Hokie_Gajan
Hokie Gajan
American football player (1959–2016)
Howard Lee "Hokie" Gajan Jr. (September 6, 1959 – April 11, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a running back for five seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers.
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1959-09-06)September 6, 1959 Baker, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | April 11, 2016(2016-04-11) (aged 56) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Baker | ||||||
| College: | LSU | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1981 / Round: 10 / Pick: 249 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Gajan played football at Baker High School in Baker, Louisiana, and he received a scholarship to play at Louisiana State University (LSU).[1] He was drafted out of LSU by the New Orleans Saints in the 1981 NFL Draft.[2]
In 1984, the same season Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson set a new NFL single season rushing record, Gajan led all NFL rushers (with 100 or more attempts) in yards gained per attempt (102 carries, 615 yards; a 6.03 ypc average). Through 2015, he remains one of 19 NFL running backs to exceed six yards per carry in a (100 or more attempt) season.
Missing the 1986 season due to a knee injury, Gajan retired after the 1987 season after injuring the opposite knee.[3] During his career, Gajan rushed for 1,358 yards and 11 touchdowns, and also had 515 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Gajan worked as a scout for the Saints before he entered broadcasting. He was the color commentator alongside Jim Henderson on Saints radio broadcasts. In the fall of 2015, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer known as liposarcoma. Gajan died on April 11, 2016.[4] He was the 2016 recipient of the Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award, an annual award honoring a person for contributions to the Saints organization. Gajan's award was voted in March and was announced posthumously.[5]
- Massa, Dominic (April 12, 2016). "Hokie Gajan, beloved former Saints player, dies at 56". WWL-TV. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- Walker, Rod (April 11, 2016). "Report: Hokie Gajan moved to ICU after latest round of cancer tests". The Advocate. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "New Orleans Saints mourn the loss of Hokie Gajan". New Orleans Saints. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- Triplett, Mike (April 12, 2016). "Hokie Gajan, ex-Saints fullback, radio voice, dies at 56 of cancer". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "Hokie Gajan to be honored with Joe Gemelli Fleur de Lis award", New Orleans Saints, April 12, 2016.
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