Roger Russell Wehrli (; born November 26, 1947) 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 spent his entire 14-year career as a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for 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 ...

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) from 1969 until 1982. He was a seven-time

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 ...

er after playing

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 ...

for the

Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia ...

, 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 ...

and a first-round draft choice by the Cardinals in 1969. He was inducted to 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 2003 and the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

in 2007.

Early life

Wehrli was born in

New Point, Missouri New Point is an unincorporated community in eastern Holt County, Missouri, United States. History The community had its plat filed in 1861 and was originally named Grant, but the named switched to New Point (also stylized Newpoint) in 1875. Th ...

. His parents were teachers and his father was a school district superintendent. They enrolled Roger in school at the age of 5. As a result, he started his freshman year of high school at the age of 13. In 1965, Dan Devine recruited Wehrli from

King City, Missouri King City is a city in southwest Gentry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History John Pittsenbarger was the first European settler when he set up a tent in town in 1856. His a ...

, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track for the Wildkats, as well as help the school win the state title in track in 1965.

College career

Wehrli was assigned to defense by

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

coach

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Universi ...

. Despite playing on defense, Wehrli was able to get his hands on the ball often enough to be an offensive threat. Wehrli was a two-time All- Big 8 player and was the Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. That same year, he was a unanimous All-America selection. Roger had ten career interceptions, with seven coming in his senior season, also returning kickoffs and punts. In 1968, his 40 punt returns and 12-yard return average led the nation. To finish off an 8–3 season, Wehrli had a decisive interception to help lead the Missouri to a 35–10 victory over the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

in the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, usually contested on or around New Year's Day. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first televise ...

. At the time of his College Hall of Fame induction he held school records for career punt returns, punt return yards in a game, season, and career. He played in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

and was named to the 50-year Anniversary All-Senior Bowl team. Wehrli was a member of the first class of inductees into the

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the Hall of Fame is housed in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. On display are more than 4,0 ...

, located in Springfield. He was elected to the

in 2003. Wehrli is the 13th person with ties to the University of Missouri to be inducted into the College Hall of Fame. In 1990, Wehrli was voted a charter member of the

Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Wehrli's outstanding attribute was his speed. Originally expected to be taken in the third round, he ran a 4.5

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

and vaulted into the first round. Hall of Fame

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 se ...

has called Wehrli the best cornerback he played against, and claims that the term "shutdown corner" originated as a description of Wehrli. Although he only played on five winning teams and only went to the playoffs in non-strike years twice, he is considered one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the game. In his career, Wehrli had 40 career interceptions for 309 yards and recovered 19 fumbles. He was elected to the

in 2007. When inducted into the

, he became the second Missouri player to be elected, joining former tight end

Kellen Winslow Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recogn ...

, who was enshrined in 1995. Wehrli was inducted into the Cardinals Ring of Honor on October 14, 2007. An All-Rookie choice in 1969, Wehrli was voted

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

in 1970 and was a consensus All-NFC selection including being voted to the Pro Bowl. In 1971, Wehrli was 2nd team

by the NEA and again was a consensus All-NFC choice and was selected to his second Pro Bowl. In 1972 Wehrli was moved to safety by the Cardinals coaching staff where he played alongside Hall of Famer Larry Wilson. He returned to right cornerback in 1973. In 1974 Wehrli was again

and he made his third Pro Bowl and was a consensus All-NFC selection. The following year, 1975 though 1977, he was a consensus All-pro and consensus All-NFC player and a Pro Bowler. In 1978 Wehrli's only post-season honor was being honorable mention All-NFC by UPI as his Cardinal team struggled under new coach Bud Wilkinson. In 1979 Wehrli had a fine season and was a consensus All-NFC pick and made his seventh Pro Bowl. In 1981, after 12 seasons as right cornerback (except for 1972), Wehrli switched to the left side. In his first start at the other corner, he broke up two passes and made four tackles as the Cards shut out the Buffalo Bills, 24–0. In his 14 seasons, Wehrli played in 193 games. In addition to his starting defensive back duties, he was the holder on the place-kicks. In that role he scored a touchdown in 1982 on a fake field goal.

Statistics

References

External links