Roy Jefferson questions

[vikingsfan1963]

1. Why did the Steelers trade him and what did they get in the exchange?
2. Why did the Colts trade him after just one season and what did they get from the Redskins? Cotton Spyre?

[Jay Z]

1. Why did the Steelers trade him and what did they get in the exchange?
2. Why did the Colts trade him after just one season and what did they get from the Redskins? Cotton Spyre?

The Steelers got Willie Richardson and a 4th round draft choice. Richardson had been a starter with the Colts from 1967-69. After the trade, he held out briefly for a new contract. Richardson couldn't beat out the other Steelers, including Ron Shanklin, as a starter, and was traded to the Dolphins before the season began. From the other side of it, nothing was ever officially confirmed, but it was rumored that Jefferson clashed with new coach Chuck Noll, that he violated training rules, or the Steelers objected to his role as player representative.

The Colts traded Jefferson to the Redskins for Cotton Speyrer and a 1973 #1 draft choice. Jefferson had been holding out for a renegotiated contract.

[SixtiesFan]

1. Why did the Steelers trade him and what did they get in the exchange?
2. Why did the Colts trade him after just one season and what did they get from the Redskins? Cotton Spyre?

The Steelers got Willie Richardson and a 4th round draft choice. Richardson had been a starter with the Colts from 1967-69. After the trade, he held out briefly for a new contract. Richardson couldn't beat out the other Steelers, including Ron Shanklin, as a starter, and was traded to the Dolphins before the season began. From the other side of it, nothing was ever officially confirmed, but it was rumored that Jefferson clashed with new coach Chuck Noll, that he violated training rules, or the Steelers objected to his role as player representative.

The Colts traded Jefferson to the Redskins for Cotton Speyrer and a 1973 #1 draft choice. Jefferson had been holding out for a renegotiated contract.

I recall Roy Jefferson supposedly criticized Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom in addition to wanting to renegotiate his contract. He was traded immediately.

[vikingsfan1963]

Thanks for the replies! I had heard that Jefferson was a bit of a flake, but George Allen was known to keep those type of guys and that must be why he finished out his career in Washington.

[L.C. Greenwood]

Thanks for the replies! I had heard that Jefferson was a bit of a flake, but George Allen was known to keep those type of guys and that must be why he finished out his career in Washington.

Two other notes about this situation which haven't come up yet. First, Jefferson went on record saying he didn't want to be Chuck Noll's "yes" man, which wasn't a smart move. Jefferson had two big years in 1968-69, but the team stunk, and Noll's job was to turn around a losing franchise. It was obvious Jefferson wanted out after Noll's first season, the last thing the Steelers needed was a troublemaker with so many young players on the way to Pittsburgh. As a Colt and Redskin, Jefferson never did approach the peak production he displayed as a Steeler.

Lastly, the trade to Baltimore really paid dividends for the Steelers. While Willie Richardson is a the answer to a trivia question, the fourth round pick Pittsburgh also received in the deal turned out to be Dwight White.

[nicefellow31]

Some other stories from Jefferson's time in Pittsburgh

http://pghsportsdaily.com/roy-jefferson ... 1965-1969/

https://books.google.com/books?id=rFmSC ... rs&f=false

http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/1 ... 70111.html

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 4378&hl=en

[RRMarshall]

If memory serves he played a prominent role as one of the player reps during the player's preseason strike in 1974. His picture was in the Sports Illustrated article on the strike that August. Looking back it is amazing how much animosity there was by teams to player reps during the era, especially in baseball where a very high percentage of them were traded. His career just seemed to tail off after that, I assume because of injuries.

[BD Sullivan]

If memory serves he played a prominent role as one of the player reps during the player's preseason strike in 1974. His picture was in the Sports Illustrated article on the strike that August. Looking back it is amazing how much animosity there was by teams to player reps during the era, especially in baseball where a very high percentage of them were traded. His career just seemed to tail off after that, I assume because of injuries.

Strikes (especially in baseball) usually happened because owners usually went into the negotiations with the idea of, "We're going to bust the union." The NFL effectively did that in the mid-70's and Ed Garvey was angling for revenge in '82, which helped lead to that year's strike.

[JuggernautJ]

...Looking back it is amazing how much animosity there was by teams to player reps during the era, especially in baseball where a very high percentage of them were traded. His career just seemed to tail off after that, I assume because of injuries.

Spoken like someone who has never been involved in a contract negotiation... or been a teacher in West Virginia (or Kentucky or Oklahoma...). They can get... heated.

Context and timing is also important to consider regarding how an individual is perceived/remembered.
An "uppity" union rep from the 60's-70's might today be seen as a black man standing up for his rights and those of his fellows.
Those days were "another era" in more than just football history...

(So, yes. I am saying that part of the way Roy Jefferson (and John Mackey, et al) were perceived might've been related to the way in which race was viewed in that time.)

[Bryan]

Some other stories from Jefferson's time in Pittsburgh

http://pghsportsdaily.com/roy-jefferson ... 1965-1969/

https://books.google.com/books?id=rFmSC ... rs&f=false

http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/1 ... 70111.html

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 4378&hl=en

Thanks for posting these links. Interesting stuff.