Paul Lowe

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Paul Lowe
Date of birth	September 27, 1936 (1936-09-27) (age 71)
Place of birth	Homer, Louisiana
Position(s)	Halfback
College	Oregon State
AFL Draft	1960 / Round : Free Agent
Jersey Number	23
Career highlights
TSN All-AFL	1960, 1965
AFL All-Star	1960, 1963, 1965
Awards	1965 UPI, TSN AFL MVP
Honors	American Football League Champion, 1963 All-Time All-AFL Team Chargers Hall of Fame
Records	AFL All-time Rushing Avg, 4.89 yd/carry
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Teams
1960 1961-1968 1968-1969	AFL Los Angeles Chargers AFL San Diego Chargers AFL Kansas City Chiefs

Paul Edward Lowe (born September 27, 1936 in Homer, Louisiana) is a retired American football running back who played for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League from 1960 to 1969.

1 College career
2 Professional career
3 Legacy
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] College career

Lowe attend Oregon State University and played football for the Beavers under legendary coach Tommy Prothro.

[edit] Professional career

After graduating from Oregon State University, Lowe played for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1959 pre-season. However, Lowe was unable to make the team and was released before the regular season began. He returned to Los Angeles, California to get a job to support his wife. He took a job in the mailroom for the Carte Blanche Credit Card Corporation, owned by the Hilton family.^[1]

In 1960, Barron Hilton, son of famed hotel magnet Conrad Hilton, was the owner of the Los Angeles Chargers, a start-up team in the newly formed American Football League. The Chargers General Manager, Frank Leahy, asked Lowe to come out to the Chargers training camp on the basis of his talents at Oregon State a few years back. Lowe joined the Chargers as a free agent. He returned his first touch of the football in the AFL for a 105-yard touchdown in the Chargers' first-ever exhibition game and led the team in rushing with 855 yards on 136 carries (6.3 yard average) and also had 23 receptions for 377 yards. In 1961, Lowe had the Chargers' longest run from scrimmage with an 87-yard run, a record that still stands today.^[1]

Lowe was the UPI and Sporting News American Football League MVP in 1965 with 1,121 yards rushing (14-game schedule). He was also a three-time all-American Football League selection. Lowe set a pro football record with six games in which he gained 100 or more yards on 14 or fewer carries. He has the AFL's all-time highest rushing average, at 4.89 yd/carry, and his career rushing total of 4,995 yards is second best all-time in the AFL. He is also one of only twenty players who were in the AFL for its entire ten-year existence.

[edit] Legacy

In 1970, the Pro Football Hall of Fame named Lowe as a halfback on the All-Time All-AFL Team. In 1979, the San Diego inducted him into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame. Lowe remains in San Diego to this day and supports his team as a season ticket holder.^[1]