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George Amundson
No. 12, 38     
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1951-03-31) March 31, 1951 (age 72)
Place of birth: Pendleton, Oregon
Career information
College: Iowa State
NFL Draft: 1973 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
* Houston Oilers ( 1973 1974)
Career highlights and awards
* South Dakota Hall of Fame
  • Iowa State Hall of Fame
  • Big Eight Player of the Year (1972)
Rushing yards     194
Average     2.6
Touchdowns     5
Stats at NFL.com

George Arthur Amundson (born March 31, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa State, both at quarterback and running back.

He has been inducted into both the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and Iowa State Hall of Fame.[1][2]

Early years[]

Amundson was born in Pendleton, Oregon but grew up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. At Aberdeen Central he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track & field. As a high schooler Amundson set the state record in shot put and discus, the latter of which he still holds.[3] In football he was selected to the all-state team both as a linebacker and quarterback.[4]

College career[]

Amundson was recruited to Iowa State both as a track & field athlete and as a football player. He would ultimately become a seven time letter winner, four in track & field and three in football.

The football field is where Amundson truly excelled and gained most of his recognition. George was recruited as a quarterback but had to play tailback his junior season due to several injuries on the team.[4] He led the Cyclones to their first ever bowl berth in the 1971 Sun Bowl.[5] That season he rushed for a then-record 1,260 yards and 15 touchdowns. His senior season he was able to switch back to his natural position of quarter back where he became the first Cyclone to top 2,000 yards of total offense in a season.[2] His 2,387 yards set a Big Eight Conference mark and earned him Big Eight Player of the Year honors, beating out Nebraska's Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.[6]

Statistics[]

Passing Rushing
Year GP Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
1970 11 37 103 35.9 471 4 7 73.6 111 440 4.0 7
1972 11 11 23 47.8 256 1 1 147.0 287 1316 4.6 15
1972 12 155 332 46.7 2,110 17 22 103.7 134 508 3.8 9
Total 34 203 458 44.3 2,837 22 30 99.1 532 2,264 4.3 31
Reference:[7]

Professional career[]

At the conclusion of his collegiate career, Amundson was drafted by the Houston Oilers with the 14th overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft.[8] He is the first and only first round NFL draft pick in Iowa State history.[1][9] Amundson would play the following two season with the Oilers and his final NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles. His career stats are 74 rushes for 194 yards and four touchdowns, three of them coming in one game.[10]

References[]

External links[]

Template:Iowa State Cyclones quarterback navbox

Template:Houston Oilers 1973 draft navbox

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