Bill Stanfill
Encyclopedia
William Thomas Stanfill (born January 13, 1947) is a former defensive end
for the Miami Dolphins
of the American Football League
and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger
of 1970.
(which is also the birthplace of baseball legend Jackie Robinson
), where he was a three-sport star in football
, basketball
, and track and field
. In football, as a senior, he was named the Class AA Lineman of the Year after leading his team to three Region Championships. In basketball, as a senior, he led his team to the state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. In track and field, he added three state discus
and one shot put
AA titles.
from 1966 through 1968. He was awarded the Outland Trophy
in 1968 and was named an All-America
n the same year. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Georgia
in 1971. Stanfill was voted All-SEC in 1966, 1967 and 1968 and was the SEC
Lineman of The Year in 1968. In addition, he was an Academic All-America that same season. During his three seasons at Georgia, the Bulldogs had a 26-6-2 record along wit two Southeastern Conference
titles: one in 1966 (co-champions) and the other in 1968. During that time the Bulldogs also appeared in three bowl games: the Cotton Bowl Classic in 1966, the Liberty Bowl
in 1967 and the Sugar Bowl
in 1968. Georgia beat SMU
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, lost to North Carolina State in the Liberty and lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks
in the Sugar.
Georgia’s venerable coach Vince Dooley
said of Stanfill, "He was everything you’d want in a defensive tackle. He combined speed, size, range, quickness and competitiveness to make him one of the greatest linemen to ever play the game" http://www.dozier-stanfill.com/Stanfill/stanfill.html
In a 1968 51-0 thumping of the University of Florida
, Coach Dooley allowed Stanfill to finish the game at quarterback. The game was in a driving rainstorm and caused some hard feelings on the part of the Gator team. According to Litkenhous http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_football_past_champs.html the 8-1-2 Bulldogs were National Champions that season. However, most other polls and formulas awarded the football national championship to Ohio State University
.
Selected to the 50th Anniversary All-SEC team (1933–1982). Also selected the SEC Quarter-Century team (1950–74) and All-SEC 25-year team (1961–1985) and 1960s All-SEC team. In 1984 was voted a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame http://www.gshf.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=301&Itemid=50 and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1998.
. He went to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl from 1971 through 1974)
In 1970, started on the 10-4 Dolphins and again unofficially led the team with sacks, this time with 6. Dolphins, although improving, lost in the playoffs. The following season Stanfill was an All-AFC choice and was unofficially third on the team with 6½ sacks. The Dolphins advanced to the Super Bowl
losing 24-3 to the Dallas Cowboys
.
He was unofficially second on the 17-0 Super Bowl winning Dolphins team with 10 sacks (behind left defensive end Vern Den Herder
's 10½) and was voted All-Pro by the Associated Press
. He was a consensus All-AFC selection that unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks in 1973 with 18½ and was a consensus All-Pro and All-AFC selection as the 12-2 Dolphins won their second straight Super Bowl. His unofficial 1973 sack total still stands as the team record, although All-Pro Jason Taylor
tied that mark in 2002 http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/records/individualrecords/sacks.asp. On October 7, 1973, Stanfill set the unofficial single-game sack record versus the New York Jets. Two weeks later, Vern Den Herder
tied that mark against the Buffalo Bills.
In 1974, he unofficially led an again-tough Dolphin defense in sacks with 10, and was voted 2nd team All-Pro by the NEA and Pro Football Writers Association
and was All-AFC for the 4th straight season. In November, versus the Buffalo Bills, Stanfill tied his own (and Den Herder's) unofficial game record for sacks, again recording five.
Injuries hampered Stanfill in 1975 and 1976- both knee and neck injured limited his playing time, and marked the end to Stanfill's post-season honors. Still, he unofficially recorded 6½ sacks in 1975 and 4 in 1976. The mark in 1976 did, however, tie him for the team lead on a struggling 6-8 Dolphin team http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/records/individualrecords/sacks.asp.
In all, Stanfill unofficially totaled 67½ career sacks, which was the team record until broken by Jason Taylor, who now has 106 career sacks. He also is unofficially tied for 4th in the Dolphins' playoff record for sacks with 4 (tied with Bob Baumhower
). Stanfill was mentioned by Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti in his induction speech as being an unsung player on the early 1970s Dolphin teams and as being worthy of consideration for the Hall of Fame
.
