# John Gilliam

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Not to be confused with [Jon Gilliam](/source/Jon_Gilliam).

**John Rally Gilliam** (born August 7, 1945) is an American former professional [football](/source/American_football) player who was a [wide receiver](/source/Wide_receiver) in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL). He has owned a number of businesses, and for two years he worked for a radio station in Atlanta. He has made his home in Atlanta since 1968. His wife Fannie is an attorney, and they have four children.[1][2]

## Life and career

Gilliam attended Brewer High School in [Greenwood, South Carolina](/source/Greenwood,_South_Carolina), then played college football at [South Carolina State University](/source/South_Carolina_State_University),[3] from which he graduated with a degree in biology. While in college he also lettered in track and was clocked in the 100 yard dash in 9.5 seconds, four tenths of a second off the world record at the time.[4] He was drafted in the second round by the expansion [New Orleans Saints](/source/New_Orleans_Saints). He played his first two seasons in New Orleans, and then had stints with the [St. Louis Cardinals](/source/St._Louis_Cardinals_(NFL)) from 1969 to 1971, the [Minnesota Vikings](/source/Minnesota_Vikings) from 1972 to 1975, the [Atlanta Falcons](/source/Atlanta_Falcons) in 1976, and brief stints with the [Chicago Bears](/source/Chicago_Bears) and back in New Orleans for 1977. Gilliam played in 2 Super Bowls with the Vikings, [Super Bowl VIII](/source/Super_Bowl_VIII) and [Super Bowl IX](/source/Super_Bowl_IX). He was elected to the [Pro Bowl](/source/Pro_Bowl) all four years while he was with Minnesota.[\[1\]](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/GillJo01.htm)

In [1972](/source/1972_NFL_season), Gilliam led the NFL in yards per catch (22) and finished 2nd in receiving yards (1,035) and receiving yards per game (73.9). In [1973](/source/1973_NFL_season), he again finished 2nd in receiving yards (907) and receiving yards per game (64.8) and was named 1st Team [All-Pro](/source/All-Pro) by the [Newspaper Enterprise Association](/source/Newspaper_Enterprise_Association) (NEA) and 2nd Team All-Pro by the [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) (AP) and the [Pro Football Writers Association](/source/Pro_Football_Writers_of_America) (PFWA). He was also named 1st Team All-NFC by [The Sporting News](/source/The_Sporting_News) and [UPI](/source/United_Press_International) in 1973.

He is famous for returning the opening kickoff 94 yards in the Saints' inaugural game in [1967](/source/1967_NFL_season) against the [Los Angeles Rams](/source/Los_Angeles_Rams) for their first touchdown in franchise history. In Super Bowl VIII, Gilliam returned the second half kickoff 65 yards to the Miami 34, but a clipping penalty wiped out almost all the yardage. One play in Super Bowl IX also resulted in Gilliam colliding with then-[NFL Films](/source/NFL_Films) cameraman (later president) [Steve Sabol](/source/Steve_Sabol).

Gilliam played with the [Chicago Winds](/source/Chicago_Winds) of the [WFL](/source/World_Football_League) in 1975, catching 20 passes for 390 yards, 19.5 average and 2 touchdowns. The Winds folded after 5 games and Gilliam returned to the Vikings in time for the 1975 season. He signed with the Falcons as a free agent before the 1976 season.[5] The Falcons waived him after one season and he signed with the Bears for the 1977 season.[6] The Bears waived him after 2 games and he signed with the Saints for the remainder of the 1977 season.[7]

John was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame in 2023.[8]

## NFL career statistics

Legend Led the league Bold Career high

### Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1967 NOR 13 2 22 264 12.0 35 1 1968 NOR 14 4 24 284 11.8 39 0 1969 STL 14 14 52 997 19.2 84 9 1970 STL 14 14 45 952 21.2 79 5 1971 STL 14 14 42 837 19.9 54 3 1972 MIN 14 14 47 1,035 22.0 66 7 1973 MIN 14 14 42 907 21.6 54 8 1974 MIN 14 14 26 578 22.2 80 5 1975 MIN 14 14 50 777 15.5 46 7 1976 ATL 14 14 21 292 13.9 49 2 1977 CHI 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 NOR 10 8 11 133 12.1 23 1 151 126 382 7,056 18.5 84 48

### Playoffs

Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1973 MIN 3 3 8 143 17.9 54 3 1974 MIN 3 3 5 103 20.6 38 2 1975 MIN 1 1 1 15 15.0 15 0 7 7 14 261 18.6 54 5

## References

1. John DeShazier, ["Where are they now? John Gilliam, New Orleans Saints receiver-returner"](http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-deshazier/Where-are-they-now-John-Gilliam-New-Orleans-Saints-receiver-returner/7a556d52-f8ca-4d4d-a15a-0246370ab081) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170810075906/http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-deshazier/Where-are-they-now-John-Gilliam-New-Orleans-Saints-receiver-returner/7a556d52-f8ca-4d4d-a15a-0246370ab081) 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, [NewOrleansSaints.com](/source/New_Orleans_Saints), March 17, 2014.

1. Gene Sapakoff, ["Very first Saints’ TD was made by S.C. State grad John Gilliam"](http://thetandd.com/sports/bulldogzone/very-first-saints-td-was-made-by-s-c-state/article_2d18949a-217d-5745-b229-fffadccc3d97.html), *[The Post and Courier](/source/The_Post_and_Courier)* reprinted in *[The Times and Democrat](/source/The_Times_and_Democrat)*, February 4, 2010.

1. [" SC State Alumnus featured in AT&T 20th Anniversary Edition Calendar"](http://www.scsu.edu/news_article.aspx?news_id=660), [South Carolina State University](/source/South_Carolina_State_University), October 9, 2008.

1. Great Moments in Pro Football, by Bill Gutman

1. ["John Gilliam signs with Falcons"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111547752/the-daily-news-leader/). *Daily News Leader*. May 6, 1976. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-10-18. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Heisman winners axed in final NFL cutdown"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111547108/chillicothe-gazette/). *Chillicothe Gazette*. September 15, 1977. p. 17. Retrieved 2022-10-18. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["John Gilliam returns to New Orleans Saints"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111548030/sun-herald/). *Sun Herald*. October 7, 1977. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-10-18. – via newspapers.com.

1. Newswire, HBCU Gameday (2023-04-20). ["SC State legend John Gilliam get inducted in SC Football Hall"](https://hbcugameday.com/2023/04/20/sc-state-legend-john-gilliam-get-inducted-in-sc-football-hall/). *HBCU Gameday*. Retrieved 2023-04-24.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Gilliam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilliam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilliam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.