Preston Carpenter

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Preston Carpenter
Date of birth	January 24, 1934 (1934-01-24) (age 74)
Place of birth	Hayti, Missouri
Position(s)	TE, HB, WR, KR
College	Arkansas
NFL Draft	1956 / Round 1 / Pick 13
Jersey Number	40,89
Career highlights
Pro Bowl	1962
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference NFL.com DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1956-1959 1960-1963 1964-1966 1966 1967	NFL Cleveland Browns NFL Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Washington Redskins NFL Minnesota Vikings AFL Miami Dolphins

Verda Preston Carpenter (born January 24, 1934 in Hayti, Missouri) is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver, tight end, running back and special teams for twelve seasons for five different teams in the National Football League and the American Football League. He played college football at the University of Arkansas. A first-round draft choice in 1956, he was selected by the reigning NFL champion Cleveland Browns, who picked thirteenth. The Browns used him primarily as a halfback in his rookie year, when he gained 756 yards on 188 carries while averaging 25.4 yds/touch on 15 kickoff returns. In 1957-1959, he was used mainly as a receiver, where in four years he accrued 1,366 yards and 5 tds. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, in his first year he also averaged over 25 yds/touch on kickoff returns, and from 1960 through 1963 with Pitsburgh, he picked up another 1,680 yards and 11 TDs on receptions, making the NFL Pro Bowl in 1962. From 1964 through 1966 with the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, he gained another 1,281 yards and 7 TDs receiving. He completed his Pro Football career with the American Football League's Miami Dolphins in 1967. His career record includes a combined 6,253 receiving, rushing, and return yards, with a 25.9 yds/touch career average on kickoff returns, and a total of 24 tds: 23 rushing and one receiving.