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Creative Director
April 12, 2002
Loveable Biggs remembered for stellar JSU, NFL careers
By Mark Alexander
Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer
About six months before his death, Verlon Biggs reminisced about his stellar football career while looking at memorabilia and old newspaper clippings.
One accomplishment stood above all others for the Moss Point native - his 1990 induction into the Jackson State Athletic Hall of Fame.
"That was his crowning moment," said Dennis Biggs, Verlon's brother. "That meant so much to him. He loved it at Jackson State. He looked at the people there as part of his family."
One week from today, Biggs adds another jewel to his crown with his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Biggs is one of eight new inductees to be honored next Friday at the Vicksburg Convention Center.
It's a moment richly deserved by Biggs, a standout defensive lineman at JSU from 1961-65 and four-time Pro Bowler with the New York Jets. It's also a moment Biggs certainly would've embraced if he was still alive.
Biggs died of complications from leukemia in June 1994. He was 51.
"He was a great player," said former JSU and NFL standout Willie Richardson, a former teammate of Biggs' at JSU. "Back then, he was huge. And he had the speed to go with that size. He was one of the fastest linemen we had."
At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Biggs was indeed huge, with an appropriate last name. He was an imposing figure on and off the field.
"I remember the first time I saw him on campus. He was the biggest guy I had ever seen," said JSU sports publicist Sam Jefferson, then a freshman at JSU.
Biggs, the Jets' defensive player of the year for the 1968 season, was a starter for 11 of his 12 years in the NFL. He was the Pro Bowl MVP in 1966 and was named outstanding defensive player in the 1967 Pro Bowl.
Biggs played for New York from 1965-70, including the Jets' 16-7 Super Bowl III win over Baltimore in which quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" a Jets victory prior to the game.
He later signed with the Washington Redskins, where he played from 1971-75. He was a member of the 1973 Super Bowl VII Redskin team that lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
Biggs, who had a penchant for making big plays in big games, played in the infamous "Heidi" game when the Oakland Raiders beat the Jets in 1968. He also played in the first Monday Night football game in NFL history.
Those who knew Biggs describe him a loveable guy, a gentle giant of a man, a man who never got down or had a bad day.
"He enjoyed being with the team, and the guys liked him, too," Richardson said. "He joked around a lot. He was always teasing the other guys, playing pranks. He kept things loose."
When the Redskins arrived back at the airport in Washington following Super Bowl VII, Biggs, while waiting for his luggage, encountered a man who was visibly shaken over a recent death in the family.
Biggs reached in his bag, autographed his game jersey and gave it to the stranger.
"That was the kind of person Verlon was," Dennis Biggs said.
"He made everybody around him feel important."
That stayed true even after his his retirement from the NFL in 1976. He took up pro wrestling and was nicknamed "The Duke" during a seven-year wrestling career.
During that stint, Biggs once stopped at a New York truck stop for dinner. A man sitting next to him thought he recognized Biggs, but wanted to see Biggs' driver's license for proof. Sure enough, it was and the man asked Biggs for his autograph. Biggs, in turn, asked the man for his autograph. The two enjoyed a long laugh together.
"To know him was to like him," his brother said. "He made everybody around him feel important."
Loveable Biggs remembered for stellar JSU, NFL careers
By Mark Alexander
Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer
About six months before his death, Verlon Biggs reminisced about his stellar football career while looking at memorabilia and old newspaper clippings.
One accomplishment stood above all others for the Moss Point native - his 1990 induction into the Jackson State Athletic Hall of Fame.
"That was his crowning moment," said Dennis Biggs, Verlon's brother. "That meant so much to him. He loved it at Jackson State. He looked at the people there as part of his family."
One week from today, Biggs adds another jewel to his crown with his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Biggs is one of eight new inductees to be honored next Friday at the Vicksburg Convention Center.
It's a moment richly deserved by Biggs, a standout defensive lineman at JSU from 1961-65 and four-time Pro Bowler with the New York Jets. It's also a moment Biggs certainly would've embraced if he was still alive.
Biggs died of complications from leukemia in June 1994. He was 51.
"He was a great player," said former JSU and NFL standout Willie Richardson, a former teammate of Biggs' at JSU. "Back then, he was huge. And he had the speed to go with that size. He was one of the fastest linemen we had."
At 6-foot-4, 270 pounds, Biggs was indeed huge, with an appropriate last name. He was an imposing figure on and off the field.
"I remember the first time I saw him on campus. He was the biggest guy I had ever seen," said JSU sports publicist Sam Jefferson, then a freshman at JSU.
Biggs, the Jets' defensive player of the year for the 1968 season, was a starter for 11 of his 12 years in the NFL. He was the Pro Bowl MVP in 1966 and was named outstanding defensive player in the 1967 Pro Bowl.
Biggs played for New York from 1965-70, including the Jets' 16-7 Super Bowl III win over Baltimore in which quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" a Jets victory prior to the game.
He later signed with the Washington Redskins, where he played from 1971-75. He was a member of the 1973 Super Bowl VII Redskin team that lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.
Biggs, who had a penchant for making big plays in big games, played in the infamous "Heidi" game when the Oakland Raiders beat the Jets in 1968. He also played in the first Monday Night football game in NFL history.
Those who knew Biggs describe him a loveable guy, a gentle giant of a man, a man who never got down or had a bad day.
"He enjoyed being with the team, and the guys liked him, too," Richardson said. "He joked around a lot. He was always teasing the other guys, playing pranks. He kept things loose."
When the Redskins arrived back at the airport in Washington following Super Bowl VII, Biggs, while waiting for his luggage, encountered a man who was visibly shaken over a recent death in the family.
Biggs reached in his bag, autographed his game jersey and gave it to the stranger.
"That was the kind of person Verlon was," Dennis Biggs said.
"He made everybody around him feel important."
That stayed true even after his his retirement from the NFL in 1976. He took up pro wrestling and was nicknamed "The Duke" during a seven-year wrestling career.
During that stint, Biggs once stopped at a New York truck stop for dinner. A man sitting next to him thought he recognized Biggs, but wanted to see Biggs' driver's license for proof. Sure enough, it was and the man asked Biggs for his autograph. Biggs, in turn, asked the man for his autograph. The two enjoyed a long laugh together.
"To know him was to like him," his brother said. "He made everybody around him feel important."