Dave Middleton

David Hinton Middleton (November 23, 1933 – December 29, 2007) was an American professional football end, wide receiver, and halfback.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Middleton played college football as a halfback for the Auburn Tigers in 1953 and 1954. He was also the 1955 Southeastern Conference champion in the 100-yard dash.

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1955 NFL draft and played for the Lions in the National Football League (NFL) from 1955 to 1960. As a rookie, he ranked third in the NFL with 44 receptions, and he was the Lions' leading receiver in 1955, 1956, and 1958. He won an NFL championship with the Lions in 1957 and caught a touchdown pass in the 1957 NFL Championship Game. He concluded his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings in their inaugural season of 1961. In seven NFL seasons, he totaled 183 receptions, 2,966 receiving yards, and 19 touchdowns. He attended Auburn University, where he played college football as a halfback for the Auburn Tigers football team. In 1954, he rushed for 482 yards and 158 receiving yards and scored five touchdowns. In 1955, he was also the Southeastern Conference champion in the 100-yard dash, an event in which he was time at 9.6 seconds. He remained with the Lions for six seasons from 1955 through 1960.

As a rookie in 1955, he played at the halfback position for five games before being switched to the offensive end position. Despite playing only half the season as an end, he quickly became quarterback Bobby Layne's favorite target and ranked among the NFL's 1955 leaders with 44 receptions (third), 1,058 all-purpose yards (sixth), 663 receiving yards (sixth), 55.3 receiving yards per game (sixth), and 9.3 yards per touch (sixth). Despite missing training camp, Middleton again ranked among the NFL leaders in 1956 with 39 receptions (sixth), 606 receiving yards (sixth), and 50.5 receiving yards per game (seventh). In 1959, he had a career-long, 79-yard reception on a pass from Earl Morrall.

During his career with the Lions, Middleton played his best games against the Chicago Bears: 8 catches for 168 yards and a touchdown on November 20, 1955; 7 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns on December 2, 1956; 7 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on December 15, 1957; and 5 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown in 1958.

Middleton continued his medical school education while playing for the Lions, attending school from January through September and missing training camp. Middleton acknowledged that missing training camp impacted his playing career. In August 1961, he took a leave of absence from the University of Michigan Hospital to play a final season in the NFL, this time with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings, in their inaugural season, had acquired the rights to Middleton in a special draft in late January. He appeared in 12 games as a wide receiver for the 1961 Vikings. The Vikings had rookie Fran Tarkenton as their quarterback, and Middleton was the team's second leading receiver with 30 catches for 444 yards. Middleton again announced his retirement from the NFL in July 1962.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL championship Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1955 DET 12 11 44 663 15.1 77 3 1956 DET 12 10 39 606 15.5 56 5 1957 DET 8 5 18 294 16.3 56 2 1958 DET 12 11 29 506 17.4 46 3 1959 DET 12 10 18 402 22.3 79 2 1960 DET 7 1 5 51 10.2 20 0 1961 MIN 12 12 30 444 14.8 57 2 Career 75 60 183 2,966 16.2 79 17

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1957 DET 2 1 3 59 19.7 32 1 Career 2 1 3 59 19.7 32 1

Family and later years Middleton was married in 1958 to Jeanette Rousseau at Paint Rock, Alabama. They had three children, Clark, Eric, and Beth.