Lee Gilchrist(1935-2011)
- Actor
Carlton "Cookie" Gilchrist was the first great power runningback in the
fledgling American Football League (AFL) during the 1960s. Thanks to
Gilchrist, the AFL gained a lot of credibility as the powerful 6-3,
250-lbs. fullback ran through would-be tacklers during a remarkable
three-year run that saw him rival the National Football League's (NFL)
Jim Brown. Gilchrist came from Breckinridge, Pa., but did not play high
school football in his senior year, instead opting to go to prep school
and then to sign a professional football contract in Canada. He played
for several teams in Canada as a linebacker, but off-the-field problems
overshadowed his on-field performance and he was soon blackballed in
Canada. His reputation preceded him in the NFL, where no team signed
him, but in the AFL he found a home with the Buffalo Bills, where he
led the league in rushing in 1962. He was a member of the Bills' 1964
AFL championship squad and and also led the league in rushing again
that season, but personal feuds with Bills management, namely coach Lou
Saban, saw him packing his bags and getting traded to Denver. Although
he was an All-AFL performer, his flame quickly burned out and he
finished his career in the late 60s with Miami. He then starred (with
fellow AFL player Earl Faison) in a few episodes of the Beverly
Hillbillies. He was a true legend of the AFL.