 1961: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Thomas Cyril Mason (July 8, 1939 – January 22, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tulane Green Wave.
Mason attended and played football at Tulane University.
- 1959: 10 Games – 81 carries for 336 yards. 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 TD.[1]
- 1960: 10 Games – 120 carries for 663 yards. 28 catches for 376 yards and 5 TD.
Professional career
Mason was selected first overall by the expansion Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 NFL draft. In six seasons with the Vikings, he rushed for 3,252 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. In the 1967 NFL season, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams. He played with the Rams for four years but accumulated only four touchdowns and less than 900 yards. He finished his career with the Washington Redskins in 1971. He did not officially announce his retirement until June 8, 1973.[2]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1961 | MIN | 13 | 4 | 60 | 226 | 3.8 | 21 | 3 | 20 | 122 | 6.1 | 18 | 0 |
| 1962 | MIN | 14 | 11 | 167 | 740 | 4.4 | 71 | 2 | 36 | 603 | 16.8 | 74 | 6 |
| 1963 | MIN | 13 | 13 | 166 | 763 | 4.6 | 70 | 7 | 40 | 365 | 9.1 | 41 | 2 |
| 1964 | MIN | 13 | 12 | 169 | 691 | 4.1 | 51 | 4 | 26 | 239 | 9.2 | 29 | 1 |
| 1965 | MIN | 10 | 9 | 141 | 597 | 4.2 | 26 | 10 | 22 | 321 | 14.6 | 72 | 1 |
| 1966 | MIN | 7 | 6 | 58 | 235 | 4.1 | 52 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 17 | 1 |
| 1967 | RAM | 13 | 0 | 63 | 213 | 3.4 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 70 | 5.4 | 24 | 0 |
| 1968 | RAM | 12 | 7 | 108 | 395 | 3.7 | 19 | 3 | 15 | 144 | 9.6 | 31 | 0 |
| 1969 | RAM | 13 | 0 | 33 | 135 | 4.1 | 17 | 1 | 11 | 185 | 16.8 | 67 | 1 |
| 1970 | RAM | 6 | 2 | 44 | 123 | 2.8 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 127 | 10.6 | 32 | 1 |
| 1971 | WAS | 10 | 1 | 31 | 85 | 2.7 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 109 | 9.1 | 18 | 0 |
| 124 | 65 | 1,040 | 4,203 | 4.0 | 71 | 32 | 214 | 2,324 | 10.9 | 74 | 13 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1967 | RAM | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | RAM | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | WAS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 | ||
Records
Mason ranks ninth in total rushing yards and ninth in rushing touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings.[3]
