Herbert Felton Mul-Key (born November 15, 1949) is an American former 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 ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for three seasons with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

in 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 was a member of their

Super Bowl VII Super Bowl VII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

squad, and appeared in the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

in 1973. Born Herbert Mulkey, he hyphenated his name after having it made fun of in school.

Biography

Herb Mul-Key attended Harper High School in Atlanta, where he was an all-city player. However, his attitude was criticized by coaches, and he did not receive a college scholarship. Yet, he was able to play at

Alabama State College Alabama State University (ASU, Bama State, or Alabama State) is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, during the Reconstruction era, it was one of about 180 " normal schools" established by state gove ...

but for only one season. After that he worked a series of jobs and served in the Navy. Childhood friend Harold McLinton told Mul-Key of an open try-out for the Redskins. Mul-Key borrowed money from his parents and friends to travel to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

to attend the tryout held by George Allen and the Redskins in 1971. Allen was impressed by his speed, running 40 yards in under 4.5 seconds on a wet field, and signed him to the rookie minimum salary of $12,000. He was the only player ever signed from these tryouts, which were more public relations stunts than an actual talent search. Mul-Key spent most of the 1972 on Washington's reserve list. He was activated for the 13th game of the season against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

when NFC rushing leader Larry Brown was injured. In that game he rushed for 60 yards on 8 attempts and returned 6 kickoffs for 173 yards. He started the next game, the final game of the 1972 regular season, against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

and rushed for 95 yards on 25 carries. In the 1972 playoffs he served as a kick returner, returning 2 kickoffs for 60 yards in the divisional round game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and returning 1 kickoff for 15 yards in

against the

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

. In pre-season in 1973 Mul-Key ran the first kickoff at

Rich Stadium Highmark Stadium (also known colloquially as The Ralph) is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York, United States, in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. It is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). ...

back 102 yards for a touchdown. In a game against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

on September 23, 1973, Mul-Key scored on a 97 yard kickoff return on the play after Don Shy had scored a kickoff return touchdown; the 2nd time in NFL history kickoff return touchdowns were scored on consecutive plays. He went to the

after the 1973 season as a

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. In 1974 Mul-Key separated his shoulder in Washington's 5th game against Miami and he required surgery to repair it and was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. Mul-Key was traded to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

before the 1975 season in exchange for a 1977 4th round draft pick. The Colts cut Mul-Key before the 1975 season and he was signed by the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. Mul-Key was cut by the Alouettes before the 1976 season.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mul-Key, Herb 1949 births Living people Players of Canadian football from Atlanta Players of American football from Atlanta American football running backs American football return specialists Washington Redskins players National Conference Pro Bowl players Montreal Alouettes players Canadian football running backs Alabama State Hornets football players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen