Paul Leslie Cameron (August 17, 1932 – December 22, 2023) was an American

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. 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 ...

at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, where he was a consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

and third in

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

voting in 1953. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 2024. Cameron played professionaly for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

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) and the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 1911 ...

(WIFU). He was a Pro Bowler with the Steelers in 1954 and a WIFU All-Star with the Lions in 1956.

Early life and college

Paul Leslie Cameron was born on August 17, 1932, in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

and attended Burbank High School. He played

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

of the

. He was on the Bruins freshman team in 1950 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 1951 to 1953. He rushed for 597 yards and passed for 855 yards in 1951, leading the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (includin ...

(PCC) in total offense with 1,428 yards. He was named second-team All-PCC by both the

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and

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that season. In 1952, he was a consensus first-team All-PCC selection, a

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first-team All-American, and finished sixth in

voting. As a senior in 1953, he rushed 134 times for 672 yards and 12 touchdowns, made four interceptions, and also finished third in the country with a 41.3 punting average. Cameron garnered consensus All-American and first-team All-PCC honors for the 1953 season while also finishing third in Heisman voting. Overall, he rushed for 1,451 yards and 19 touchdowns and passed for 1,881 yards and 25 touchdowns during his college career. He set school career records for touchdown passes, total offense with 3,332 yards, and total touchdowns with 44. Cameron was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame as part of its first class in 1984. His no. 34 jersey has also been retired by the school.

Professional career

Cameron was selected by the

in the eighth round, with the 91st overall, of the 1954 NFL draft. He officially signed with the team on February 4, 1954. He started all 12 games for the Steelers during the 1954 season, recording seven interceptions for 118 yards and three fumble recoveries. Cameron was named to the 1954 Pro Bowl. He became a free agent after the 1955 season. Cameron then played for the

of the

(WIFU) from 1956 to 1959. He played in 15 games for the Lions in 1956, totaling 82 carries for 430 yards, 16 completions on 35 passing attempts (45.7%) for 199 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions, 24 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns, four interceptions for 142 yards, 20 punts for 926 yards, 14 kick returns for 264 yards, and three fumble recoveries. He was named a WIFU All-Star for his performance during the 1956 season. He appeared in 16 games for the Lions in 1957, accumulating 78 rushing attempts for 514 yards and two touchdowns, 57 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 36 catches for 593 yards and five touchdowns, and six interceptions for 63 yards. Cameron played in 15 games again in 1958, recording 54 carries for 304 yards, 58 receptions for 834 yards and two touchdowns, five interceptions for 137 yards and one touchdown, and five fumble recoveries. He only appeared in one game for the Lions during his final season in 1959, catching four passes for 48 yards.

Post-playing career

Camerson served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1954 to 1956. He worked in the entertainment industry after his football career, including stints with Disney Productions, Tomorrow Entertainment, and Allied Artists. He was also the vice president of production for EMI Television. He was also a member of the Screen Directors' Guild, Encino Property Owners Association and UCLA Scholarship Committee. Cameron died on December 22, 2023. He was inducted into the

in 2024. The National Football Foundation called him "one of the last great

single-wing In American and Canadian football, a single-wing formation was a precursor to the modern shotgun formation. The term usually connotes formations in which the snap is tossed rather than handed. Formations with one wingback and a handed snap a ...

halfbacks".

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Paul 1932 births 2023 deaths Players of American football from Burbank, California Players of Canadian football from California American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks American football defensive backs American football punters Canadian football running backs Canadian football defensive backs Canadian football quarterbacks Canadian football punters UCLA Bruins football players Pittsburgh Steelers players BC Lions players All-American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportsmen Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players United States Army personnel

Early life and college

Professional career

Post-playing career

See also

References

External links