Lawrence Richard Csonka (born December 25, 1946, Stow, Ohio, USA) is a former collegiate and professional running back in American football who played in the late 1960s and 1970s.
| No. 39 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Running back / Fullback |
| Career information | |
| College: | Syracuse |
| NFL draft: | 1968 / round: 1 / pick: 8 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
One of six children, Csonka grew up on a farm in a Hungarian family in Stow, learning out of necessity to stoically endure injuries and pain. He weighed almost ten pounds at birth,[1] 150 pounds at the age of 12,[2] 237 pounds at the age of 16.[1] He began his football career at Stow-Munroe Falls High School as the starting tailback on the 1963 Stow Bulldogs squad that won the Metropolitan League of the Akron, Ohio, area championship under coach Dick Fortner. He played for Stow from 1960-1963.
Csonka became a running back by accident. Because of his size, he played defensive end on the varsity team as a sophomore. In the last game that year, he was sent in as a substitute on the kickoff return team. The ball just happened to go to him and he took off running with it. Wrote Csonka,
- "I ran over two tacklers before I realized what I was doing. I didn't score or save the game, but I got a tremendous feeling carrying the ball. I was thrashing around, trying to run six ways at once. I loved it. I knew then that I wanted to run with the ball."[3]
Even so, the next year Csonka had a tough time before the start of the season convincing his teammates and coaches that he could play running back. They said he was too big and too slow. But he did well in the first game of the season, and from then on no one doubted him.
College career
Csonka was recruited by Clemson, Iowa, Vanderbilt, and Syracuse. He chose Syracuse University, where he played fullback from 1965-67 and was named an All-American. He broke many of the school's rushing records, including some previously held by Ernie Davis, Jim Nance, Floyd Little, and Jim Brown.
In his three seasons at Syracuse, Csonka rushed for a school record 2,934 yards, rushed for 100 yards in 14 different games, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. From 1965 to 1967, he ranked 19th, 9th and 5th in the nation in rushing. He was the Most Valuable Player in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, and the College All-Star Game. In 1989, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Pro career
Miami and the Super Bowl years
Csonka was the #1 pick by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins in the 1968 Common Draft, the eighth player and first running back drafted in the first round. He signed a three-year contract for $20,000 the first year, $25,000 the second, $30,000 the third, plus a $34,000 bonus, including a car.[4]
Csonka's pro career got off to a shaky start. In the fifth game of the 1968 season, versus Buffalo, he was knocked out and suffered a concussion when his head hit the ground during a tackle. He spent two days in the hospital. Three weeks later, versus San Diego, he suffered another concussion, plus a cracked eardrum and a broken nose.[5] There was talk he might have to give up football. He missed three games in 1968 and three more in 1969. Writes his teammate Nick Buoniconti,
- "There was some question [after the 1969 season] whether Csonka would ever play fullback again--not just because of injuries but because he didn't play well...When Shula came in [in 1970] he literally had to teach Csonka how to run with the football. He used to run straight up and down and Shula impressed upon him that he had to lead with his forearm rather than his head. Shula and his backfield coach Carl Taseff basically reengineered Csonka to where he became the Hall of Fame player. Csonka emerged as the offensive leader of the Dolphins..."[6]
Over the next four seasons, Csonka never missed a game, and he led the Dolphins in rushing the next five seasons. Writes teammate Jim Langer, "Csonka had the utmost respect of every player on the team, offense and defense."[7]
By the 1970s he was one of the most feared runners in professional football. Standing 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) and 235 lb (107 kg), he was one of the biggest running backs of his day and pounded through the middle of the field with relative ease, often dragging tacklers 5-10 yards. He was described as a bulldozer or battering ram. His running style reminded people of a legendary power runner from the 1930s, Bronko Nagurski. Said Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jeff Siemon after Super Bowl VIII, "It's not the collision that gets you. It's what happens after you tackle him. His legs are just so strong he keeps moving. He carries you. He's a movable weight."[8] He rarely fumbled the ball or dropped a pass. He was also an excellent blocker.
