He died in early 2000 at age 77.His last involvement with the NFL came in 1979, as he was building a football scouting service, with the Packers, The Los Angeles-based Fears maintained his connection to Hollywood, serving as a technical adviser for films. On the side, he appeared in Hollywood movies, including a role as a fighter pilot in a Humphrey Bogart film "Action in the North Atlantic." "Several weeks later, someone else contacted me and asked me if I was signing with the Saints.
"I took it with a grain of salt until it happened to me. There, he began to display his ample work ethic by unloading flowers for 25 cents an hour, and later serving as an usher at football games for double that amount.
I don't have anything concrete, but it makes you think there's something to it. They ate the food of his youth and talked about the bandidos and the old mines and about the people -- and what Tom had left behind.Years later, Daniel recalled, Tom would look back on the journey as one of the most important of his life. "And one day, his years advancing and his time precious, Fears decided he needed to take it all in for himself. And touch it, feel it, smell it.Because while his name might be remembered by few NFL fans today, Fears -- who once set a record with 18 catches in a game and who was a key cog on the The game originally scheduled for Monday night in Mexico City between the Rams and the Born in Guadalajara on Dec. 3, 1922, Fears and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was 6.
Fears wanted to see him, and Abramowicz was told to bring his playbook. Fears first played football at Los Angeles' Manual Arts High School, where he met Upon his release, he had been drafted by the Rams in 1945, but remained in school and transferred to This job had been one of many provided by school boosters, and included a brief bit as a pilot in the The record would be short-lived as he increased that mark to 84 during the During the ensuing offseason, Fears became embroiled in a contract dispute with the team for the second straight year. 'I'm serious as a heart attack,' I told him. Currently We don’t have enough information about his family, relationships,childhood etc. I was working in an advisor situation with the Packers, the Redskins and the Oilers. "Fears, a split end, turned into one of the NFL's early 1,000-yard receivers when he caught 77 passes for 1,013 yards in 12 games in 1949. His mom, Carmen, was Mexican, and his father, Charles, was a U.S. citizen who spent years working as an engineer in Mexico.Fears played football at Manual Arts High School and in college for one year at Santa Clara before being drafted by the Army Air Corps in 1943. (0:25)Any time Tom Fears heard the homage to his hometown -- considered to be the cradle of mariachi music -- he would stand up and sing and get everyone to join along. The year before, he hinted at leaving the team to work for That season, Fears played in only seven games, but helped lead the Rams to their third straight championship game appearance. "It was a special trip that opened some doors a little bit, and but for time and distance, we would've wanted to open a lot more of those doors." In his later life, Fears cracked that when he eventually signed with the Rams in 1947 for a $500 bonus and a $6,000 salary, he "took a cut in pay. After one year away from the sidelines, he returned to serve as offensive coordinator for the He battled Alzheimer's disease in his later years. He served in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for three years as a flight instructor and saw no time overseas.After his discharge from the Army, he fulfilled a commitment to attend UCLA, where he starred for the Bruins. "Reconnecting with the folks, there was just magical -- it was magical. We will update soon. He topped that NFL record a year later with 84 receptions for 1,116 yards.The next season, Fears helped the Rams win their only title in Los Angeles, as his 73-yard touchdown reception broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter. Family legend has it that Fears, a close friend of Taco Bell founder Glenn Bell, was even offered a chance to take over Taco Bell's Southern California franchises in the mid-1960s for $10,000.
"Tijuana was one of my first opportunities to see him interact with the Mexican people, and I realize that connection he had," Daniel said. Tom Age, Height & Weight. "What made Tom great as a player was his determination, his desire to win at anything," said Danny Abramowicz, who played for Fears when he coached the expansion Fears played five more years in the NFL, retiring in 1956.
"But Tom had not been back to Guadalajara, so one morning during the trip to Mazatlan, he coaxed his sons out of bed and they began a their 300-mile journey south. I had agreed to an agreement with Bum Phillips. He first played football at Santa Clara, took three years out for military service during World War II, and then finished up with a pair of All-America seasons at UCLA. He was a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956. Tom Fears Net Worth.