Bob Hayes question for the oldies

[Cowboys5217]

Did you know that Meredith and Hayes have the unofficial record of longest pass completed w/ no YAC? 83 yds. To restate, the ball was in the air for 83 yds.

It's now considered the world record longest completed pass in all levels of football.

You have that, you have Hayes still being the fastest ever, you have Larry Allen still being the strongest ever - this is why the myth of "today's players are bigger, faster, and stronger" is a load of b.s.

 

[Motorola]

He was a game changer in the sense that the zone defense came about because of him. No one could stay with him.

And he was a track man with great hands.

'pitt33' ---not so much "great hands".
I'll admit I never reviewed game footage of Bullet Bob at FAMU.
But the First Cowboys Great \ Legend to wear the No. 22 should have had at least 25 to 35 more touchdown receptions in his still stellar NFL career. .
Because of his world-class track speed, he was underthrown many times.
But after blazing by numerous cornerbacks and safeties, Hayes dropped a number of sure-fire TD catches.

 

[Captain Late]

The Bob Hayes 4×100 anchor leg in 1964 that he ran in about 8.5 seconds on a cinder track is still one of the most incredible events in Olympic History.It likely is the fastest that a sprinter has ever run at that distance.

Tyreek Hill seems to be able to get to his top speed out of breaks as fast as anyone that we have seen.But at top speed IMHO Hayes is still the fastest player in NFL History.There is a memorable clip in 1966 of Hayes outrunning his Florida A&M teammate Clarence Childs of the NY Giants for about 65 Yards down the middle of the field at the Cotton Bowl which is evidence of how fast he was. Childs ran a 9.2-9.3 100 Yard Dash and Hayes beats him by about 5-7 Yards.

When You see some of the old films of Hayes from the 1967 Playoff Game vs Cleveland or the 1970 Regular Season Game vs KC it offers the fair assessment of his speed.The TD in 1970 when he outruns Emmitt Thomas of the Chiefs is amazing.Thomas was one of the fastest DB's in the NFL then and gets blown away by him.

The first 7 Years of Hayes Career were proof of his impact in NFL History

Averaged 46 Catches 920 Yards 9 TDs in a run first league.When there was no rule for illegal contact and the OL were not able to extend their arms to pass block.He would be outstanding in the current NFL.

After the 1972 Season at 30 Years Old he ran track events against other NFL players,competing against guys like Mel Gray,Cliff Branch and Earl McCullough and lost only 1 to Gray.

Why there is no documentary or "Football Life" Episode about Hayes is hard to believe.In spite of the difficulties he had off the field his exploits in 2 sports merit this.

 

[Motorola]

Good question I too wonder how they both compare because yeah I’ve never seen anyone like Hill. He’s like a video game.

Three Hill had

Tom Landry's style of an innovative offense and with Bob Hayes, changed defenses as that has been posted.
When other teams changed their offenses to copy Tom's. He then designed the Flex defense to stop the offenses. However no other team could copy his defense. As it took long time to develop.

When they say the 3 year rule, that came from Tom Landry. As it took about 2 to 3 years for even the best to really learn both his systems. But then you had a player for life and could afford to keep them.

Imagine that today as we have fans that freak out after one game if a player does not produce.

Tom Landry, in collaboration with Gil Brandt - scoured the sphere of competitive sports to find athletes with skills that could translate to them becoming viable players in the NFL.
Not saying they're weren't other teams (in both the NFL and AFL) that were undertaking that same process; however - the Cowboys were miles ahead of every other team in both leagues in unearthing non-football talent that could be trained and coached up to play professional football.

 

[SuspectCorner]

He was a bad man. You could disguise him in a different uni, and still know its him by that running style. I imagine they had close to the same straight line speed. Hill's shiftiness probably adds another level of greatness.

Didn’t Micah beat Tyreek Hill in a sprint a couple of years ago? Don’t kid yourself - Bob Hayes had all the shiftiness he ever needed. Once he got into the secondary there weren’t many angles that were gonna close the gap in speed, either.

 

[Kevinicus]

It's now considered the world record longest completed pass in all levels of football.

You have that, you have Hayes still being the fastest ever, you have Larry Allen still being the strongest ever - this is why the myth of "today's players are bigger, faster, and stronger" is a load of b.s.

