Gail Cogdill

Gail Ross Cogdill (April 7, 1937 – October 20, 2016) was an American professional football split end. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars from 1957 to 1959 and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 1960 NFL draft of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Lions, the Baltimore Colts, and the Atlanta Falcons. He won the NFL Rookie of the Year Award in 1960 and played in three Pro Bowls.

Early life Cogdill was born in Worland, Wyoming, in 1937. As a boy, he moved with his family to Spokane, Washington, and attended Lewis and Clark High School in that city. He began playing football during his junior year of high school. After losing every game in his junior year, he helped lead Lewis and Clark to the state championship in his senior year. He also competed in track and basketball and earned all-state honors in all three sports. After his senior year, he was selected by the Associated Press as a second-team player on the 1959 All-Pacific Coast football team. He was also selected to play in the 1960 East–West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, and Chicago College All-Star Game. He also competed in track at Washington State and won a Pacific Coast Conference hurdles championship.

In May 1960, Lions coach George Wilson touted Cogdill as "one of the top receivers to come into professional football in a long time." As a rookie in 1960, he appeared in all 12 games for the Lions at the split end position and caught 43 passes for 642 yards. He was also selected to play in the 1961 Pro Bowl.

In 1961, Cogdill had a strong second year with 45 passes for 956 yards and six touchdowns.

Cogdill had his best season in 1962, catching 53 passes for 991 yards and seven touchdowns. Sports writer George Puscas later wrote about Cogdill's acrobatic catches and recalled: "He was the only football player I've ever seen who caused teammates to interrupt their own work to watch him do his." After the 1962 season, Cogdill received second-team All-NFL honors from the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). He was also selected to play in the 1963 Pro Bowl. Cogdill totaled 45 catches for 665 yards in 11 games in 1964.

Cogdill fractured his right kneecap during the preseason in 1965. He remained with the Lions for four additional years, but he continued to be impaired by a bad knee,

Cogdill played nine seasons with the Lions and, at the time of his departure, held two franchise records with 325 receptions and 5,221 receiving yards. He currently ranks seventh in receptions and fifth in receiving yards in Lions history.

Baltimore Colts In early November 1968, Cogdill was signed by Don Shula to play for the Baltimore Colts. The Colts won the 1968 NFL championship and lost to the New York Jets in Super Bowl III. Cogdill appeared in five games for the Colts, but made no catches. The Colts cut Cogdill in September 1969, prior to the start of the regular season.

Atlanta Falcons In September 1969, Cogdill was signed by the Atlanta Falcons. He appeared in 15 games for the 1969 Falcons, 13 as a starter, and caught 24 passes for 374 yards and five touchdowns. He caught only seven passes for 101 yards in 1970.

Family and later years Cogdill was married twice and had six children. He died on October 20, 2016, from complications of heart failure, kidney failure and dementia.

NFL career statistics Legend Won NFL championship Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1960 DET 12 11 12 276 23.0 74 3 1961 DET 14 14 45 956 21.2 84 6 1962 DET 14 14 53 991 18.7 72 7 1963 DET 14 14 48 945 19.7 70 10 1964 DET 11 11 45 665 14.8 57 2 1965 DET 9 8 20 247 12.4 33 0 1966 DET 14 14 47 411 8.7 21 1 1967 DET 12 6 21 322 15.3 52 1 1968 DET 3 3 3 42 14.0 20 0BAL 5 0 Did not record any stats 1969 ATL 13 12 24 374 15.6 52 5 1970 ATL 6 5 7 101 14.4 30 1 Career 127 112 356 5,696 16.0 84 34