John Richard Arnold (born October 5, 1955) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He attended the University of Wyoming and played with the Detroit Lions in 1979 and 1980.
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 5, 1955 Shizuoka, Japan | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Parkland (WA) Washington | ||||||||
| College: | Wyoming | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1979 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Arnold was born in Shizuoka, Japan, the son of an American serviceman and Japanese woman.[1][2] Arnold played college football at Wyoming. Before his junior season, three fingers on his left hand were severed after an accident during his offseason job at a lumber processing plant in Seattle, Washington on July 27, 1977. His fingers were sewed back on, but Arnold missed the 1977 season.[3][4][5]
He signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Lions in the spring of 1979.[6][7] He was released before the start of the regular season. By October 31, he was re-signed by the team after an injury to fellow wide receiver Luther Blue.[7] He was waived by Detroit before the 1981 season began.[8]
In March 1982, Arnold was awarded $400,000 in damages by a superior court for the injuries he sustained in 1977 that resulted in the loss of his fingers, with Arnold's attorneys arguing the injury cost the player a high spot in the National Football League Draft.[9]
References
edit- ^ Luebker, Earl (September 16, 1981). "State grads go to NFL". The News Tribune. p. 20. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Furman Bisher (October 6, 1980). "Detroit has a new model but it stalls". The Atlanta Journal. p. 43. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pokes lose Arnold". Casper Star-Tribune. July 26, 1977. p. 9. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Poke plies positive power". Casper Star-Tribune. May 9, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mossman, John (August 31, 1978). "Wyoming grid coach makes no predictions". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 50. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Detroit signs John Arnold". The News Tribune. June 6, 1979. p. 22. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Associated Press (November 1, 1979). "State grads go to NFL". Standard-Speaker. p. 23. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Transactions". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 1, 1981. p. 32. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Churchill, Marlowe (March 12, 1982). "Football player scores $400,000 for hand injury suffered in plywood mill". The News Tribune. p. 3. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
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