Richard Trapp
Encyclopedia
Richard Earl Trapp was an American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
in the American Football League
(AFL) for two seasons in the late 1960s. Trapp played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, played professionally for the Buffalo Bills
and San Diego Chargers
of the AFL.
. Trapp attended Manatee High School
in Bradenton, Florida
, where he was a standout high school football
player for the Manatee Hurricanes.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Ray Graves
' Florida Gators football
team from 1965 to 1967. In three seasons as a starting wide receiver for the Gators, he totaled 1,783 receiving yards, and compiled eight games where he caught passes for 100 yards or more. Memorably, in 1966 he caught passes for 148 yards against the Auburn Tigers
, and 150 yards against the Ole Miss Rebels
; in 1967, he compiled 171 receiving yards against the Georgia Bulldogs. Trapp was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection in 1966 and 1967, and the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award in 1967.
Trapp graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in 1969, and a law degree
in 1974, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.
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...
player who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in 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...
(AFL) for two seasons in the late 1960s. Trapp played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for 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...
, and thereafter, played professionally for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the AFL.
Early years
He was born in Lynwood, CaliforniaLynwood, California
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in...
. Trapp attended Manatee High School
Manatee High School
Manatee High School is an American public high school in Bradenton, Florida operated by the Manatee County School District.- History :What is now Manatee High School has had at least four names over the years and has had several different grade configurations during that time...
in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, where he was a standout high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player for the Manatee Hurricanes.
College career
Trapp received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
' Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1965 to 1967. In three seasons as a starting wide receiver for the Gators, he totaled 1,783 receiving yards, and compiled eight games where he caught passes for 100 yards or more. Memorably, in 1966 he caught passes for 148 yards against the Auburn Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
, and 150 yards against the Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
; in 1967, he compiled 171 receiving yards against the Georgia Bulldogs. Trapp was a first-team All-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...
(SEC) selection in 1966 and 1967, and the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award in 1967.
Trapp graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1969, and a law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
in 1974, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.
Professional career
The Buffalo Bills selected Trapp in the third round (63rd pick overall) of the 1968 combined draft, and he played for the Bills during the season. During his one year with the Bills, he played in all fourteen games, and caught twenty-four passes for 235 yards. During his second season, he saw limited action with the San Diego Chargers in eight games. He finished his professional football career with twenty-six receptions for 274 yards.See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Levin College of Law graduates
- List of University of Florida alumni