Ken Payne Explained

Ken Payne
Number:85, 80, 82
Position:Wide receiver
Birth Date:6 October 1950
Birth Place:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Death Place:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Weight Lb:185
Height In:1
Draftyear:1974
Draftround:6
Draftpick:142
College:Langston
Teams:
Statlabel1:Receptions
Statvalue1:116
Statlabel2:Receiving yards
Statvalue2:1,633
Statlabel3:Touchdowns
Statvalue3:6
Pfr:PaynKe00

Ken Payne (October 6, 1950 – August 1, 2011)[1] was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He sprinted and played college football at Langston, helping the team to an 11-0 record and the 1973 NAIA playoffs.[2] He was the fourth player drafted from the small college when the Green Bay Packers selected him in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft. He was used sparingly during his rookie season, but in Week 2 of 1975 he had 167 receiving yards on a then-franchise-record 12 receptions. The record was tied, but not broken until 2016 by Davante Adams. He led the Packers in receptions and receiving yards for the next two seasons.[3] However, he was cut by the Packers after just four games in 1977. The Philadelphia Eagles claimed him off waivers on October 17, but he had an emergency appendectomy just two days later and missed the rest of the season.[4] He had just 13 receptions the next season, the last of his career.[5] He lived the rest of his live in Oklahoma City, had eight children, and worked as a church bus driver until his death in 2011.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ken Payne . Nearmint's Vintage Football Card Blog . 10 November 2019.
  2. Web site: Obituary for Kenneth Eugene Payne, Jr. at Pollard Funeral Home - Oklahoma City . www.pollardfuneralhome.net . 10 November 2019 . en.
  3. Web site: 1975 Green Bay Packers Statistics & Players . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  4. News: Payne of Eagles has Surgery . The New York Times . Oct 20, 1977.
  5. Web site: Ken Payne Career Game Log . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.