Longest Return

[JuggernautJ]

No, not of an interception, punt or kick-off...

I was just reading Street & Smith's preview of the '92 Season (strange what we football nuts do with our spare time, no?) when I came across this line:

"...gritty right guard Doug Dawson, who battled back from an Achilles tendon injury after a four-season layoff..."

and it got me to wondering what the longest hiatus from the NFL has been.

I'm guessing it was Bronco Nagurski (retired 1937, returned 1943) who returned after a 5 year break to participate in the Bears '43 Championship team.
But is that so?

I would also be interested in those who returned and played well (as did The Bronc) as opposed to those who simply made the roster.

[74_75_78_79_]

(In "the best shape of his life" due to MMA) Herschel Walker's comeback is still pending...

[conace21]

David Diaz Infante was a replacement player for the 1987 Chargers. He went on to the WLAF and CFL before returning to start two games for the 1996 Broncos. He started half the next season for the 1997 Super Bowl champions. He also played for the 1998 Broncos.

Doug Flutie also had a nine year layoff from the NFL. He returned to the Bills in 1998 and definitely played well. He made the Pro Bowl, won the Comeback Player of the Year, and led the Bills to the playoffs in each of his two years as a Bills starter.

[Steviek]

Tony Adams was a mostly backup QB for the chiefs from 1975-78. Played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1979-80 before returning to the NFL as a replacement player QB for the Vikings in 1987.

[Gary Najman]

As for players returning from injury, RB Tim Hightower had a good game for the Saints last Sunday after 4 years of absence (another RB, Robert Edwards, also had a four year absence due to an horrific injury from 1998 through 2002. He was never the same player and retired shortly after).

[Gary Najman]

All-time bust T Tony Mandarich had a five year absence (from 1991 with Green Bay to 1996 with Indianapolis) from the NFL. He actually played better in his second stint.

[Gary Najman]

RB Napoleon McCallum also had a 4-year absence from the Raiders (1986 to 1990) due to his service commitment to the Navy.

[Gary Najman]

Tommy Maddox had a 6-year hiatus, from 1995-2001. That year, thanks to the XFL he had Another shot and one year later was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

[conace21]

Steve DeBerg retired after the 1993 season, but came back to back up Chris Chandler for the 1998 Falcons.

[Bryan]

Tony Adams was a mostly backup QB for the chiefs from 1975-78. Played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1979-80 before returning to the NFL as a replacement player QB for the Vikings in 1987.

It would be interesting to see how many QBs/K's/P's had long layoffs from the NFL only to resurface as 1987 replacement players.

One of my favorite QBs in NFL history was John Reaves. Was a great college QB at Florida, setting the NCAA career passing yardage record when the Florida defense intentionally "fainted", allowing the opposing team to score a TD, thus getting the ball back one more time for Reaves to break the record. Reaves was a 1st round pick by the QB-starved Eagles in 1972, was named the opening starter and proceeded to lose all 11 of the games he appeared in (7 were starts) while Reaves accumulated some pretty unremarkable statistics. The 1972 Eagles did have some good WRs in Carmichael, Harold Jackson (who led the NFC with 1048 receiving yards while catching passes from Reaves/Liske/Arrington...a remarkable achievement), and Ben Hawkins.

This would be the only year where Reaves could be considered a starting QB in the NFL, although he did kick around the league as a backup through the 1981 season. He didn't appear to have the arm strength to play at the NFL level. But his pro career was resurrected by fellow UF alum Steve Spurrier with the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits. Reaves had great success in the USFL, throwing for 4000+ yards in 1984 and 1985. After the USFL died, Reaves started 2 replacement games in 1987 for the Tampa Bay Bucs. I've always wondered if Reaves used his usual single-bar facemask in those 1987 replacement games, which would have made him the last NFL QB to wear the single-bar.