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Norm Bulaich

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Norm Bulaich
No. 36, 31
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1946-12-25) December 25, 1946 (age 77)
Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:La Marque (La Marque, Texas)
College:TCU
NFL draft:1970 / round: 1 / pick: 18
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:814
Rushing yards:3,362
Rushing TDs:30
Receptions:224
Receiving yards:1,766
Receiving TDs:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Norman Batton Bulaich (/ˈbuːlɑːʃ/ BOO-lahsh;[1] born December 25, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

Early life and football

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Bulaich went to La Marque High School in La Marque, Texas, in Galveston County.[2] As a high school senior in 1963, he was voted team captain of the football team. He was a Scholastic Magazine all-American, and was all-state and all district. The team went to the state semifinals. His number 23 jersey was retired and placed in the school's trophy case. He was known for sprinter's speed and long touchdown runs, but Bulaich was also the team's kicker, punter, and a safety on defense.[3][4]

Bulaich played college football at Texas Christian University, where he was an honorable mention all-American in 1969. He played in 30 games for TCU, rushing for 1,045 yards on 214 carries. He was selected as a member of the Texas Gridiron Legends class of 2018.[3][4][5]

Professional career

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After playing college football at Texas Christian University, Bulaich was selected in the first round (18th overall) in the 1970 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts,[5] for whom he wore number 36.[6]

In his rookie season, Bulaich started all 12 games, and rushed for 426 yards in 139 attempts. He was a member of the winning Colts team in Super Bowl V, carrying the ball 18 times. He carried the ball twice near the end of the game to set up the final winning field goal.[6] In his second year with the Colts, Bulaich rushed for 741 years on 152 attempts, to go along with 25 pass receptions for 229 yards, and 10 touchdowns.[5]

The 6'1", 217-pound running back/fullback held the Colts single-game rushing record, 198 yards against the New York Jets on September 19, 1971, until the 2000 season when Edgerrin James broke the record by rushing for 219 yards.[6][7] Later in that 1971 season, Bulaich was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.[5] He was also featured on the cover of the November 8, 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated.[1]

He was traded from the Colts to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 1973 fourth-round selection (83rd overall–Kansas lineman Gery Palmer) and a 1974 second-round pick (37th overall–Ed Shuttlesworth) on January 29, 1973.[8][9] Two years later he was traded to the Miami Dolphins, a team coached by future hall of fame and all-time winning head coach Don Shula.[10] Shula had been the Colts head coach when the Colts drafted Bulaich, who had been scouted by Upton Bell for the Colts.[11]

In 120 career games with the Colts (1970–72), Eagles (1973–74) and Miami Dolphins (1975–79), Bulaich rushed for 3,362 yards and 30 touchdowns with a 4.1 rushing average.[5] He also made 224 receptions for 1,766 yards and 41 touchdowns.[3][12]

Bulaich and concussions

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In 1974, Bulaich had been knocked unconscious when the Eagles played the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of the season (September 15, 1974[13]), suffering a concussion. Bulaich suffered a temporary memory loss that day, and during the next two games he had a similar experience on hits that were not as hard. Bulaich's style of running resulted in so many "dings", that an Eagles teammate called him "Paper Head". Bulaich came out of games over the years with concussion symptoms ("stars shooting out"), but had continued playing.[14]

The Eagles sent Bulaich to Duke University Hospital, where the doctor recommended rest so the injury could heal, comparing it to a bruise.[14] On October 6, 1974, Bulaich was cleared to play.[15] The team's athletic trainer, Otho Davis, who had also come from the Colts to the Eagles in 1973, created a helmet pad for Bulaich, putting extra padding on the ridge on the outside of the helmet's rear. Between the concussions and other physical issues, Bulaich's yardage fell by nearly 2/3 between 1973 and 1974, and he was traded at the end of the year.[14]

In August 1979, Shula was successful in convincing Bulaich to come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins as Larry Csonka's backup.[16] Bulaich ultimately retired from the Dolphins later in 1979, after a play in which his face was crushed in an on-field collision with opposing players, resulting in broken facial bones and being unconscious for five minutes. He underwent a three-hour surgery for the facial damage, and decided to end his career.[6][14]

Bulaich had brain scans in 2011 and 2012 that may have shown damage from the concussions, but was unsure at the time if forgetfulness he experienced was normal aging or the result of concussions.[14] Bulaich was one of the many former NFL players who were plaintiffs in lawsuits against the league for brain injuries.[17]

Later life

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Bulaich currently lives in Hurst, Texas, and worked as an executive for IESI-BFC Ltd., a waste management company, in Haltom City, Texas.[6][7]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1970 BAL 12 12 139 426 3.1 15 3 11 123 11.2 20 0
1971 BAL 13 12 152 741 4.9 67 8 25 229 9.2 30 2
1972 BAL 6 2 27 109 4.0 18 1 9 55 6.1 10 0
1973 PHI 14 14 106 436 4.1 20 1 42 403 9.6 80 3
1974 PHI 11 8 50 152 3.0 13 0 28 204 7.3 26 0
1975 MIA 14 1 78 309 4.0 30 5 32 276 8.6 59 5
1976 MIA 11 7 122 540 4.4 35 4 28 151 5.4 25 0
1977 MIA 14 7 91 416 4.6 29 4 25 180 7.2 14 0
1978 MIA 16 3 40 196 4.9 63 2 16 92 5.8 22 0
1979 MIA 9 0 9 37 4.1 9 2 8 53 6.6 13 1
120 66 814 3,362 4.1 67 30 224 1,766 7.9 80 11

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1970 BAL 3 3 65 215 3.3 13 2 1 5 5.0 5 0
1978 MIA 1 0 2 0 0.0 0 0 2 14 7.0 9 0
4 3 67 215 3.2 13 2 3 19 6.3 9 0

References

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  1. ^ a b Maule, Tex. "They Had Better Be Super," Sports Illustrated, November 8, 1971. Retrieved October 14, 2020
  2. ^ "History of La Marque | La Marque, TX - Official Website". ci.la-marque.tx.us. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Texas High School Football Hall of Fame Inductees: Norman Bulaich". www.texasfootball.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "TOUCHDOWN! LM'S BULAICH NAMED TO GRIDIRON LEGENDS CLASS OF 2018 – The Post Newspaper". August 8, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS TEXAS BOWL GRIDIRON LEGENDS CLASS OF 2018 ANNOUNCED - Texas Kickoff". www.texaskickoff.com. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Klingaman, Mike (December 15, 2011). "Catching Up With ... former Colts RB Norm Bulaich". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Buckel, Bob (November 2, 2013). "A sports legend, doing just fine in garbage". wcmessenger.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Wallace, William N. "Jets Get 2 Saints To Help Defense," The New York Times, Tuesday, January 30, 1973. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  9. ^ 1973 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 30 (Rounds 1–7) & 31 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 1, 2020
  10. ^ "Don Shula | Pro Football Hall of Fame | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  11. ^ Anderson, Dave (December 12, 1971). "Sports of the Times". New York Times.
  12. ^ "Norm Bulaich Bio". StatMuse. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Cardinals 7-3 Eagles (Sep 15, 1974) Box Score". StatMuse. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d e Fitzpatrick, Frank (December 25, 2012). "For former Eagle Norm Bulaich, history of concussions a worry". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  15. ^ "Sports News Brief". New York Times. October 7, 1974.
  16. ^ Wallace, William N. (August 29, 1979). "Bulaich Rejoins Dolphins to Back Csonka". New York Times.
  17. ^ "Rypien et al. v. National Football League, et al., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case number 2:2012cv01496".
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