In 2007, he was voted to the All-Time Miami Dolphin team. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-alltimefins-public,0,5597607.htmlstory
Bill Stanfill was inducted (with Jake Scott) into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll on November 18, 2010.
and is a real estate broker http://www.dozier-stanfill.com/Stanfill/stanfill.html. Featured in a Sports Illustrated
article that detailed the injuries to former NFL players. Also featured was Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
, Earl Campbell
, Joe Jacoby
, Curt Marsh
, Harry Carson
, and others. SI
reported that Stanfill had three surgeries between August 1993 and January 1996 to fuse four vertebrae in his spine, a problem that started when he jammed his neck during an exhibition game in 1975. According to Stanfill, the surgeries on his spine have caused a neck pain so severe he can't tip his head back, has little use of his left thumb, and considerable loss of hand and arm strength. He also has had surgery to repair a hip condition that was cutting blood flow to the hip bone. Stanfill says he will eventually have to have the other hip surgically repaired as well.
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and then the NFL after the AFL-NFL merger
AFL-NFL Merger
The AFL–NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League and the American Football League...
of 1970.
High school years
Stanfill attended Cairo High School in Cairo, GeorgiaCairo, Georgia
Cairo is a city in Grady County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,607. The city is the county seat of Grady County.-Syrup City:...
(which is also the birthplace of baseball legend Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
), where he was a three-sport star in 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...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, as a senior, he was named the Class AA Lineman of the Year after leading his team to three Region Championships. In basketball, as a senior, he led his team to the state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. In track and field, he added three state discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
and one shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
AA titles.
College years
Stanfill played defensive tackle for the Georgia BulldogsGeorgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
from 1966 through 1968. He was awarded the Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
in 1968 and was named an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n the same year. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in 1971. Stanfill was voted All-SEC in 1966, 1967 and 1968 and was the SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Lineman of The Year in 1968. In addition, he was an Academic All-America that same season. During his three seasons at Georgia, the Bulldogs had a 26-6-2 record along wit two Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
titles: one in 1966 (co-champions) and the other in 1968. During that time the Bulldogs also appeared in three bowl games: the Cotton Bowl Classic in 1966, the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
in 1967 and the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
in 1968. Georgia beat SMU
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in the Cotton Bowl Classic, lost to North Carolina State in the Liberty and lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
in the Sugar.
Georgia’s venerable coach Vince Dooley
Vince Dooley
Vincent Joseph Dooley was the head football coach and athletic director at the University of Georgia. During his 25 year coaching career at UGA, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference titles and the 1980 national championship...
said of Stanfill, "He was everything you’d want in a defensive tackle. He combined speed, size, range, quickness and competitiveness to make him one of the greatest linemen to ever play the game" http://www.dozier-stanfill.com/Stanfill/stanfill.html
In a 1968 51-0 thumping of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, Coach Dooley allowed Stanfill to finish the game at quarterback. The game was in a driving rainstorm and caused some hard feelings on the part of the Gator team. According to Litkenhous http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/ia_football_past_champs.html the 8-1-2 Bulldogs were National Champions that season. However, most other polls and formulas awarded the football national championship to Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
.
Selected to the 50th Anniversary All-SEC team (1933–1982). Also selected the SEC Quarter-Century team (1950–74) and All-SEC 25-year team (1961–1985) and 1960s All-SEC team. In 1984 was voted a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame http://www.gshf.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=301&Itemid=50 and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1998.
Professional years
He played for the Miami Dolphins from 1969-'76. As the NFL did not officially maintain sack records until 1982, he unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks in 1969 with eight (Still an unofficial team rookie mark that was tied by Lorenzo Bromell in 1998), and picked off 2 passes and returned both for touchdowns. Voted to the 1969 AFL All-Star gameAmerican Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
. He went to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl from 1971 through 1974)
In 1970, started on the 10-4 Dolphins and again unofficially led the team with sacks, this time with 6. Dolphins, although improving, lost in the playoffs. The following season Stanfill was an All-AFC choice and was unofficially third on the team with 6½ sacks. The Dolphins advanced to the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
losing 24-3 to the 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...
