Dicky Moegle

Who is Dicky Moegle?

Richard Lee "Dickey" Maegle is a former professional American football running back and defensive back in the National Football League for seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys.

Maegle played college football at Rice University, where he was an All-American. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

In the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic against Alabama, Maegle was involved in one of college football's most famous plays. With Rice leading 7-6, Maegle broke through on a sweep from Rice's five-yard line, and was running down the sideline in front of Alabama's bench on his way to a touchdown. Alabama's Tommy Lewis, without putting on his helmet, jumped off the bench and tackled Maegle. Seeing what happened, referee Cliff Shaw awarded the touchdown, and Rice went on to win the game. Maegle finished with 265 rushing yards, which was a Cotton Bowl Classic record until the 2008 game when Missouri RB Tony Temple rushed for 281 yards.

During his playing days, the running back's last name was spelled "Moegle". Because it was constantly mispronounced, several years later he changed his name to "Maegle" to be more phonetically correct.