Stories abound about Csonka's toughness. He broke his nose about ten times playing football in high school, college, and the pros, causing it to be permantly deformed, and he would remain in the game with blood pouring out of it. He may be the only running back to receive a personal foul for unnecessary roughness while running the ball, when, in a game against the Buffalo Bills in 1970, he knocked out Safety John Pitts with a forearm shot that was more like a right cross.[9] In a close game against the Minnesota Vikings in the perfect season of 1972, Csonka was hit in the back and nearly cut in two by linebacker Roy Winston in a tackle so grotesque it was shown on the Tonight Show. Csonka thought his back was broken and he literally crawled off the field. Once on the sideline, he "walked it off" and in a few minutes was back in the game. His return to the game was crucial, as the winning touchdown pass to tight end Jim Mandich was set up by a fake to Csonka. He was named the 10th toughest football player of all time in the 1996 NFL Films production The NFL's 100 Toughest Players. Dolphins' offensive line coach Monte Clark was asked about Csonka's bruising running style, and responded with this great quote. "When Csonka goes on safari, the lions roll up their windows."
The Dolphins had one of professional football's best rushing attacks in the early 1970s. The Dolphins led the NFL in rushing in 1971 and 1972, setting a new rushing record in 1972 at 2,960 yards, with Mercury Morris contributing exactly 1,000 yards. That rushing attack led the Dolphins to Super Bowls VI, VII, and VIII, with victories in the last two. Csonka's powerful running style set the tone for the ball-control Dolphins. He chose to run through defenders instead of around them, leading to three straight 1,000-yard seasons (1971-1973) and two seasons (1971-1972) in which he averaged more than 5 yards per carry, amazing for a fullback. Teammate Bob Kuechenberg said that Csonka was the best back he ever saw for turning a 2-yard gain into a 5-yard gain. "The line got him the start, he got the finish and it added up to 4 or 5 yards every time," said Kuechenberg.[10]
During the 1972 season, the Dolphins became the only team since the AFL-NFL Merger to go undefeated, and Csonka was an instrumental part of the success, rushing for a career best 1,117 yards. Csonka led all rushers in Super Bowl VII with 112 yards on only 15 carries. Late in the third quarter, Csonka had a run that epitomized his style. After breaking several tackles near the line of scrimmage, he rumbled for 49 yards. Near the end of that run, Washington Redskins cornerback Pat Fischer, who was known as a fearless and gritty tackler, came up to try to tackle Csonka. Instead of trying to avoid Fischer, Csonka actually turned toward him and threw a forearm at him, brushing the 175-pound Fischer aside.
In 1973, Csonka was voted Super Athlete of the Year by the Professional Football Writers Association.[1] That season, the Dolphins won a second straight title and "Zonk", as he was known, was the Super Bowl VIII MVP. Exploiting brilliant blocking by his offensive line, he rushed 33 times for two touchdowns and a then-record 145 yards.
Csonka and his friend, Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, were known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The August 7, 1972 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a profile of Csonka and Kiick. This issue has become a collector's item because of the cover photograph of Csonka and Kiick by famed Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss, with Csonka making an obscene gesture with the middle finger of his right hand. In 1973, Csonka and Kiick, in collaboration with sportswriter Dave Anderson, wrote a book, Always on the Run. (A second edition, with an additional chapter covering the 1973 season, Super Bowl VIII, and their signing with the World Football League was published in 1974.) Csonka and Kiick discuss their childhoods, their college football careers, their sometimes stormy relationship with Don Shula, their experiences as pro football players, and the sometimes outrageous behavior of their teammates. The book provides insight into the history of the Dolphins and the state of pro football in the late 1960s and early and mid-1970s.
Move to WFL
In March, 1974, Csonka, Kiick and Dolphin wide receiver Paul Warfield, announced they had signed contracts to play in the fledgling World Football League starting in 1975. Csonka signed a three-year guaranteed contract for a salary of $1.4 million. While their signings are credited with giving the WFL credibility, the league was plagued by financial problems right from the start. The three played for the Memphis Southmen, but Csonka and the others had minimal success and the league folded midway through its second season.
Giants and return to NFL
A free agent again, he joined the New York Giants in 1976, along with Memphis coach John McVay. (The Giants' head coach at the time was Bill Arnsparger, who had previously been the Dolphins' defensive coordinator.) While hopes among fans were high that he could reverse the team's fortunes, these did not bear out. He tore ligaments in his knee, prematurely ending his first season there. He blamed the injury in part on Giants Stadium's artificial turf, and has been a vocal critic of the surface and its injury potential ever since (The Giants currently use a newer, more flexible Fieldturf). When the Giants started the season 0-7, Arnsparger was fired and replaced by McVay.
