Thomas Cyril Mason (July 8, 1939 – January 22, 2015) was an American football running back in the National Football League (NFL).
 Mason in the Oval Office in 1975 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 20 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | July 8, 1939 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | January 22, 2015 (aged 75) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 196 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Lake Charles (LA) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Tulane | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1961 / round: 1 / pick: 1 | ||||||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1961 / round: 1 / pick: 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
College career
editMason played college football for Tulane University.
- 1959: 10 Games – 81 carries for 336 yards. 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 TD.[1]
- 1960: 10 Games – 120 carries for 663 yards. 28 catches for 376 yards and 5 TD.
Professional career
editMason was selected first overall by the expansion Minnesota Vikings in the 1961 NFL draft. In six seasons with the Vikings, he rushed for 3,252 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. In 1967 NFL season, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams. He played with the Rams for four years but accumulated only four touchdowns and less than 900 yards. He finished his career with the Washington Redskins in 1971. He did not officially announce his retirement until June 8, 1973.[2]
Records
editMason ranks ninth in total rushing yards and ninth in rushing touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings.[3]
Personal life
editMason was married to Rita Ridinger in the mid-1960s. He married gymnast Cathy Rigby in 1972. They were divorced in 1981. Mason married Louise England in 1987, they divorced in 1994. He married Karen Kay Mason in 1999. He was a 1976 graduate of the Western State College of Law.[4] He died in hospice care at Newport Beach, California on January 22, 2015.[5]
References
edit- ^ Profile, sports-reference.com; accessed January 26, 2015.
- ^ McGowen, Deane. "People in Sports: Shue Steps Out," The New York Times, Saturday, June 9, 1973. Retrieved November 30, 2020
- ^ "The Most Powerful Research Tools in Sports". Stathead.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Western State College of Law Alumni Highlights, Spring 2015 (information on page 15). Retrieved November 30, 2020
- ^ Notice of death of Tommy Mason, startribune.com; accessed January 26, 2015.
External links
edit- Profile, pro-football-reference.com; accessed January 26, 2015.
