| No. 88 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | September 28, 1936 Burnet, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Lampasas (Lampasas, Texas) | ||||||||
| College | Baylor (1956–1959) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1959: 13th round, 152nd overall pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft | 1960 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Thomas Albert Witcher (born September 28, 1936) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for one season with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears.
Early life and college
[edit]Thomas Albert Witcher was born on September 28, 1936, in Burnet, Texas.[1] He attended Lampasas High School in Lampasas, Texas.[1]
Witcher was a member of the Baylor Bears of Baylor University from 1956 to 1959 and a three-year letterman from 1957 to 1959.[1] He earned Associated Press (AP) second-team All-Southwest Conference (SWC) honors in 1958 and AP first-team All-SWC honors in 1959.[2][3] He was later inducted into Baylor's athletics hall of fame.[4]
Professional career
[edit]Witcher was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 13th round, with the 152nd overall pick, of the 1959 NFL draft.[5] He was also selected by the Minneapolis AFL team in the 1960 AFL draft.[5]
Witcher's AFL rights were later traded to the Houston Oilers.[6] He played in fourteen games, starting seven, for the Oilers during the team's inaugural 1960 season, totaling one interception, one sack, and four receptions for 34 yards and one touchdown.[5] He also started for the Oilers in the 1960 AFL Championship Game, a 24–16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Witcher retired from professional football to attend law school. He then became a lawyer in Texas.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Al Witcher". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "SWC Coaches Pick All-Conference Grid Outfit; UT Fails to Place". Corsicana Daily Sun. December 1, 1958. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Texas, TCU Pace SWC's Honor Roll". Corpus Christi Times. November 30, 1959. p. 8B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame". Baylor University. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Al Witcher". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "Al Witcher Transactions". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
- ^ "Thomas Albert 'Al' Witcher". oldestlivingprofootball.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
