Gene Mingo
The first black field goal kicker in professional football,
Gene Mingo was a very versatile player: he played several positions including halfback, kicker, and kickoff/punt returner. In 1960 he had the first punt return for a touchdown for the
Denver Broncos in the
American Football League. That touchdown won the first-ever American Football League game, as the Broncos defeated the
Boston Patriots. Mingo also scored the first points in Mile High Stadium, then called Bears Stadium, with an 18-yard field goal. He led the American Football League in scoring as a rookie in 1960 with 123 points and in 1962 with 137 points. He also played for the
Oakland Raiders and the
Miami Dolphins. A member of the
American Football League Hall of Fame.
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