Mack Herron

Mack W. Herron (born July 24, 1948) is a former professional American football running back who played in the National Football League from 1973 to 1976, most notably for the New England Patriots. He played college football at Kansas State, where he finished second in the nation in scoring during his senior season in 1969.

History
Standing 5 feet, 5½ inches and weighing in at a slim 170 lbs, Herron was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 1970 NFL Draft, but joined the Canadian Football League out of college.

In 1972, while playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he won the Eddie James Memorial Trophy for being the leading rusher in the CFL's West Division. He led the league in all-purpose yards in both of his CFL seasons.

He stepped into the NFL spotlight in 1973, after a short but memorable career in the CFL, when he joined the Patriots. In three seasons, (3 with New England and 1 with the Atlanta Falcons) he gained 1,298 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 61 passes in his career for 789 yards and 6 touchdowns.

After leading the NFL in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage in 1973, Herron's best season was 1974 with the Patriots, when he set the then-NFL record for all-purpose yards with 2,444. He remains 16th all time in career punt return average and 86th in kickoff return average.

Herron, now 64, is a devout Muslim who does not drink or smoke, but has been arrested some 20 times and served jail time, mainly on drug convictions, according to Chicago Police.