DAVE HAMPTON

Hometown:  Ann Arbor, Michigan
Sport:  Football
Years:  1966-68

Hampton was a versatile standout during “The Golden Era” of Cowboy football as the blocking back for legends Jim Kiick, Vic Washington and Joe Williams. In his first two seasons at UW, Hampton played on offense, defense and returned kicks. The star-studded 1967 Cowboy team finished the regular season 10-0 and ranked No. 6 before losing 20-13 to LSU in the Sugar Bowl. During the 1968 season, Hampton was given more opportunities to carry the ball in the backfield and finished with 749 yards rushing on 137 attempts (5.5 yards per carry) with eight touchdowns. He had 849 total yards from scrimmage and was second in the WAC with 10 total touchdowns. After helping to lead the Cowboys to their third consecutive WAC championship, Hampton was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. In 1971, he set the NFL record for kickoff return yards (1,314), a mark that stood until 1985. He still holds the Green Bay record for kickoff return average (28.2 yards) and is third in kickoff return yards (2,084) despite playing only three seasons for the Packers. Hampton became the first Atlanta Falcon to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (1,002 in 1975) and the only UW player to accomplish the feat in the NFL. He was named the NFL Comeback Player of the year that season. He also rushed for 995 yards in 1972 and 997 yards in 1973 and led the NFL in all-purpose yards in 1972 (1,780).