Joe Childress

No. 35
Childress in 1961
Born:	(1933-10-26)October 26, 1933 Robertsdale, Alabama, U.S.
Died:	May 5, 1986(1986-05-05) (aged 52) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)	Running back
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	202 lb (92 kg)
College	Auburn
High school	Robertsdale (AL)
NFL draft	1956, round: 1, pick: 7
Drafted by	Chicago Cardinals
Career history
As player
1956–1965	Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-American (1955) 2× First-team All-SEC (1954, 1955) Gator Bowl MVP (1954)

Joe Childress (October 26, 1933 – May 5, 1986) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.

Childress was a two-time All-American at Auburn and was considered the finest fullback in the country during his junior and senior seasons. He led the Southeastern Conference in rushing and scoring his junior season in 1954 and was named the Gator Bowl MVP. Childress led Auburn with 1,677 yards rushing his senior season in 1955.^[1]

Childress was selected in the first round of the 1956 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals. For his entire career, he played for the Chicago Cardinals and St. Louis Cardinals, primarily as a backup running back. He was known as an excellent receiver out of the backfield and a punishing blocker. His best season came in 1963 when he led the Cardinals in rushing and gained over 1000 yards from scrimmage while filling in for the injured John David Crow. His best rushing game came on September 22, 1963, when he gained 136 yards on 22 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles. Later in the season against the Eagles, he caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Charley Johnson.^[2]

Childress retired as a player from the NFL in 1966. He coached five seasons with the Houston Oilers and later went into the securities business. In his 40s, he contracted a type of cancer and began the battle which ultimately he lost in 1986 at the age of 52.^[3]