It's not a load of b.s. It's measureable fact.

A few outliers does not change how overall the athletes are very different.

 

[SinceDayOne]

When he was signed critics said he was just a "fast track guy getting a shot at playing football." Tom Landry would later say that Hayes was a football player who just happened to run track. He meant so much to the Cowboy O. He was the ultimate deep threat. He demanded double coverage. He made the rest of the receivers better because he occupied more than his share of the other team's pass defense. He made the running game better because of presence. Not the greatest hands in the world but good enough. One of those "risky" type moves that payed off for Brandt, Landry and Schramm. A couple of others included Cornell Green (basketball player), Chuck Howley (injured linebacker cast off) and Roger Staubach (long military commitment.) I saw them all....those were the days.

 

[ArtClink]

Bullet was ahead of his time. There was nobody in the league at the time with anything close to his raw speed. Hill is impressive but certainly nothing we haven’t seen before. Hayes was something the league had literally never seen before.

Agreed and Hayes caused defenses to create the zone defense!

 

[jazzcat22]

Three Hill had
Tom Landry, in collaboration with Gil Brandt - scoured the sphere of competitive sports to find athletes with skills that could translate to them becoming viable players in the NFL.
Not saying they're weren't other teams (in both the NFL and AFL) that were undertaking that same process; however - the Cowboys were miles ahead of every other team in both leagues in unearthing non-football talent that could be trained and coached up to play professional football.

They were interested in signing Carl Lewis as well. He was not interested in playing football.

 

[ArtClink]

Here's all you need to know about Bob Hayes to put his speed into perspective. If you dropped 25 year old Bob Hayes into the today's NFL.. he would still be the fastest man in the NFL. Almost 50 years after his last game the NFL has still never seen someone so fast. The man ran a 10 second 100 meters on dirt. When I was college our track at Harvard was made of that crap. Most of the schools in the Ivy League had it. I could never get below 11.5 in the 100 meters on it. I was more than half second faster at meets run on more modern surfaces. I could explain why but it would require a lesson in kinesiology and physics which would put everybody to sleep. Still extrapolating my own improvement based on surface to Bob Hayes.. even if we just gave him my half second he would have been running 9.5 in the 100 meters almost 60 years ago. And don't forget that Bob Hayes was a football player first. He ran track in his spare time. And still smoked the best in the world. Anybody here think there is a player in the modern NFL or NCAA who could go out and kill it at the Olympics the way Bullet did? DK Metcalf got all kinds of accolades for looking respectable while finishing dead last in a race earlier this year right? Not at the Olympics but at some random track meet. His time was more than .3 seconds slower than what Hayes ran 60 years ago. On dirt.

It's well documented that the zone defense was invented to contain Bob Hayes but what isn't talked about as much is that teams actually started drafting other track guys to play defense because him. His influence on the game is immeasurable.

By the way, I think if he had focused on offense, Deion could have been something similar to what Tyreke Hill is doing. Deion was every bit as fast, quick and elusive with the ball in his hands. But he decided to focus on playing defense. A decision I admit I never fully understood because he all state on both offense AND defense in high school. I've never heard anyone ask him why he chose defense.

This!

 

[EST_1986]

The old film does NOT do Bob Hayes Speed justice!!

I wonder if Tarik Hill could run a 10sec 100M in his prime with training??? I doubt it.

The Beauty of Hayes was how amazingly he could convert world class speed to playing football speed.

Tyreek ran a 9.98 in the 100M

 

[RonnieT24]

Tyreek ran a 9.98 in the 100M

Yeah but that was with like a 20 mph wind behind him. That don't really count. His best legal time was 10.19. Which is still haulin some serious bootay.. but not quite up to Hayes' level.

 

[RonnieT24]

'pitt33' ---not so much "great hands".
I'll admit I never reviewed game footage of Bullet Bob at FAMU.
But the First Cowboys Great \ Legend to wear the No. 22 should have had at least 25 to 35 more touchdown receptions in his still stellar NFL career. .
Because of his world-class track speed, he was underthrown many times.
But after blazing by numerous cornerbacks and safeties, Hayes dropped a number of sure-fire TD catches.

Yep.. it's often forgotten that Hayes was a converted running back and not a wide receiver by trade. He dropped plenty of sure fire TDs especially outdoors in cold weather. Weren't no sticky gloves back in them days so when your fingers got frostbite you stopped being able to catch the ball! LOL!

