Hoyle Granger

Hoyle John Granger ( ; born March 7, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 to 1969 and the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 to 1972. He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 1963 to 1965, playing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He led the Bulldogs in rushing all three years, and was named second- or third-team All-SEC during each of those three years.

Granger was the first pick in the fifth round of the 1966 AFL draft by the Houston Oilers. He was an AFL All-Star in 1967 and 1968, and named second-team All-AFL both years. He led the Oilers in rushing from 1967 to 1969, and broke the team's season rushing record in 1967 when he gained nearly 1,200 yards rushing and led the AFL with 1,494 yards from scrimmage. Granger's continued success in the NFL was derailed by a season-ending knee injury during the fifth game of the 1970 season, and he was out of the NFL by the age of 28. He has been inducted into the Louisiana and Mississippi Sports Halls of Fame.

Early life Granger was born on March 7, 1944, in Oberlin, Louisiana. He was raised in a French-speaking Cajun community of 1,500 people in Evangeline, Louisiana, and grew up speaking French. He spoke French at home with his family in Oberlin throughout his life. Granger was a two-way player on the football team, playing in District 5-B, as a fullback on offense and tackle on defense. He played fullback at 205 lb (93 kg) for Oberlin as a sophomore in 1959, and scored seven touchdowns in one game that season.

He was a two-time Louisiana Class B All-State running back for Oberlin (1960 and 1961). As a 215 lb (97.5 kg) junior in 1960, Granger had 1,394 rushing yards on 115 carries (12.1 yards per carry), while scoring 139 points.

Granger's Oberlin teams reached the championship game of Louisiana's high school Class B football playoffs each year from 1959 to 1961. Oberlin lost the championship to St. James High School in 1959 (19–6) and 1960 (21–7, with Granger scoring Oberlin's only touchdown); and won the 1961 Class B championship over Clinton High School, 34–13. In Oberlin's 1961 semifinal playoff win over Plain Dealing High School, Granger rushed for 79 yards on 15 carries, with one rushing touchdown, and returned a kickoff 76 yards for another touchdown. He was also named a District Most Valuable Player in basketball at Oberlin. As a sophomore (1963), Granger led the Bulldogs with 481 rushing yards on 113 carries (the sixth most total rushing yards in the SEC that year), and had two rushing touchdowns. He had been used sparingly in two early season games because of injury. Despite that, Tulane University assistant coach, and future NFL coach, Bill Arnsparger said Granger was the best fullback he had ever seen in the SEC. The Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) named Granger third-team All-SEC in 1963. He was a unanimous choice for the AP's SEC all-sophomore team. The Bulldogs were 7–2–2 that season, and defeated North Carolina State in the Liberty Bowl, 16–12. Granger had 13 carries for 94 yards in the Liberty Bowl.

As a junior in 1964, Granger rushed for 604 yards on 129 carries (4.7 yards per carry), with two rushing touchdowns. He led the Bulldogs in rushing and was third in the SEC in total rushing yards and yards per carry average. He played a November game against Auburn with a pulled hamstring muscle, managing only 49 yards on 18 carries (2.7 yards per carry), after having gained 462 yards on his previous 85 carries (5.4 yards per carry). The AP and UPI both named Granger second-team All-SEC.

As a senior in 1965, he led the Bulldogs again with 449 rushing yards on 108 carries, and three rushing touchdowns; even though he had a bad ankle throughout the season. He also had seven pass receptions for 147 yards. He was eighth in the SEC that season in total yards from scrimmage. The AP named Granger second-team All-SEC in 1965, while UPI did not select a second team in 1965. In 1964 and 1965, Alabama's players voted Granger one of the three best running backs they played against in those seasons. After his senior season, he played in the 1965 Blue-Gray Game, and the January 1966 Senior Bowl.

Over his three-year career, Granger gained 1,534 rushing yards on 350 carries (4.4 yards per carry) with seven rushing touchdowns; and had ten receptions for 178 yards. and is now 26th (through 2025 among those playing from 1956 on). He was nicknamed "the Beast" at Mississippi State, though he was relatively mild mannered off of the football field.

