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Roy Jefferson isn’t well-remembered today, but he was one of the top receivers at the start of the Super Bowl era. Jefferson was a second round pick of both the Steelers and Chargers in 1965, back when the leagues held separate drafts. Jefferson chose to sign with Pittsburgh, and in his second season, he led the NFL with a 24.1 yards per reception average. In 1968, Jefferson led the NFL in receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns, one behind Paul Warfield for the lead. Jefferson matched his production the next year and was a unanimous first-team All-Pro selection. But for Jefferson, personal glory was the only success he would see in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers went just 7-33-2 from ’67 to ’69.

Jefferson’s 1969 performance was interesting for another reason. He gained 44% of his team’s receiving yards, and since then, only a few other players have reached that mark:

PlayerYearTeamRecYdsTDPerc
Ken Burrough1975HOU531063851%
Steve Smith2005CAR10315631245%
Santana Moss2005WAS841483944%
Paul Warfield1971MIA439961144%
Jimmy Smith1999JAX1161636644%
Roy Jefferson1969PIT671079944%
David Boston2001ARI981598844%
Yancey Thigpen1997PIT791398743%
Isaac Bruce1995STL11917811343%
Steve Smith2008CAR781421643%
Harold Carmichael1978PHI551072843%
Michael Irvin1995DAL11116031043%
Cliff Branch1974OAK6010921343%
Isaac Bruce1996STL841338743%
Lee Evans2006BUF821292842%
Dick Gordon1970CHI7110261342%
Anquan Boldin2003ARI1011377842%
Rod Smith2001DEN11313431142%
Sterling Sharpe1992GNB10814611342%
Michael Irvin1991DAL931523842%

As Steelers fans know, 1969 was a key year in the franchise’s history. It was Chuck Noll’s first season, and his first draft selection was Joe Greene. After finishing with the league’s worst record in 1969, Pittsburgh won the rights to draft Terry Bradshaw. On the field, Jefferson was the best player in Noll’s first season. But that doesn’t mean Noll and Jefferson got along.

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