George Webster (American football)
Webster in 1969 | |||||||||||
| No. 90 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | November 25, 1945 Anderson, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | April 19, 2007 (aged 61) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Westside (Anderson, South Carolina) | ||||||||||
| College | Michigan State (1964–1966) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1967: 1st round, 5th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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George Delano Webster (November 25, 1945 – April 19, 2007) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) with the Houston Oilers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots. Webster played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, most notably as a defensive "roverback".
Webster was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1965, and a unanimous All-American as a senior in 1966. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Sports Illustrated named him one of two starting safeties on its all-century college football team.
Webster was the AFL's Rookie of the Year in 1967, and was selected as an All-Star and first-team All-AFL the same year. In 1970, the Pro Football Hall of Fame named Webster to the All-Time AFL Team at linebacker; the youngest player named to that team. He was first-team All-AFL from 1967 to 1969, but suffered knee injuries in 1970 and 1971 that derailed the trajectory of his career. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Elvin Bethea called Webster one of the greatest linebackers to ever play professional football, and a prototype for the 1960s and 1970s linebackers who could cover the entire field with his great speed. Hayes once caught and tackled Hall of Fame receiver and Olympic gold medal sprinter Bob Hayes from behind.