Alex Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Clifton Alexander "Alex" Hawkins (born July 2, 1937) is a retired American football
player who played running back
for the Baltimore Colts
and Atlanta Falcons
. He excelled as a special teams player. He was a co-captain with the Colts.
Hawkins acquired the nickname "Captain Who" prior to a Baltimore Colts/Chicago Bears game, when the team captains were being introduced to each other before the game. Bears' Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus
responded to the official's reference to "Captain Hawkins" by blurting out "Captain Who?"
In the 1970s, Hawkins worked as a color commentator
for Falcons radio, and for TVS
' Thursday night WFL
telecasts and CBS
' NFL telecasts
. In 1977, the NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings
and the Dallas Cowboys
was televised by CBS and covered by play-by-play announcer Vin Scully
with Hawkins as color commentator. At one point Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach
was shown jogging off the field, and Hawkins commented to Scully, "You know, Vin, that Roger Staubach runs like a sissy." To which Scully responded after a period of stunned silence, "You know, Hawk, they tell me you didn't always wear your helmet when you played!" The next day CBS fired Hawkins.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
for the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
and Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He excelled as a special teams player. He was a co-captain with the Colts.
Hawkins acquired the nickname "Captain Who" prior to a Baltimore Colts/Chicago Bears game, when the team captains were being introduced to each other before the game. Bears' Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus
Dick Butkus
Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus is a former American football player for the Chicago Bears. He was drafted in 1965 and he is also widely regarded as one of the best and most durable linebackers of all time. Butkus starred as a football player for the University of Illinois and the Chicago Bears. He...
responded to the official's reference to "Captain Hawkins" by blurting out "Captain Who?"
In the 1970s, Hawkins worked as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Falcons radio, and for TVS
TVS Television Network
The TVS Television Network, or TVS for short, was a syndicator of American sports programming. It was one of several "occasional" national television networks that sprang up in the early 1960s to take advantage of the establishment of independent television stations and relaxation of the AT&T...
' Thursday night WFL
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
telecasts and CBS
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
' NFL telecasts
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
. In 1977, the NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
was televised by CBS and covered by play-by-play announcer Vin Scully
Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team on Prime Ticket, KCAL-TV and KABC radio...
with Hawkins as color commentator. At one point Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
was shown jogging off the field, and Hawkins commented to Scully, "You know, Vin, that Roger Staubach runs like a sissy." To which Scully responded after a period of stunned silence, "You know, Hawk, they tell me you didn't always wear your helmet when you played!" The next day CBS fired Hawkins.