Two seasons later, he was on the field for The Miracle at the Meadowlands, the play that for years epitomized Giants' fans exasperation with the franchise's long-term mediocrity. On November 19, 1978, New York had apparently secured a 17-12 victory over the favored Philadelphia Eagles. However, with 31 seconds left to play and the Eagles out of timeouts, offensive coordinator Bob Gibson overruled quarterback Joe Pisarcik and called for the ball to be handed off to Csonka for a run up the middle, as Gibson felt Pisarcik was risking too much injury falling on the ball in an era before the quarterback kneel to run out the clock was allowed.
Csonka pleaded with Pisarcik to change the play, and as they left the huddle said he would not take the ball.[citation needed] However, Pisarcik botched the handoff and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards returned the fumbled ball 29 yards for the winning touchdown. The Giants went into a tailspin afterwards, and finished 6-10 after a hopeful start.
The Giants let McVay go after the season ended. Csonka's contract was up, too, and he returned to Miami the next year. He ran for over 800 yards, his best since their Super Bowl days, and scored 13 touchdowns. On that high note, and unable to come to terms with the Dolphins on a new contract, he retired after the year was over.
In his 11 NFL seasons, Csonka carried the ball 1,891 times for 8,081 yards and 64 touchdowns. He also caught 106 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns. He was among the NFL's top 10 ranked players in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns five times, total touchdowns three times and yards from the line of scrimmage once. He earned All-AFC honors four times and was named All-Pro in 1971, 1972, and 1973. He was also selected to play in 5 Pro Bowls.
After football
Since his retirement, he has become a motivational speaker and has hosted several hunting and fishing shows for OLN. He worked for the United States Football League (USFL) Jacksonville Bulls in the mid-1980s, first as director of scouting and then as General Manager. Csonka was also an analyst on the popular syndicated show American Gladiators from 1990-1993.
Csonka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and his #39 was retired by the Miami Dolphins in 2002. Csonka was named a member of the Super Bowl Dream Team in an NFL Films production.
Between 1985 and 1990 Csonka started spending time in Alaska, eventually spending most of the year in Anchorage. While observing the 1,161-mile (1,962-km) 2005 Iditarod dog sled race he said, "when I was playing and practicing in that heat in July and August in Miami with shoulder pads on, it just vaporized me".[1].
In early September, 2005, Csonka and five others were returning by boat to the village of Nikolski on Umnak Island in Alaska's Aleutian's after filming a reindeer hunt on the island for Csonka's TV show, North to Alaska. The boat was caught in a severe storm and nearly capsized. They rode out the storm for 10 hours before a Coast Guard helicopter could reach them and rescue them one-by-one in a basket.[11]
In 2006, Csonka pled guilty and paid a small fine for filming on National Forest land in Alaska and failing to obtain the required special use permit for production of his cable show. [2]
Csonka currently resides in Anchorage, Alaska. He also maintains a farm in Lisbon, Ohio and operates Goodrich Seafood House in Oak Hill, Florida. Csonka currently appears in television commercials for the Alaska Spine Institute, an Anchorage-based physical rehabilation center.
Media References
In a beloved episode of the classic cult comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000 ('The Final Sacrifice' ep.910), Csonka was referenced repeatedly throughout the episode, due to the striking resemblance between Csonka and the main character's deceased Father. The main character, Troy, would often fondly look at his Father's photo, while Mike and the Robots made various Csonka references and jokes. This proved to be one of MST3k's most popular long-running gags, and ultimately led to the fans' endearing devotion to this particular episode. 'The Final Sacrifice' is often included in top ten lists of all-time favorite MST3k episodes.
Csonka is also mentioned in MC Ren's "Same Ol'..." track.
References
- ^ a b c Csonka's Website accessed on 10-22-07
- ^ Underwood, John, "The Blood and Thunder Boys," Sports Illustrated, August 7, 1972
- ^ Csonka, Larry, Jim Kiick, with Dave Anderson, Always on the Run, p.101. Random House, 1973 ISBN 0-394-48589-0
- ^ Always on the Run, p.187
- ^ Hyde, Dave, Still Perfect! The Untold Story of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, p90. Dolphins/Curtis Publishing, 2002 ISBN 0-9702677-1-1
- ^ Danny Peary, ed., Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives, pp.100-101. Macmillan, 1997 ISBN 0-02-860841-0
- ^ Peary, Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives, p. 116
- ^ Herskowitz, Mickey, "Purple People Eaten by Dolphins," The Super Bowl: Celebrating a Quarter-Century of America's Greatest Game. Simon and Schuster, 1990 ISBN 0-671-72798-2
- ^ Hyde, Still Perfect!, pp.89-90.
- ^ Hyde, Still Perfect!, p.96.
- ^ Csonka's Website accessed on 10-24-06