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  Legend of the Game

 

Joe Peyton II

Wide Receiver

Fort Lewis Rangers / Seattle Rangers

(1959-61, 1967-1969)

When Lafa Lane signed Joe Peyton to the Rangers after a stellar career at the University of Puget Sound, Joe wasn't an unknown commodity to the semi-pro world in the Northwest.  An eight-year Army veteran, Peyton left his mark in Tacoma athletics as well as Fort Lewis over his lifetime.

Joe was a kid in the military, originally from Monticello, Mississippi, when he got his first taste of semi pro football as a 6'1" wide receiver for the Fort Lewis Rangers in 1961 helping lead the soldiers to victories over the Seattle Cavaliers and Tacoma Tyees and tight loses to the legendary Seattle Ramblers.   Peyton caught all four touchdown passes in the season opener against the Cavaliers setting a then-record for TD receptions in a game.  Peyton finished as the Ranger leader in scoring with eight scores on the season.  Joe also starred on the hardwood for two seasons with Fort Lewis as an outstanding shooting guard.

Following his stint in the military he enrolled at UPS where he earned 11 varsity letters in football, basketball and track.  An injury kept him from a 12th letter when he suffered a double-leg fracture his junior season.  He was All-Evergreen in all three sports and the Pacific Coast High Jump champion and is considered the best pass receiver in Logger history.  Over his UPS career he caught 116 passes from 9 different quarterbacks for 1,614 yards and 14 touchdowns.  In his final collegiate game, the 30-year old caught 14 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns...the finest single-game performance in league history at the time.

As a Seattle Ranger, Joe set team highs with 56 catches, 664 yards and 5 TD's as a 31-year old rookie.  He set a record of 14 receptions in one game and was rewarded by the Continental Football League with a Western Conference All-Star selection as well as being voted a CFL All-Pro, a title he would carry for two more years as the 6'2" 200 lb receiver earned All-Pro in '67, '68 and '69.

In July of 1968, Joe was hired to coach Track & Field at UPS where he spent 29-years.  His work earned him election into the NAIA National Hall of Fame in 1996, the UPS Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Tacoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.  His UPS Hall of Fame induction was 23 years after he had already been inducted as a player and now found himself at the podium as a coaching legend.

The Joe Peyton Invitational Track & Field meet takes place annually and Peyton Field was constructed for football, soccer and women's lacrosse and dedicated to Peyton on April 29, 2003.

Joe was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away July 2, 2003

 

Aerial View of Peyton Field, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington

 

1959 - All Army Football Honors (Fort Lewis 4th Infantry Trains)

1961 Fort Lewis Rangers Scoring Leader (8 touchdown receptions)

1961 - All Army Football Honors (Fort Lewis Rangers)

1963 All-Evergreen League - University of Puget Sound

1964 All-Evergreen League - University of Puget Sound

1966 Associated Press Little All-American - University of Puget Sound

Dec 14, 1966 - University of Puget Sound Joe Peyton Day

1967 Continental League All-Pro (Seattle Rangers)

1968 Continental League All-Pro (Seattle Rangers)

1969 Continental League All-Pro (Seattle Rangers)

1976 University of Puget Sound Hall of Fame (Player)

1996 NAIA Hall of Fame

1999 University of Puget Sound Hall of Fame (Coach)

2005 Tacoma Sports Hall of Fame

 

 

 

 

   

 

 
 
 
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