Professional career Granger was drafted as the first pick of the fifth-round (37th overall) of the 1966 AFL draft by the Houston Oilers. The Baltimore Colts drafted Granger in the fourth round of the 1966 NFL draft, 63rd overall. The Oilers and personnel director John Breen had been scouting Granger since he was a sophomore at Mississippi State, finding him to be an excellent runner for power and speed, receiver, and blocker at fullback. The Oilers pursued him avidly after the draft, and he was particularly persuaded by his former Mississippi State teammates Johnny Baker and Ode Burrell who were already playing for the Oilers. Lemm continued starting Granger at fullback for the season's four remaining games. Granger played in 11 games that season, starting five. He rushed for 388 yards and one touchdown in his rookie season while also accounting for 104 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry. The official AFL high in yards per carry that season was 5.4.

In Granger's second season, he began the year as the Oilers' starting fullback and had a break-out season, starting all 14 games in 1967. This was the best season of his professional career. Granger broke Charley Tolar's team record of 1,012 rushing yards set in 1962. He was named an AFL All-Star that year, and was selected second-team All-AFL by the AP, UPI and Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA).

Granger was named an AFL All-Star again in 1968, and the NEA selected him second-team All-AFL. Astronaut Frank Borman expressed his happiness at Granger's selection to the All-Star team while Borman was in space during the Apollo 8 mission. Granger finished fourth in the league in rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage, and was tied for sixth in yards per carry.

Granger started 13 games again in 1969. He again led the Oilers in rushing, with 740 yards on 186 carries. He had three touchdowns rushing, and gained 330 yards on 27 receptions with one touchdown receiving. He finished the season third in the AFL in total rushing yards and fourth in total yards from scrimmage. In 1970, Granger suffered a torn ligament in his left knee during the season's fifth game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which put him out for the rest of the season. Some attributed the injury to the AstroTurf playing surface in the Houston Astrodome.

In January 1971, the Oilers traded Granger, Terry Stoepel, Charlie Blossom, and a second round draft choice to the New Orleans Saints for Dave Rowe and Ken Burrough. At the time of the trade, Granger was the Oilers' all-time leading rusher with 3,339 yards. Granger started only four games for the Saints in 1972, with 139 rushing yards on 32 carries and one rushing touchdown. He also caught 12 passes for 52 yards. The Saints released Granger in late August 1972. He was signed by the Oilers two weeks later. He started five of the 13 games in which he appeared for the Oilers in 1972, but was in constant pain with an ankle injury that season (later determined to be an undiagnosed broken ankle). Granger had 175 rushing yards on 42 carries, and 15 receptions for 74 yards.

In his seven-year AFL/NFL career, Granger had 3,653 rushing yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 19 rushing touchdowns. He also had 96 receptions for 1,095 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He accounted for 4,992 yards from scrimmage and 24 total touchdowns. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry as an Oiler, ranking third all-time among Oiler/Titan running backs with over 750 carries (behind only Derrick Henry and Chris Johnson through 2025). However, he chose to retire before the season started and did not go on to play with the Texans.

Legacy and honors Inducted to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2005) Inducted to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2008) Inducted to the Mississippi State University Athletic Hall of Fame (2008) Louisiana Class B All-State halfback (1960, 1961) Louisiana Class B Most Valuable Player (1961) Louisiana Class B State Champion (1961) All-SEC fullback (1963/third-team, 1964/second-team, 1965/second-team) AFL All-Star (1967, 1968) AFL yards from scrimmage leader (1968) Oilers/Tennessee Titans sixth all-time leading rusher (through 2025)

Personal life After retiring from professional football, Granger worked for decades in the oilfield business.

NFL/AFL career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Y/G Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum FR 1966 HOU 11 4 56 388 6.9 35.3 69 1 12 104 8.7 26 1 0 0 1967 HOU 14 14 236 1,194 5.1 85.3 67 6 31 300 9.7 43 3 1 0 1968 HOU 13 13 202 848 4.2 65.2 47 7 26 361 13.9 55 0 3 1 1969 HOU 13 13 186 740 4.0 56.9 23 3 27 330 12.2 53 1 1 0 1970 HOU 5 5 51 169 3.3 33.8 15 1 11 118 10.7 22 0 2 1 1971 NO 14 4 32 139 4.3 9.9 16 1 12 52 4.3 11 0 1 1 1972 HOU 13 5 42 175 4.2 13.5 14 0 15 74 4.9 20 0 2 0Career 83 58 805 3,653 4.5 44.0 69 19 134 1,339 10.0 55 5 10 3