| No. 88, 83 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | June 15, 1940 Harvard, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | January 12, 1978 (aged 37) Rockford, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Campion Preparatory School | ||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1962 / Round: 9 / Pick: 171 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
John Paul Powers (June 15, 1940 – January 12, 1978), born John Paul Theiss, was an American college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1960s.[1]
He was born in Harvard, Illinois.[1] He attended Campion Preparatory School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.[2]
Powers attended the University of Notre Dame, where he played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.[3] He graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree, and later earned a master's degree in rehabilitation administration from DePaul University.[2]
He was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ninth round (117th overall pick) of the 1962 NFL Draft, and he played for the Steelers from 1962 to 1965.[3] He played a fifth a final season for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 1966.[1] He appeared in 49 regular season games during his five-year NFL career, mostly as a blocking lineman.[3] He had his most productive receiving year for the Steelers in 1964, when he had eight catches for 198 yards, with an impressive 24.1 yards per reception average.[3]
Powers subsequently was a player-coach for the Des Moines Warriors and coached the Chicago Owls football team of the Continental Football League. He died on January 12, 1978; he was 37 years old.[2]