James Michael Colclough (''Pronounced:'' COAL-claw) (March 31, 1936 – May 16, 2004) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

flanker-split end, member of the original Boston Patriots team in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL) and later head coach of the Division III Boston State College football team. Known as Coleslaw, a spin off his last name, Colclough 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 ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, one season as a defensive back in 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 ...

(CFL) with 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 ...

in 1959 and nine more with the Patriots from 1960 to 1968, including the AFL's inaugural

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

season. In 2009, Colclough was named to the Patriots' 1960s All-Decade Team. His 17.7-yards average per reception ranks third in franchise history and his 39 touchdown catches are fourth on its all-time list. Among receivers, Colclough was one of the premier deep threats in Patriots history. His ten receptions for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s and 21.7 yards per reception in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

earned him a spot on the East Division All-Star team. His career highlights included a seven-reception, 142-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 45-17 romp over the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

on Sept. 16, 1961 at

Nickerson Field Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athl ...

. Overall, he had 283 receptions for 5,001 yards and 39 touchdowns in his AFL career. In 1970, Colclough partnered with two of the most eligible bachelors in professional sports, Derek Sanderson of the NHL's

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

and

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943), nicknamed "Broadway Joe", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seaso ...

of the NFL's

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 ...

, as proprietors of the popular " Bachelors III" dating bar in downtown Boston. After retirement as a player, Colclough served as the head coach at Boston State College in the 1978 and 1979 campaigns. Under his tutelage, the Warriors compiled a 10–8 record in the

New England Football Conference Commonwealth Coast Football (CCC Football) was a single-sport athletic conference that competed in football in the NCAA's Division III. It began play as CCC Football in 2017 after the New England Football Conference (NEFC) was renamed following ...

(currently Commonwealth Coast Football). In his first season, they were NEFC co-champions with a 6–2 record (6–3 overall). Colclough died on May 16, 2004, at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

from complications of hepatitis C.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* 1936 births 2004 deaths American football ends Players of Canadian football from Massachusetts Canadian football ends Boston College Eagles football players Boston Patriots players Boston State Warriors football coaches Montreal Alouettes players American Football League All-Star players Quincy High School (Massachusetts) alumni Players of American football from Medford, Massachusetts Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Infectious disease deaths in Massachusetts Deaths from hepatitis {{widereceiver-1930s-stub

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links