Hall of Fame
Position: Tight End
Years: 1975-1978
Place of Birth: St. Louis, MO
Date of Birth: Nov 05, 1957
Jersey Number: 83
Height: 6-5
Weight: 235
High School: East St. Louis, IL (East St. Louis HS)
In an era when parents are pushing children into participating at younger and younger ages, it's interesting to note that Kellen Winslow did not begin playing football until his senior year of high school. Despite his lack of experience he caught the eye of Missouri coach Al Onofrio, who said, "You could see he was a great athlete and he'd develop. He had a great attitude which is why he became great." Before Winslow, most tight ends ran short- to medium-length pass patterns. Kellen was one of the first tight ends to run deeper routes due to his unique combination of size and speed. As a freshman, he only played in three games and caught one pass. The next year new coach Warren Powers installed an expanded passing offense in which Winslow and the Tigers flourished. That year Mizzou upset Notre Dame and Nebraska, two teams which were rated among the nation's top five teams, while Winslow's number of catches improved to 16. In his junior year, he won the first of back-to-back All-Conference selections. As a senior, he added Consensus All-America honors to his list of accomplishments. Winslow went on to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame career in nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers, where he caught 541 passes for 6.741 yards and nine touchdowns.
