Minnesota Vikings Rentzel was selected by the
Minnesota Vikings in the second round (23rd overall) of the
1965 NFL draft. He was also selected in the sixth round (48th overall) of the
1965 AFL draft by the
Buffalo Bills. Rentzel played sparingly as a backup
running back due to recurring injuries and his contributions came mainly as a
kickoff returner during his first two seasons. Rentzel set the record for the longest
kickoff return (101 yards) in franchise history as a rookie, which was broken by
Aundrae Allison's 104-yarder in
2007 and
Cordarrelle Patterson's 109-yarder in
2013. In
1966, Rentzel played in only nine games due to ankle injuries. He averaged 20.1 yards on nine kickoff returns and caught two passes for 10 yards.
Dallas Cowboys 1967 season On May 2, 1967, Rentzel was traded to the
Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a third-round draft choice (#76-Mike McGill). Rentzel was converted into a
flanker, where he became not only an immediate starter over
Pete Gent but also one of the best wideouts in the
NFL. Rentzel led the team in receptions with 58 for 996 yards (two yards less than
Bob Hayes). If Rentzel had gotten four more yards and Hayes two more, it would have been the first time in NFL history that a team had two 1,000-yard
wide receivers. In the tenth game of the season against the
Washington Redskins, Rentzel had 13 receptions for 233 yards. His 13 receptions set a franchise record and stood for 40 years until it was broken by
Jason Witten in 2007. The 233 yards were good enough for third on the team at the time (now sixth). Rentzel also starred in the
1967 NFL Championship, known since as the "Ice Bowl", scoring a fourth-quarter, go-ahead
touchdown later negated by the Packers' game-clinching drive.
1968 and 1969 seasons In
1968, Rentzel led the Cowboys in receptions (54) and receiving yards (1,009) with an 18.7-yard average and five
touchdowns. Also that year, Rentzel recorded a one-off single, "Lookin' Like Somethin' That Ain't" b/w "Beyond Love" on
Columbia Records; the record managed to make the charts at
WKY radio in
Oklahoma City, but was not a national hit. In
1969, Rentzel led the Cowboys in receptions (43), receiving yards (960), and average receiving yards (22.3). He also tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns scored (13) in 1969.
1970 season In
1970, Rentzel was leading the team in receiving yards, when he was arrested for
exposing himself to a 10-year-old girl. At the time the accusation was made, the press revealed a nearly forgotten incident that happened when Rentzel was charged with
exposing himself to two young girls in
St. Paul in September 1966, and pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of disorderly conduct. He was not sentenced to jail, but merely ordered to seek psychiatric care. Because of the nationwide reaction and publicity from the scandal, Rentzel's wife, singer and actress
Joey Heatherton, divorced him shortly thereafter. Rentzel asked the Cowboys to place him on the inactive list so that he could devote his time to settling his personal affairs. Rentzel missed the last three games of the regular season, including the Cowboys' playoff drive to its narrow
Super Bowl V loss to the
Baltimore Colts. He finished the 1970 season with 28 receptions (second on the team) for 556 yards (second on the team) and five
touchdowns.
Los Angeles Rams On May 19, 1971, Rentzel was traded to the
Los Angeles Rams in exchange for
tight end Billy Truax and wide receiver
Wendell Tucker. Head coach
Tom Landry said after the trade, "We know we are giving up on one of the top flankers in the league, but I thought he would be better off in another city where he had the same opportunity regularly. We found this in Los Angeles, and it was one of the teams Lance wanted to be traded to if he were traded." Although he spent only four seasons with the Cowboys, Rentzel left as the team's fourth all-time wide receiver in addition to other franchise records: • Most receptions in a game (13 in 1967), which was broken by
Jason Witten twice (15 in
2007 and 18 in
2012). • Most consecutive 100-yard receiving games (three), until
Michael Irvin passed him in
1995 with four. • Still fourth for most receiving touchdowns in a season (12). • Still fourth for most career postseason receiving yards (242). Rentzel led the Rams in receptions (38) in
1971, but was never able to regain his previous level of play. In October
1972, he was the subject of a lengthy feature article in
Sport Magazine written by Gary Cartwright. That same year, Rentzel wrote
When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow, about his professional football experiences and personal life. In
1973, while on probation for the indecent exposure charge, Rentzel was suspended indefinitely by the
NFL at the start of the
1973 season for conduct detrimental to the league after being convicted for possession of marijuana. He was reinstated in
1974 after a ten-month suspension. Rentzel was one of three men credited with inspiring the eccentricities that surround Media Day at the
Super Bowl. In January 1975,
Sport Magazine editor
Dick Schaap hired Rentzel and teammate
Fred Dryer to cover
Super Bowl IX. Donning costumes inspired by
The Front Page, "Cubby O'Switzer" (Rentzel) and "Scoops Brannigan" (Dryer) peppered players and coaches from both the Minnesota Vikings and
Pittsburgh Steelers with questions that ranged from the
clichéd to the downright absurd. Rentzel humorously explained, "We're here to ask the dumbest questions we can and to mooch as much food and beer as we possibly can."
Retirement On August 27, 1975, Rentzel was placed on waivers, effectively ending his career. After playing in nine NFL seasons, Rentzel accumulated 268 receptions for 4,826 yards and 38 receiving touchdowns to go along with 26 carries for 196 yards and two rushing touchdowns as well as 80 returns for 1,000 return yards and a touchdown, a touchdown from a fumble recovery, and a perfect
passer rating of 158.3 by completing his lone pass attempt for a 58-yard touchdown. ==NFL career statistics==