Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bob Hayes

When Bob Hayes arrived on the pro football scene in 1965, he had already earned athletic stardom having won a pair of gold medals in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. His medal-winning performance in the 100 meters competition earned him the title “World’s Fastest Human.” But for the Dallas Cowboys, the team that drafted him in the seventh round of the 1964 NFL Draft, the question lingered, “could a track man succeed in a contact sport like pro football?” The answer came quickly as Bob’s 46 receptions for 1,003 yards led all Cowboys receivers.

Bob Hayes Jr. Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 / Photo: Newscom

Bob demonstrated time and again that he possessed tremendous football skills and instincts that helped him to develop into a terrific NFL wide receiver. Still, his world class speed was a major factor in his and the Cowboys offensive successes. “Bullet Bob” terrorized defensive backs and demanded the kind of deep double coverage rarely seen in the NFL at that time. It is often said that the bump and run defense was developed in an attempt to slow him down.

Sadly, Bob passed away seven years ago. So, one of his former quarterbacks (and fellow Hall of Famer) Roger Staubach, spoke on behalf of the family, emphasizing not only Bob’s immense talents on the field, but his demeanor and quality as a good person:

“He was almost generous to a fault. But Bob Hayes was really, really a decent, caring human being that had extraordinary skills. And old speedo was one humble son of a gun. I don’t know if he ever showed me his gold medals from the Olympics.”