Roy Jefferson
Encyclopedia
Roy Lee Jefferson is a former American football
wide receiver
who played twelve seasons in the National Football League
. During 162 regular season games he had 451 receptions for 7,539 yards and 52 touchdowns.
Drafted out of the University of Utah
, where he had been named the Western Athletic Conference
Player of the Year in his senior year, Jefferson spent his first five NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers
(1965–1969). In 1968
, Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,074. His 58 receptions and 11 touchdowns were both 2nd highest in the NFL that season. He was named 1st Team All-Pro
by Associated Press
(AP), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), New York Daily News
and UPI in 1969. Jefferson finished that season with 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns and became the first Steelers receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Despite being the Steelers best offensive player, conflicts with head coach Chuck Noll
would result in Jefferson being traded to the Baltimore Colts
before the 1970 season
.
Jefferson was with the Colts for only one season, but helped them reach and win Super Bowl V
. He finished the 1970 regular season with 44 receptions for 749 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas
in the Colts 17-0 Divisional playoff
win over the Cincinnati Bengals
and had three receptions for 52 yards in the Colts 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys
in the Super Bowl. Jefferson was traded to the Washington Redskins
in 1971. He spent six seasons with the Redskins, helping them reach Super Bowl VII
in 1972, before retiring after the 1976 season.
Jefferson had a leading role in the 1976 blaxploitation
feature film Brotherhood of Death
. After his retirement from football, he remained in the Washington, D.C. area. In the ensuing years, his endeavors have included owning a chain of barbecue
restaurants and working for charities. As of 2006, he was working in the real estate
business. He reported that he and his wife had three children and four grandchildren.
Jefferson was named to the Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team
in 2007, as one of the best 24 Steelers players prior to 1970.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who played twelve seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. During 162 regular season games he had 451 receptions for 7,539 yards and 52 touchdowns.
Drafted out of the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, where he had been named the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
Player of the Year in his senior year, Jefferson spent his first five NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
(1965–1969). In 1968
1968 NFL season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. As per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.The...
, Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,074. His 58 receptions and 11 touchdowns were both 2nd highest in the NFL that season. He was named 1st Team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
by Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
(AP), the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
and UPI in 1969. Jefferson finished that season with 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns and became the first Steelers receiver to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Despite being the Steelers best offensive player, conflicts with head coach Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
would result in Jefferson being traded to 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....
before the 1970 season
1970 NFL season
The 1970 NFL season was the 51st regular season of the National Football League, and the first one after the AFL-NFL Merger.The merger forced a realignment between the combined league's clubs. Because there were 16 NFL teams and 10 AFL teams, three teams needed to transfer to balance the two new...
.
Jefferson was with the Colts for only one season, but helped them reach and win Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
. He finished the 1970 regular season with 44 receptions for 749 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas
Johnny Unitas
John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...
in the Colts 17-0 Divisional playoff
NFL playoffs, 1970-71
The NFL playoffs following the 1970 NFL season led up to Super Bowl V.This was the first playoff tournament after the AFL-NFL Merger. An eight-team playoff tournament was designed, with four clubs from each conference qualifying...
win over the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and had three receptions for 52 yards in the Colts 16-13 victory over 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...
in the Super Bowl. Jefferson was traded to the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in 1971. He spent six seasons with the Redskins, helping them reach Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1972 regular season...
in 1972, before retiring after the 1976 season.
Jefferson had a leading role in the 1976 blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
feature film Brotherhood of Death
Brotherhood of Death
Brotherhood of Death is a low-budget 1976 action film in the blaxploitation genre, directed by Bill Berry, and starring Roy Jefferson, Le Tari, and Haskell Anderson...
. After his retirement from football, he remained in the Washington, D.C. area. In the ensuing years, his endeavors have included owning a chain of barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
restaurants and working for charities. As of 2006, he was working in the real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
business. He reported that he and his wife had three children and four grandchildren.
Jefferson was named to the Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team
Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team
The Pittsburgh Steelers Legends team represents the franchise's best players from the pre-1970 era. The team was chosen by a small group of Steeler officials and journalists and presented as a part of the Steeler's 75th season celebration in ....
in 2007, as one of the best 24 Steelers players prior to 1970.