Elbert Dubenion
Quick Facts
Biography
Elbert Dubenion (born February 16, 1933), nicknamed "Duby" or "Golden Wheels", was an American football wide receiver. He played college football for Bluffton College (now Bluffton University) in northwest Ohio.
As a rookie for the American Football League's Buffalo Bills in 1960, DuBenion had seven touchdowns and 752 receiving yards on 42 catches, a 17.9 yd/catch average. He ran 16 times for 94 yards and a touchdown, a 5.6 yd/carry average. In 1961, facing tighter and deeper coverages, he upped his production as a runner, rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries, a 10.3 yd/carry average. He had 31 catches for 461 yards and six touchdowns.
In 1964, Duby had one of the most sensational seasons of any receiver in pro football history, scoring 10 touchdowns among his 42 receptions for 1,139 yards, while collecting 27.1 yards per catch. In nine seasons, he totalled 296 receptions for 5,424 yards and 36 TDs for a career average of 18.3 yd/catch, and rushed for 360 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries, a career average of seven yds/carry. When Wray Carlton was released by the Bills on September 2, 1968, it made Dubenion the last player from the Bills original roster in 1960 to still be with the club.
Dubenion ranks seventh all-time in the AFL in receptions and reception yardage. He holds the record for the longest reception in AFL playoff history, a 93-yd touchdown reception from quarterback Daryle Lamonica against the Boston Patriots in 1963. He is a 1993 inductee of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and his number 44 is officially in "reduced circulation," meaning although it is not officially retired, current players cannot wear the number out of deference to Dubenion.