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