 

[RonnieT24]

It's not a load of b.s. It's measureable fact.

A few outliers does not change how overall the athletes are very different.

Oh I agree.. Overall there can be no denying that athletes in general are getting bigger, stronger and faster each year. But there has been through the course of human history guys who were before their time and whose physical talents would make them great in any era. Maybe they would not be as dominant as they were during their heyday simply because the talent pool around them has elevated.. but those guys would still be a baaaad man even today. Jim Brown would still be a son of a gun as a running back today.. So would OJ Simpson or Walter Payton. Bob Hayes would scare the bejeezus out of DBs right now. Larry Allen would have DT's spraining ankles in practice the week before facing him if he was playing right now at age 45 or 50! LOL!

 

[SuspectCorner]

Here's all you need to know about Bob Hayes to put his speed into perspective. If you dropped 25 year old Bob Hayes into the today's NFL.. he would still be the fastest man in the NFL. Almost 50 years after his last game the NFL has still never seen someone so fast. The man ran a 10 second 100 meters on dirt. When I was college our track at Harvard was made of that crap. Most of the schools in the Ivy League had it. I could never get below 11.5 in the 100 meters on it. I was more than half second faster at meets run on more modern surfaces. I could explain why but it would require a lesson in kinesiology and physics which would put everybody to sleep. Still extrapolating my own improvement based on surface to Bob Hayes.. even if we just gave him my half second he would have been running 9.5 in the 100 meters almost 60 years ago. And don't forget that Bob Hayes was a football player first. He ran track in his spare time. And still smoked the best in the world. Anybody here think there is a player in the modern NFL or NCAA who could go out and kill it at the Olympics the way Bullet did? DK Metcalf got all kinds of accolades for looking respectable while finishing dead last in a race earlier this year right? Not at the Olympics but at some random track meet. His time was more than .3 seconds slower than what Hayes ran 60 years ago. On dirt.

It's well documented that the zone defense was invented to contain Bob Hayes but what isn't talked about as much is that teams actually started drafting other track guys to play defense because him. His influence on the game is immeasurable.

By the way, I think if he had focused on offense, Deion could have been something similar to what Tyreke Hill is doing. Deion was every bit as fast, quick and elusive with the ball in his hands. But he decided to focus on playing defense. A decision I admit I never fully understood because he all state on both offense AND defense in high school. I've never heard anyone ask him why he chose defense.

Not to mention that Dieon could also hit MLB pitching. One of the finest athletes to ever suit up. ALLTIME GREAT. Just like Hayes is alltime great.

 

[JayFord]

Hayes was a track star....its possible he was faster than Tyreek Hill

only person faster than Hill, Bo, Hayes is Darrell Green who no one was faster than

i didnt add Deion, Deion was seriously fast but his agility and athleticism was crazy

 

[rags747]

Highlight reels are typically slowed down. When NFL films show old clips they’re played in slow motion.

I never realized that to be honest!

 

[AbeBeta]

I’ll be honest I look at clips of Bullet Hayes and I don’t think they do him justice because he doesn’t look as fast as Hill. But they’re typically slowed down.

You can't really compare with so many generations between the two. Dudes simply did not have the nutrition and strength and conditioning training that is available now. That can make a big difference.

 

[Clarke82]

I am old, but not old enough to have seen the Bullet play. Did his play resemble what Tarik Hill is doing today? Hill is easily the fastest player I have ever seen, curious if Bob was making world class athletes look slow too.

IMO Bob Hayes is still the fastest player in NFL history.

I think Hill looks faster because he's quicker and HD cameras.

Al Davis said on several occasions he only saw 2 players that tilted the field for their teams. Joe Namath and Bob Hayes.

 

[kskboys]

No shade intended but there is HUGE difference between "qualifying" and actually being competitive.. and a 25 foot long jump from there to actually winning the thing. There have been a ton of high schoolers who have qualified for the Olympic trials by virtue of running a qualifying time. Very few of them have actually done any damage once they got there. None of them have come home with Olympic Gold. Dwayne Evans came the closest. I think he won bronze in the 200 meters in the 1976 Olympics the same year he graduated high school.

Roy Williams, WR, was a world class sprinter in HS. To you point.