Donald George Abbey (born May 19, 1948)[1] is a former American football fullback who played college football at Penn State University. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL draft.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | May 19, 1948 South Hadley, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 241 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, Massachusetts) |
| College: | Penn State |
| Position: | Fullback |
| NFL draft: | 1970 / round: 7 / pick: 179 |
| Career history | |
| |
Early years
editAbbey attended South Hadley High School. In 1963 as a junior running back, he contributed to the school's first unbeaten season as part of a team that posted an 8–0 record and outscored their opponents 238 to 12 points.[2]
He moved on to play 2 more seasons at Deerfield Academy, where he was a fullback and middle linebacker. As a senior, he was named to the Boston Globe All-New England prep team.
College career
editAbbey accepted a football scholarship from Penn State University, as one of the last recruits of head coach Rip Engle. In 1967, he was named the starter at fullback, contributing to an 8-2-1 record under Joe Paterno, registering 386 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 148 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns and kicked 23 out 26 extra points, while leading the team in scoring and ranking fifth in the nation.[3] He suffered a knee injury in the last practice before the 1967 Gator Bowl, which would limit him in the following seasons.
In 1968, he re-injured the knee and hurt an ankle in the season opener. He was passed on the depth chart by Tom Cherry, collecting 164 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.
As a senior starter, his backup was Franco Harris and he tallied 228 rushing yards with 4 touchdowns. He was a part of the undefeated 1968 and 1969 teams that went 11-0 and won the Orange Bowl in both years. He finished his college career with 778 rushing yards (4.5-yard average), 12 rushing touchdowns and 4 receiving touchdowns.
Professional career
editAbbey was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (179th overall) of the 1970 NFL draft, with the intention of playing him at linebacker.[4] Because of three previous knee surgeries that he had in college, he couldn't agree to a financial arrangement with the Cowboys.
In 1971, he was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was waived on July 23.[5]
On April 9, 1974, he signed with the New York Stars of the World Football League. He was released on June 26.
References
edit- ^ "Don Abbey NFL Stats and Bio". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ "South Hadley alum Don Abbey offers more than just moral support for Tigers". masslive.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "For Abbey, the road was rocky". Reading Eagle. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ "1970 Dallas Cowboys Draft". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ^ William J. Ryczek (October 28, 2014). Connecticut Gridiron: Football Minor Leaguers of the 1960s and 1970s. McFarland. pp. 289–. ISBN 978-1-4766-1726-8.