Charley Tolar

Tolar and his twin sister were born on September 5, 1937, in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track at Natchitoches High School. As a running back on the football team, he was named All-District and All-North Louisiana three consecutive years; and was named All-State twice. As a senior in 1954, he led the state in scoring with 130 points and ran for a state-record 1,897 yards and 23 touchdowns. ==College career==

Tolar originally signed to attend Louisiana State University, but then transferred to attend Northwestern State University of Louisiana in his hometown. == Professional career ==

Tolar was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 27th round of the 1959 NFL draft, 319th overall. The Steelers released him before the start of the 1959 NFL season, but six months later he signed with the Houston Oilers in the first year of the American Football League's (AFL) existence. Oilers owner Bud Adams had seen Tolar play in a 1959 pre-season game between the Steelers and Chicago Bears in 1959 held in Houston, and Tolar made a lasting impression on Adams. Tolar's height and weight have been variously listed as 5 ft 6 in, 220 lb., and 5 ft 6 in and "perhaps 210 pounds", Houston owner Bud Adams said "The defensive players couldn't see him about half the time because he ran so low to the ground". and receiver Charley Hennigan, who had been Tolar's teammate at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Tolar was a reserve fullback behind Smith. He gained 179 yards on 54 carries, with three touchdowns. In 1961, Tolar became the starting fullback ahead of Smith after Smith suffered a knee injury and never regained his form. Tolar rushed for 577 yards in 157 carries, with four rushing touchdowns. He also had 24 receptions for 219 yards and a receiving touchdown. He was named to the AFL All-Star game in 1961. He was named second-team All-AFL by the AFL and United Press International (UPI). Oilers coach Lou Rymkus considered Tolar his best all-around running back, running and blocking. 1962 was Tolar's best season. He led the AFL with 244 rushing attempts, and had a total of 1,012 yards rushing with seven rushing touchdowns, both third best in the AFL. He also caught 30 passes for 251 yards and a receiving touchdown. He was again selected to play in the AFL All-Star game and was named second-team All-AFL by the Associated Press (AP) and UPI. The Oilers named him the team's most valuable offensive back. Tolar led the Oilers in rushing in 1963 with 659 yards on 194 carries. He also had 41 receptions for 275 yards, but the Oilers fell to 6–8. In 1964, he had 515 yards on 139 carries, and was second in rushing on the Oilers to All-Star halfback Sid Blanks (756 yards). Tolar started 14 games a year every year from 1961 to 1964, but in 1965 he played in only 11 games, starting 10. He had only 73 carries for 230 yards, with the lowest rushing average (3.2 yards per carry) of his career to date. As a team, the Oilers fell to 4–10 in 1964, and had the same record in 1965. In 1966 he started 10 games, but had only 46 carries for 105 yards (2.3 yards per carry). After suffering knee injuries, he retired before the 1967 season. He finished his career with 3,277 rushing yards and 175 catches. After finishing his career, he worked as a scout for the Oilers for the next three years, but stopped because of the considerable travel required by the job. ==AFL career statistics==

Regular season Playoffs == Legacy and honors ==

Tolar was named to the Oilers' 30th Anniversary Dream Team chosen by fans in 1989, In 1974, he was inducted into the Northwestern State University of Louisiana's N-Club Hall of Fame. In 1991, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. In January 1963, the Natchitoches Athletic Club sponsored "Charley Tolar Day" in Natchitoches. This included a parade and early school closure so children could attend the parade, as well as a banquet with over 300 attendees. Tolar's teammate and former Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon was the main speaker at the banquet, which also included the mayor, the president of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, and his high school, college and professional coaches. Tolar also was honored by Governor Jimmy Davis, who commissioned Tolar a colonel. == Personal life and death ==

By the time he was 25, Tolar had married Barbara Wesson, and they had three daughters, ages 5½, three and 1½. ==References==