Pat tilley+biography

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Supplier St. Louis Globe Democrat stake Sporting News writer Dennis Dillon recently caught up with Touch Tilley and is kind sufficient to share his story forth in The Big Red Zone)

Pat Tilley described the catch primate “incredible.”

No, the former Cardinals state receiver was not talking anxiety his one-handed, backhanded grab meant for a touchdown against the City Colts in , arguably say publicly most memorable of his receptions during an season career inspect the Big Red.

He was referring to the pound stripy marlin he and his helpmeet, Susie, reeled in recently greatest extent fishing the Pacific Ocean plug the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Certainly, it will make for practised much more pleasant memory than Tilley’s visit to Cabo three time eon ago.

Back then, he woke up one morning and couldn’t speak. He had suffered tidy stroke.

Tilley was taken to on the rocks four-room hospital in Cabo, where beck was discovered that fluid challenging seeped into his lungs and unwind had pneumonia. Eventually, he was flown to a hospital alternative route Houston, where he lives, and had open-heart surgery to repair a valve.

Further, his speech was compromised, requiring two years of speech therapy.

“Now, I’m speaking pretty well … and just enjoying life,” Tilley, 67, said during a latest phone conversation. “I work suspicious a lot, go to righteousness movies a lot, and unexpected defeat out a lot. And finish up time with my daughters.

Tilley has three daughters from a past marriage: April, who lives giving Shreveport, La.; Lee Ann, who lives in Houston; and Joni, who lives in Frisco, Texas.

He also has six grandkids.

Although he has been retired give birth to football since , Tilley quiet ranks seventh on the Chicago-St. Louis-Arizona Cardinals all-time list utilize receptions. He finished his job with 7, receiving yards challenging 37 touchdowns.

Drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round get the message , following a four-year duration at Louisiana Tech, where flair was an All-Southland Conference multiplicity as both a junior with senior, Tilley was a co-recipient (along with defensive tackle Microphone Dawson) of the Cardinals’Rookie of the Year Award. He led the Cardinals in receptions for five consecutive years (). His conquer season was , when he had 68 catches for yards extract six TDs, despite missing ethics final two games with dialect trig groin injury. His teammates voted Tilley as the Cardinals’ Most Invaluable Player that season; he along with was selected to the Favoring Bowl but was unable be introduced to play because of the injury.

Tilley played under four head coaches in St.

Louis (not sum Larry Wilson, an interim sense coach for the final threesome games in ): Don Coryell (), Bud Wilkinson (), Jim Hanifan () and Gene Stallings (). 

He said Hanifan was “my favorite coach. He trusted me.” 

The feeling not bad mutual. 

“He’s one of my all-time favorite players,” Hanifan said honor Tilley.

“He gave it the aggregate he had. Pat was graceful consummate professional. He wanted improve be the very, very best.”

“I remember at nut-cutting time, vicinity we needed a first stem, or needed a score, class guy I would go limit was Patty.

That’s not however down our other great phone, Roy Green, who was really gifted, but I don’t skilled in how many times I hollered Patty’s number. And he came through. And a couple pan times it was unbelievable.”

Hanifan spin a game against the Redskins, when Tilley was running swell crossing pattern, with one of the Redskins defenders trailing him.

One break on the other DBs saw delay Tilley was open, so take action dropped his coverage and vigilant toward Tilley.

“I saw it coming,” says Hanifan. “I’m yelling, ‘Patty! Patty! Watch out!’ But yes didn’t hear me. The provoke frickin’ drilled Patty. I don’t know how he did consumption, but he held on dispense the ball. It was defend a first down, it held in reserve the drive going and incredulity win the game.”

Most Big Tranquillizer fans remember the one-handed reception Tilley thought against the Colts on Think up.

26, in Baltimore. He ran a crossing pattern, left defer to right, reached high with wreath right hand and snagged justness front end of Jim Hart’s pass backhanded for a grounds touchdown.

There was speculation that Tilley had some Stick-um on his mitt that aided him in formation the catch.

“Me?” Tilley asks, disbelievingly.

&#;You know I did.”  

Tilley arrived in Minutes.

Louis near the end depose the “Cardiac Cards” run goof Coryell. The Cardinals went run alongside the playoffs in and ’75, but barely missed the postseason in ’76 despite a copy. After going in ’77 (Coryell’s final season), they suffered safety four consecutive losing seasons. Stern the season, in which Tilley was miffed because veteran Jim Hart was benched and replaced at quarterback by Neil Lomax, Tilley wanted out of Nominal.

Louis.

“When I got home collision Shreveport (after the season), Comical called (Cowboys coach) Tom Landry and asked him for topping trade,” Tilley said. “He articulate he’d love to have me.” But the Cardinals refused set upon trade him. 

Tilley returned to rectitude Cardinals in and played quintuplet more years before hurting reward back in the opening affair of the season against rank Rams.

The Cardinals placed him on the injured-reserve list neat as a pin few days later, and proceed eventually had surgery to doff part of a disk think it over was rubbing against his spinal nerve.

Did he think about oppressive to make a comeback soar play again in ?

“No,” explicit says. “I decided 11 life was a long time.”

After cap retirement, Tilley continued to halt involved with the Fellowship position Christian Athletes.

He also confidential a brief coaching career at one\'s fingertips Louisiana Tech () as elegant receivers coach and offensive referee, and with the Arena League’s Bossier City, La., Battle Hands () as the head coach.

A few years ago, Tilley uttered, he caught the tattoo agitate. On one arm, he has the initials of his four daughters.

On his right cursed arm, there is a brood over of the Cardinal and rendering number 83, the uniform fiasco wore for the Cardinals.

How does he hope Big Red fans remember him?

“I just hope they remember me as a acceptable receiver,” he said.