J. D. Hill (born October 30, 1948) is an American former professional player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Arizona State University.[1] He was the first wide receiver selected in the 1971 NFL Draft at 4th in the first round by the Bills.[2][3] His son, Lonzell Hill, also played wide receiver in the NFL. Another son, Shelby Hill, was a wide receiver for Syracuse University.
In 2014 Hill and seven other players were named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NFL. It alleges he, and more than 400 others were illegally given narcotics to mask the pain so they could play in games. "I became addicted and turned to the streets after my career and was homeless. Never took a drug in my life, and I became a junkie in the NFL" he said. [4]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1971 | BUF | 5 | 5 | 11 | 216 | 19.6 | 47 | 2 |
| 1972 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 52 | 754 | 14.5 | 58 | 5 |
| 1973 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 29 | 422 | 14.6 | 42 | 0 |
| 1974 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 32 | 572 | 17.9 | 55 | 6 |
| 1975 | BUF | 14 | 13 | 36 | 667 | 18.5 | 77 | 7 |
| 1976 | DET | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | DET | 11 | 11 | 24 | 247 | 10.3 | 23 | 1 |
| 73 | 72 | 185 | 2,880 | 15.6 | 77 | 21 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1974 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 20 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 20 | 0 | ||
References
- ^ J.D. Hill Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine databasefootball.com
- ^ Wallace, William N. "Patriots Choose Plunkett as No. 1 in College Draft, Spurning Trade Offers," The New York Times, Friday, January 29, 1971. Retrieved November 2, 2020
- ^ 1971 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, January 28 (Rounds 1–7) & 29 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 2, 2020
- ^ "Ex-NFL players allege league illegally supplied them with drugs". CBS News. 20 May 2014.