Lee Gilchrist

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.