Mel Farr
Farr from 1965 UCLA yearbook
|
|||||||
| No. 24 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Date of birth: | November 3, 1944 | ||||||
| Place of birth: | Beaumont, Texas | ||||||
| Date of death: | August 3, 2015 (aged 70) | ||||||
| Place of death: | Detroit, Michigan | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Hebert (Beaumont, TX) | ||||||
| College: | UCLA | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
| Rushing yards: | 3,072 |
|---|---|
| Average: | 4.2 |
| Touchdowns: | 36 |
Melvin "Mel" Farr (November 3, 1944 – August 3, 2015) was an American football player and businessman.
A native of Beaumont, Texas, Farr played college football as a halfback on the 1965 and 1966 UCLA Bruins football teams that were ranked #4 and #5 in the final AP Polls. He was selected as a consensus first-team All-American in 1966, gained over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in both 1965 and 1966, and was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988.
Farr was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round, seventh overall pick, of the 1967 NFL Draft and played seven years as a running back for the Lions. He led the Lions in both rushing and receiving in 1967, totaling 1,177 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, and was selected as the NFL Rookie of the Year. He was twice selected to play in the Pro Bowl, in 1967 and 1970. In a career shortened by injury, Farr gained a total of 4,446 yards from scrimmage and scored 36 touchdowns during his seven years in the NFL.
After retiring from football, Farr acquired a Ford Motor Company dealership in 1975, eventually expanding his business to 11 dealerships in five states. By 1998, Farr's automotive group was cited as the largest African-American owned company in the country. His business failed in 2002 following adverse publicity and lawsuits relating to sales and finance practices.
Farr was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1944, the son of a truck driver and a domestic worker. He graduated from Hebert High School, a segregated school in Beaumont, Texas, in 1963, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was named all-state in football and track and all-district in basketball. His older brother, Miller Farr, played nine seasons as a defensive back in the NFL from 1965 to 1973.
...
Wikipedia