George Herring

George W. Herring (June 18, 1934 - November 8, 1994), born in Gadsden, Alabama,[1] was a professional American football quarterback and punter in the American Football League. Herring played with the Denver Broncos in 1960 and 1961.

For the American historian, see George C. Herring.
George Herring
No. 16
Position:Quarterback/Punter
Personal information
Born:(1934-06-18)June 18, 1934
Gadsden, Alabama
Died:November 8, 1994(1994-11-08) (aged 60)
Career information
College:Mississippi Southern
NFL Draft:1956 / Round: 16 / Pick: 184
Career history
Career NFL statistics
TD-INT:5-23
Yards:1,297
Passes completed:102
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Herring played college football at Jones County Junior College and then transferred to Mississippi Southern in Hattiesburg. Selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixteenth round (184th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft, Herring signed instead in Canada and threw eight touchdowns to 20 interceptions in two seasons with the B.C. Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 1960, he joined the Broncos at the start of the AFL. In Denver, Herring backed up his roommate Frank Tripucka and threw five touchdowns to 23 interceptions while also serving as the team’s punter. In a 1961 loss at Houston on November 26, he threw a franchise record six interceptions.

Herring had a problem with alcohol and was found homeless on the streets of Denver in 1982.[2] After staying sober for several years, he had a relapse in 1994 and committed suicide within two days of his 25-year-old son Lance also killing himself.[3] In a bizarre side note, Lance’s stepfather had also committed suicide two months before.

References
  1. "1960 Denver Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). 1960 Denver Broncos Media Guide. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  2. Reilly, Rick (July 25, 1982). "Denver's one-time football hero now a favorite on skid row". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). (Denver Post). p. 1D.
  3. "Long before Tebow, there was Herring". The Messenger. Retrieved 31 August 2015.


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