Very few men in NFL history can say that they have impacted the game of football in the way that Kellen Winslow did. From 1979 through 1987, he transformed the tight end position from a glorified tackle who just so happened to have a few select passing routes in his repertoire, into the virtuoso that we see on the the gridiron all over America. This is his story.
The Early Years
Kellen Winslow was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 5, 1957. As the third of seven children he often blended in with his extended family, with his head often buried in a book or his eyes gazing over a chess board. Even through much of high school, Winslow was a self described "nerd".
Still, with long arms and a well-built frame he had a natural build for his eventual calling in life. Upon beginning his senior year, Winslow decided to join the football team and proved to be a quick study. That year, he caught 17 passes for the Flyers and made First-Team All-Southwestern Conference. Al Onofrio liked what he saw on tape and offered Kellen Winslow a scholarship to the University of Missouri.
Winslow wasn't a full-time starter until his junior year, but once he stepped on the field, the Tigers offense instantly became more explosive. He led the Big Eight with three touchdowns catches as a junior, the lone bright spot for the 4-7 Tigers.
Onofrio was fired after that year and was replaced with Warren Bowers who instantly recognized his good fortune at tight end. Kellen Winslow's senior year was a special one. He caught 29 passes for 479 yards while again leading the conference with six touchdown receptions. He was again named All-Big Eight and was named a consensus All-American. Not bad for a young man who picked up the sport just five years earlier. Little did he know of the adventures that awaited him.
Air Coryell
Winslow was taken 13th overall in the 1979 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. While much of his rookie season was hampered by a leg injury, he made a steady but minimal impact on teh team by averaging 10.2 yards per catch for 255 yards and two touchdowns. While those were respectable numbers for rookie tight ends of the era, head coach Don Coryell foresaw another dimension of greatness in his young tight end.
He grimaced every tome he watched Winslow crash against linebackers coming out of the traditional tight end position, seeing every bump and brush for what they were, unnecessary abrasions on an elite athlete. Coryell didn't want Winslow's promising career to end before it began, he just needed inspiration.
Every genius needs inspiration from an unusual source once in a while. Perhaps Don Coryell's greatest inspiration came in the middle of the Charger's joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys were known for their shifting offense and Coryell had Winslow act as Dallas's tight end for a few practices. Winslow was flying all over the field in pre-snap motions and lining up in odd places such as in the slot and out wide.
While he stumbled around, Coryell told him to just figure it out as he went along, figuring that genius would sprout from intuition. While he watched the young tight end jog this way and that along the line of scrimmage, Coryell began to add another layer to his vaunted offense "Air Coryell".
Winslow was too fast for most linebackers and at 6'5" 250 pounds was too big for most cornerbacks and safeties to cover one-on-one. By moving him around the offense, Coryell created a monster. With the "Roving Y" flying all over the field and quarterback Dan Fouts flinging passes to speedsters such as John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner as well as a talented running back in Chuck Muncie, mismatches were a guarantee in Air Coryell.
The Chargers had actually been pretty good in Winslow's rookie year and had claimed the top seed in the playoffs. However, they were stunned by the hobbled Houston Oilers in the first round. They rebounded quickly in 1980, setting the NFL ablaze with their high-flying offense and their new Roving Y. Winslow was sensational that year, leading the league with 89 receptions for 1,290 yards and nine touchdowns while being invited to his first Pro Bowl and earning First-Team All-Pro honors.
However, the Chargers fizzled when it mattered most. After beating Buffalo in the first round, they lost to Oakland in the AFC Championship Game 34-27. Winslow was practically a non-factor in both of those games, catching just four passes for 47 yards.
The Chargers lost a step the following year as John Jefferson left for Green Bay and star defensive end Fred Dean held out before being traded to the 49ers in the middle of the season. but despite the speed bumps, Air Coryell kept humming along with their Roving Y as Winslow again led the league with 88 receptions for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns while earning Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors.
After a long season, the Chargers had a date in Miami. After zooming to a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, the Chargers always-suspect defense allowed the Dolphins to score 24 straight points from the second quarter through the beginning of the third. Things looked bleak for the Chargers until Kellen Winslow snared a Fouts pass for a 25-yard touchdown.
From there the shootout was on. Back and forth the two teams went with Winslow doing most of the heavy lifting for the Chargers. By the end of the night, he would have a playoff record 13 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown. While those numbers were impressive, his greatest contribution was on special teams.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins lined up for the game-winning field goal when Winslow judged the trajectory of the football perfectly, grazing teh pigskin just enough to keep it from ending San Diego's season. The Chargers won on a field goal late into overtime (41-38)and at that point, all Winslow could do was collapse.
He had played most of the game in utter exhaustion under oppressive humidity with cramps plaguing his legs for much of the second half and had ignored the pain in his injured shoulder for as long as he possibly could. He was carried off the field by two teammates, a victorious warrior til the very end.
The Chargers magnificent effort on that humid January evening was the highlight of their year. A week later, they traveled to frigid Cincinnati for the AFC championship where Winslow caught three passes for 47 yards and scored his team's only points in a 27-7 loss. He would never again get so close to the Super Bowl.
Kellen Winslow shined bright in the strike-marred 1982 season. He averaged 13.4 yards per catch for 721 yards and six touchdowns while again earning Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors. He was terrific in the first round of the playoffs, catching seven passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-28 win over Pittsburgh. However, the Chargers lost a grudge match to the Dolphins the following week as Winslow was held to just a single catch for 18 yards. It was the last playoff game of Kellen Winslow's storied career.
He earned another Pro Bowl invitation the following year after gaining 1,172 yards and scoring eight touchdowns and was named Second-Team All-Pro in 1987. By then, his body was starting to break down. seeing how the Charger's once-potent offense was no more, Winslow decided to retire. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, the fourth tight end ever so honored.
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