George Hoey George William Hoey ( born November 14 , 1946 ) is a former American football defensive back , punt returner and kickoff returner . He played college football for the University of Michigan Wolverines ( 1966 – 1968 ) and professionally in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Arizona Cardinals ( 1971 ) , New England Patriots ( 1972 – 1973 ) , San Diego Chargers ( 1974 ) , Denver Broncos ( 1975 ) , and New York Jets ( 1975 ) . In high school , Hoey was an All - State halfback . At the University of Michigan , College Football Hall of Fame halfback Ron Johnson was in Hoey ' s class , and Hoey was therefore used principally as a defensive back . Hoey is most remembered for his work as a punt returner at Michigan . He led the Big Ten Conference in punt return yards in 1967 and 1968 , and still holds Michigan ' s modern era ( post - 1949 ) records for most punt return yards in a game ( 140 ) , most return yards per punt in a season ( 24 . 3 ) and most return yards per punt in a career ( 17 . 1 ) . Hoey was also a record - setting on Michigan ' s track and field team . In five seasons in the NFL , Hoey was principally a kickoff returner . In 1971 , he set a St . Louis Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards , including one for 103 yards and a touchdown . He had 534 kickoff return yards in his career . Since 1993 , Hoey has worked in administration at the University of Colorado . He worked first in academic services for the athletic department . After controversies in the late 1990s concerning eligibility of University of Colorado athletes , Hoey accepted a position in the school ' s career services department providing career counseling to student athletes . High school athlete at Flint Central . Hoey was born in Gaffney , South Carolina . He moved with his family from South Carolina to Flint , Michigan at age 13 . At Flint Central High School , he excelled in both football and track . When No . 1 ranked Flint Central met No . 2 ranked Bay City Central in 1963 , it was billed as the " Game of the Year . " Flint Central won the game 25 – 18 , as Hoey ( then only a junior ) scored three touchdowns , including a 63 - yard punt return for a touchdown , and a pass interception that Hoey ran back 35 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game . As a senior in 1964 , Hoey was named an All - State halfback by The Detroit News and UPI . In naming him to its All - State team , the UPI noted : " Hoey , a 5 - foot - 10 , 165 - pounder , gained 502 yards in 64 carries and caught 17 passes . He scored 11 touchdowns to lead the for the second straight year . A great broken - field runner , he has scored eight touchdowns on kickoff or punt returns during his two - year stint with the varsity . " He also led the Saginaw Valley Conference in scoring for two seasons . On his high school track team , Hoey won the at the Central Michigan Relays Invitational indoor meet with a time of 6 . 3 seconds . He was All - State in track at the 1965 Michigan High School Athletic Association Class A track meet . University of Michigan track and football star . In 1965 , Hoey became the first African - American athlete from Flint to earn a University of Michigan scholarship . At Michigan , Hoey excelled in both football and track . In track , Hoey set a 60 - yard dash record with a time of 6 . 1 in 1966 . He was a member of the Wolverines ' record - setting 4 x 100 metres relay with a time of 40 . 6 . In football , Hoey did not make the team as a halfback , having the misfortune to be in the same class as College Football Hall of Fame r Ron Johnson . He started only three games at halfback during his time at Michigan ( and one at fullback ) . With Ron Johnson playing halfback , Hoey was used principally as a defensive back and punt returner . Playing against Navy in 1968 , Hoey had two interception s which he returned for 31 yards , and punt returns of 63 and 36 yards . He was named an All - Big Ten defensive back in 1968 . Punt return records at Michigan . Though he was also an All - Big Ten defensive back , Hoey is most remembered as one of the leading punt returners in Michigan history . He led the Big Ten in punt return yards in 1967 and 1968 , and holds several Michigan school records for punt returns , including most return yards in a game and most yards per return in a season and a career . Most yards in a game . On October 28 , 1967 , Hoey gained 140 yards on four punt returns against Minnesota - - still Michigan ' s single - game record for punt return yardage . Hoey and Steve Breaston are the only two Michigan players with two games in the top ten single - game performances by a Michigan punt returner . < br > Most yards per return in a season . Hoey also holds the modern ( post - 1949 ) Michigan school record for yards per return in a season . His 1967 average of 24 . 3 yards / return exceeds any other modern Michigan punt returner by more than eight yards per return ( minimum 1 . 2 return per team game played ) . Hoey ' s 1967 average ranks sixth in NCAA Division I - A history behind the all - time Michigan leader Gene Derricotte who ranks fifth . However , the Michigan record books base single - season leadership based upon minimum 15 returns per game and Hoey ' s name is omitted . < br > < br > N . B . : The database used here includes stats since 1949 . Totals before 1949 are not included here ; for example , Gene Derricotte averaged over 24 yards per return prior to 1949 . Most yards per return in a career . Hoey also holds the Michigan school record for punt return yards per return in a career with an average of 17 . 1 yards per return . NFL football player . Hoey was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 14th round of the 1969 NFL Draft . He played five seasons in the NFL for the St . Louis Cardinals ( 1971 ) , New England Patriots ( 1972 – 1973 ) , San Diego Chargers ( 1974 ) , Denver Broncos ( 1975 ) and New York Jets ( 1975 ) . Hoey played in 53 NFL games and had four punt returns for 38 return yards , 21 kickoff returns for 534 return yards , and two interception s for 45 return yards . He set a Cardinals club record with six kickoff returns for 206 yards , one for 103 yards and a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles . The club record for longest return was broken in 1979 by Roy Green , who posted a 106 - yard return . Hoey had the misfortune of playing with losing teams throughout his NFL career . The best team that he played for was the 1975 Denver Broncos , who recorded a 6 – 8 record . Professional career at the University of Colorado . For many years , Hoey has worked in various capacities at the University of Colorado . From 1993 – 1999 , Hoey was involved in academic services in Colorado ' s athletic department . Hoey " came under fire for repeated eligibility problems of prospective CU athletes , " including linebacker Anwawn Jones who lost a year of eligibility and was forced to sit out the 1999 NCAA Division I - A football season due to an error in calculating his transfer credits . In 1999 , Hoey transferred out of the athletic department and began working in the university ' s career services department . That October , Jones told " The Denver Post " that Hoey " wasn ' t necessarily a scapegoat , but there were definitely mistakes made in his department . " The eligibility issues arose after Rick Neuheisel departed as Colorado ' s head football coach and were part of broader problems that resulted in the school ' s being placed on two years ' probation for 53 rules violations , 51 occurring while Neuheisel was the Colorado coach . In 2004 , the " Colorado Daily " reported that Hoey was a career working with student athletes to help them prepare for their future careers . Hoey noted : " Student - athletes are consumed with stuff when they first enter college . I plant seeds that will hopefully lead them towards our department and many resources . " In May 2007 , Hoey was the University of Colorado ' s career development coordinator and a co - chair of the Black Faculty / Staff Association , and the Virginia Patterson Chapter of Mortar Board Honors Society at the University of Colorado honored Hoey for his efforts to educate students . Family and honors . , former Oakland A and world - class sprinter , is Hoey ' s cousin . Hoey has two sons , William and Sean . He was inducted into the Greater Flint Afro - American Hall of Fame in 2001 , and he was inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 .