Mini Mack

I have often wondered whatever happened to Mack herron, the brilliant undersized running back who had the season of his life in 1974 with the Pats.

Herron was busted for heroin possession over the weekend in his hometown of Chicago. Reports indicated that it was his 20th drug arrest since 1969.

His monster year came in 1974 after playing for a couple of seasons in the CFL. He broke the all-purpose yards record which was set by Gayle Sayers in 1966. His 2,444 yards of rushing, receieving and kick returns still stands as the best total for a 14 game season. It's the 9th best overall total. His 174.3 all purpose yards per game is still a league record.

Herron did all of this in spite of being 5'5" and weighing 170 pounds. He was a favorite of Howard Cossell on Monday Night Football and captured the hearts of fans. He was one of the most exciting offensive players of the Pats that I have seen. He was the return specialist of the Pats All-Decade Team for the 1970's.

Herron is still fighting the NFL for a pension and suffers from diabetes and chronic pain in his legs. He is the classic case of a player who make a huge impact on the league for a short period, but were cast aside and receive no help after their playing days are over.

Most of Herron's problems are his own doing, but I would hope that the league reaches out to him in some way. He was such a joy to watch.