Guido Albert Merkens Jr. (born August 14, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, punter and defensive back for 10 seasons for the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
No. 29, 12, 26, 19 | |||||||
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Position: | Quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, punter, return specialist | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | August 14, 1955||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Edison (San Antonio) | ||||||
College: | Sam Houston State | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1977 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Merkens was a 1973 graduate of Edison High School in San Antonio. He then played college football at both quarterback and defensive back for the Sam Houston Bearkats. His versatility became a hallmark of his professional career.[1] In his first two seasons in the NFL, he was primarily a punt return specialist. During his tenure with the Saints, he served as the third-string quarterback, holder for field goals and special teams player; with occasional time as a wide receiver, punter or safety. His penchant for being the emergency backup for all of the aforementioned positions earned him the reputation of a "jack of all trades".[2]
Merkens' father, Guido Sr., served as founding pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio and was a vice-president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.[3]
In 2007, Merkens was general manager of a CarMax dealership in the city.[4]
References
edit- ^ David Flores, "Edison graduate played with Saints during hard times" Archived March 6, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, KENS, February 7, 2010.
- ^ Don Pierson, "Eagle Subs Clobbered Already-by Ryan", Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1987.
- ^ "Guido Merkens, former LCMS vice-president, dies". January 13, 2012.
- ^ Dale Robertson, "Remembering the Luv Ya Blue Oilers (w/video)" Archived 2014-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, Houston Chronicle, December 10, 2007.