.
He was unofficially second on the 17-0 Super Bowl winning Dolphins team with 10 sacks (behind left defensive end Vern Den Herder
Vern Den Herder
Vern Wayne Den Herder was an American football player who played twelve seasons for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He played in three Super Bowls for the Dolphins. In 1996 he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.-High school:Den Herder attended high school in Sioux Center, Iowa...
's 10½) and was voted All-Pro by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. He was a consensus All-AFC selection that unofficially led the Dolphins in sacks in 1973 with 18½ and was a consensus All-Pro and All-AFC selection as the 12-2 Dolphins won their second straight Super Bowl. His unofficial 1973 sack total still stands as the team record, although All-Pro Jason Taylor
Jason Taylor (American football)
Jason Paul Taylor is an American football linebacker who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft...
tied that mark in 2002 http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/records/individualrecords/sacks.asp. On October 7, 1973, Stanfill set the unofficial single-game sack record versus the New York Jets. Two weeks later, Vern Den Herder
Vern Den Herder
Vern Wayne Den Herder was an American football player who played twelve seasons for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He played in three Super Bowls for the Dolphins. In 1996 he was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame.-High school:Den Herder attended high school in Sioux Center, Iowa...
tied that mark against the Buffalo Bills.
In 1974, he unofficially led an again-tough Dolphin defense in sacks with 10, and was voted 2nd team All-Pro by the NEA and Pro Football Writers Association
Pro Football Writers Association
Technically known as the Pro Football Writers of America, this organization purports to be "The official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public." Goals of the organization include improving access to practices and locker rooms,...
and was All-AFC for the 4th straight season. In November, versus the Buffalo Bills, Stanfill tied his own (and Den Herder's) unofficial game record for sacks, again recording five.
Injuries hampered Stanfill in 1975 and 1976- both knee and neck injured limited his playing time, and marked the end to Stanfill's post-season honors. Still, he unofficially recorded 6½ sacks in 1975 and 4 in 1976. The mark in 1976 did, however, tie him for the team lead on a struggling 6-8 Dolphin team http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/records/individualrecords/sacks.asp.
In all, Stanfill unofficially totaled 67½ career sacks, which was the team record until broken by Jason Taylor, who now has 106 career sacks. He also is unofficially tied for 4th in the Dolphins' playoff record for sacks with 4 (tied with Bob Baumhower
Bob Baumhower
Robert Glenn Baumhower is a former American football player who played college football for the University of Alabama and professional football for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL.-Collegiate and NFL awards:...
). Stanfill was mentioned by Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti in his induction speech as being an unsung player on the early 1970s Dolphin teams and as being worthy of consideration for the Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
.
In 2007, he was voted to the All-Time Miami Dolphin team. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-alltimefins-public,0,5597607.htmlstory
Bill Stanfill was inducted (with Jake Scott) into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll on November 18, 2010.
Later life
Stanfill lives in Albany, GeorgiaAlbany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
and is a real estate broker http://www.dozier-stanfill.com/Stanfill/stanfill.html. Featured in a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article that detailed the injuries to former NFL players. Also featured was Hall of Fame quarterback Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
, Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell
Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, Joe Jacoby
Joe Jacoby
Joseph Erwin Jacoby is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins...
, Curt Marsh
Curt Marsh
Curt Marsh is a former American football offensive tackle. He was selected in the first round by the Oakland Raiders out of the University of Washington in the 1981 NFL Draft. Marsh was a High School All-American at Snohomish High School in Snohomish WA. Marsh played for the Raiders through 1987...
, Harry Carson
Harry Carson
Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants...
, and others. SI
Si
Si, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
reported that Stanfill had three surgeries between August 1993 and January 1996 to fuse four vertebrae in his spine, a problem that started when he jammed his neck during an exhibition game in 1975. According to Stanfill, the surgeries on his spine have caused a neck pain so severe he can't tip his head back, has little use of his left thumb, and considerable loss of hand and arm strength. He also has had surgery to repair a hip condition that was cutting blood flow to the hip bone. Stanfill says he will eventually have to have the other hip surgically repaired as well.
External links
- databaseFootball: Bill Stanfill statistics