In 1968 and 1969, Arizona football player Ron Gardin set a record that stands 56 years later: He led the UA in receiving in 1968 (892 yards) and a year later led the UA in rushing (759 yards). No other UA football player of the modern era has led the Wildcats in both rushing and receiving.
Gardin
In a three-year NFL career, Gardin was also the first of 31 UA football players to play in a Super Bowl (Super Bowl 5, Baltimore Colts), 1972.
Sadly, Gardin, 80, died last week at an assisted living facility in Phoenix. He suffered from CTE, among other health issues. The CTE is believed to be related to his career as a football player.
Gardin spent most of his post-NFL days in Tucson, working for the Parks and Recreation Department. He also worked for the NFL for almost 10 years as a game-day uniform inspector. Gardin also became president of the NFL Retired Players Association.
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Ron Gardin, recreation coordinator at the Marty Birdman Center, conducts a game of kickball on Aug. 23, 2004.
Originally from Connecticut, Gardin spent three years as an Army paratrooper before enrolling at an Oklahoma junior college, where he was spotted and recruited by UA coach Darrell Mudra. Gardin was an All-WAC first team selection in 1968.
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