Among many other accomplishments, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson led the NFC in receptions in 2012, hauling in a league-best 122 passes.
Six seasons earlier, another Lion also paced the NFC in catches: Mike Furrey.
After retiring from the game, Furrey turned to coaching, first on the high-school level, then as the head coach of Kentucky Christian University. On Thursday, Furrey took another step forward in his coaching career, as Marshall University officially named him its wide receivers coach. (Many thanks to College Football Talk for alerting us to Furrey’s new gig.)
Furrey’s NFC-best 98 receptions for Detroit in 2006 came one season after he played safety for the Rams and didn’t record a single catch. Furrey would follow his memorable campaign with 61 receptions in 2007 for Detroit before playing less prominent roles for the Lions and Browns the next two seasons, the last of his NFL career. In 2009, he was a finalist for the NFL’s Walter Payton Award for meritorious off-field work.
Concussion-related concerns raised by doctors ended Furrey’s playing career, and he is one of many former players who have filed suit against the league regarding concussions.