Robert Reavil Lacey (March 30, 1942 – February 15, 1997) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

who played one season with the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and was drafted by the Vikings in the sixth round of the

1964 NFL draft The 1964 NFL draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL draft was two days e ...

and the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

in the 11th round of the 1964 AFL Draft. He was also a member of the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Fo ...

(COFL).

Early life

Robert Reavil Lacey was born on March 30, 1942, in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

. He attended

Trinity-Pawling School Trinity-Pawling School (formerly The Pawling School) is an independent, college-preparatory boarding school for boys in grades 7-12 and postgraduates, located in Pawling, New York, United States. The school, located on a 230-acre campus in sou ...

in Pawling, New York.

College career

Lacey was a member of the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

from 1960 to 1963 and a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1961 to 1963. He caught ten passes for 161 yards in 1962. He totaled 44 receptions for 668 yards and five touchdowns in 1962, earning

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(AP) and

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(UPI) first-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC) honors. His receiving yards and receiving touchdowns led the ACC that season. As a senior in 1963, Lacey caught 48 passes for 533 yards and one touchdown, garnering AP and UPI first-team All-ACC recognition for the second consecutive season. He also led the ACC in receptions that year.

Professional career

In December 1963, Lacey was selected by the

in the sixth round, with the 75th overall pick, of the

, and by the

in the 11th round, with the 83rd overall pick, of the 1964 AFL draft. He signed with the Vikings on December 28, 1963. He played in one game for the Vikings during the 1964 season. He was released on September 7, 1965. Lacey was signed to the

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in 1965. He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, 1965, but did not appear in any games for the Giants that year. He became a free agent after the season and re-signed with the Giants on June 11, 1966. Lacey was released on August 2, 1966. Lacey played in ten games for the

of the

in 1966, totaling 14 receptions for 185 yards and one touchdown.

Personal life

Lacey died on February 15, 1997, in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, Bob 1942 births 1997 deaths American football wide receivers North Carolina Tar Heels football players New York Giants players Minnesota Vikings players Continental Football League players Players of American football from Westchester County, New York Sportspeople from Port Chester, New York 20th-century American sportsmen