Rice Mourns The Passing of Buddy Dial
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 1, 2008
Statement from Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney on the Death of Buddy Dial
Buddy Dial, one of the stars of Rice's last Cotton Bowl team and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, passed away on Friday after a lengthy illness.
Dial, 71, earned All American honors as a receiver for the Owls from 1956-58. He earned Sophomore Lineman of the Year honors from the Southwest Conference as a sophomore after catching 21 passes, including five for touchdowns. He caught another 21 passes, averaging 24 yards per catch, while earned all SWC honors as a junior and leading the Owls to a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
He was named the winner of the George Martin Award as team MVP in 1958 and was a consensus All American selection. The Columbus Touchdown Club named him College Lineman of the Year.
Dial finished his Rice career with 61 career catches and 13 touchdowns, which matched Froggy Williams school record. He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1959 NFL Draft, but was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to the start of the season.
He went on to play for eight seasons in the NFL, five with the Steelers and three with the Dallas Cowboys, finishing his career in 1966 with 261 receptions, 5436 yards and 44 touchdowns.
His best season came in 1963 for the Steelers, when he caught 60 passes for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns while earning All Pro honors for the second time. He was also named All Pro in 1960, when led the league by averaging 24.3 yards and scoring nine times on 40 catches. His average per catch ranks as the 18th highest single-season total in NFL history.
A native of Ponca City, Oklahoma, Dial returned to the Houston area after his retirement from the NFL in 1967. He made his home in Tomball and was an active speaker for civic, church and charity events in addition to his business interests.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Klein Funeral Home in Magnolia. Burial will be at Klein Cemetery.