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Today in Patriots History
The All-Star Attorney the Pats traded for Babe Parilli
The All-Star Attorney the Pats traded for Babe Parilli
In memory of Alan Miller, who would have turned 88 today
Born June 19, 1937 in Mt Kisco, New York; hometown Milford, Connecticut
Died October 20, 2024 in Orchard Lake, Michigan at the age of 87
Patriot fullback, 1960; uniform #32
Signed as a free agent on February 1, 1960
Pats résumé: one season, all 14 games (8 starts); 4.1 yards per carry, 700 yards from scrimmage, four touchdowns
Alan Miller grew up in Milford CT (on the water, slightly west of New Haven). He then went to Boston College, where he was a two way starter at halfback and defensive back, and was a late draft pick by Philadelphia in 1959 - who wanted him to play cornerback. A year later Miller joined the Pats for their inaugural season and played in every game, leading the Pats in rushing attempts, rushing yardage, total touches and total yards from scrimmage, while also scoring four touchdowns.
Butch Songin was the Pats quarterback in 1960, but he was 36 years old: a stop gap in need of a long term replacement. Tom Greene, Harvey White and Tom Dimitroff had played some at quarterback, but none were genuinely starting material. At the bare minimum the Patriots needed better depth; preferably the Pats desired a viable alternative that would provide a substantial upgrade.
The Raiders had 23-year old Tom Flores (yes, their future head coach) at QB, along with a 30-year old journeyman veteran with a big arm as his backup. In a deal that turned out to be a win-win for both sides, Oakland and Boston agreed to a blockbuster trade. The Pats traded Miller, HB **** Christy and DT Hal Smith to the Raiders for QB Babe Parilli and FB Billy Lott. As nice as it would have been to keep the talented fullback, the need for a quarterback was greater. At the time it seemed like a one-sided deal that favored the Raiders. Miller was an AFL All-Star in 1961, while the Patriots began the season 2-3-1 a head coach Lou Saban gave Songin more playing time than Parilli. But once Saban was fired and Mike Holovak took over, things changed. In the offseason Songin was traded to the Jets, ending the platoon system, and Parilli became the full time starting quarterback.
Today in Pro Football History -- 1961: Patriots Obtain Babe Parilli in Five-Player Deal
On April 4, 1961 the Oakland Raiders traded QB Vito “Babe” Parilli and FB Billy Lott to the Boston Patriots for FB Alan Miller, HB **** Christy, and DT Hal Smith. It was the biggest deal thus far in the year-old American Football League’s short history.
The Raiders were coming off a 6-8 first season and had problems at the organizational level with too many owners, which resulted in front office disarray. Thanks to the intervention of AFL Commissioner Joe Foss, the ownership situation had been sorted out just prior to swinging the trade with the Patriots.
Boston was 5-9 in 1960 and had finished at the bottom of the league in points scored. There was a particular need for depth at quarterback behind 36-year-old Butch Songin, and Parilli, a month short of his 31st birthday, looked to be a good fit. While Alan Miller had led the team in rushing, it was expected that the addition of Lott, a fine blocker who led the Raiders in receiving, along with returning FB Jim Crawford, hindered by a bout with pneumonia in ‘60, would be an overall improvement in the backfield.
As for the players obtained by the Raiders, Miller was expected to start at fullback, Christy was fast and versatile and could return kicks, and Smith filled a need for quality interior linemen on defense.
Things did not go so well for the Raiders in ‘61, who were blown out in their first two games of the season by a combined score of 99-0 on the way to a dismal 2-12 record. Alan Miller started at fullback, proved to be a good blocker, but was more productive as a pass receiver (36 catches, 315 yards) than a ground gainer (85 carries, 255 yards). He played a total of four seasons with Oakland, rushing for 979 yards, catching 111 passes for 1186 yards, and scoring 17 TDs.
All in all, the trade worked out well for the Patriots, where Babe Parilli was a solid performer for a team that often contended during his time there, topping the division once. He was so well regarded for his knowledge and leadership that Mike Holovak held a spot open on his coaching staff that was reserved for Parilli to fill once he retired. While he never became an assistant under Holovak, he did become a pro assistant, serving as quarterback coach for the Steelers and Broncos before holding the same position with the Patriots in 1981. He was also a head coach in the World Football League and with several Arena Football League teams.
Alan Miller scored seven touchdowns and was named to the AFL West All Star Team in his first season with the Raiders. Under head coach Al Davis he was a three-time captain with Oakland, while also pursuing a law degree from Boston University in the off season. Miller played through the 1965 season, scoring 21 touchdowns while blocking for All Star HB Clem Daniels.
After retiring Miller worked as the general counsel for the AFL and NFL player association from 1967 to 1972, and represented many professional athletes as a lawyer for their sponsorship and personal service agreements. Miller also sat on the executive committee of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and on the board of directors for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Alan R. Miller (1988) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame - Boston College Athletics
Boston College Athletics
bceagles.com
* A highly-talented player, he was the Eagles' starting offensive and defensive halfback in each of his three varsity seasons, during which Boston College won 19 of 28 games.
* Earned All-New England honors three times and was and All- East selection as a senior. He was recipient of the 1958 O'Melia Award as outstanding player in the BC-Holy Cross game.
* After starting for the North Team in the 1959 Senior Bowl, he was drafted by the Boston Patriots. He later played five seasons for the Oakland Raiders, where he was named team captain and Most Valuable Player.
June 19, 2023:
Raiders FB Miller Was Best Man on the Block
While not a household name, fullback Alan Miller is one of the key building blocks Al Davis used to build the Silver and Black Raiders into a superpower franchise.
www.si.com
Fullback Alan Miller is another long-forgotten player who helped turn the Oakland Raiders around during the 1960s and eventually helped the Silver and Black become a powerhouse in professional football.
The 6-foot, 220-pound Miller was a two-way starter at halfback and defensive back over three seasons at Boston College before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 19th round (No. 219 overall in the 1959 NFL Draft and put him at cornerback after he made the All-East team and played in the Senior Bowl.
“It wasn’t my position, but I was a good tackler,” said Miller, who played the entire preseason before being released by the Eagles in the final cut before the season started.
That sent Miller to the American Football League, and he joined the Boston Patriots, rushing for 416 yards, an averaged 4.1 yards per carry, and two touchdowns addition to catching 29 passes for 284 yards and two more scores.
However, the Patriots traded Miller to the Raiders before the 1961 season for quarterback Babe Parelli.
Miller played for Oakland from 1961 to ‘63, took 1964 to complete law school and returned in 1965. He was a starter at fullback all four seasons and played in the 1961 AFL All-Star game. The New York Daily News named him second-team All-AFL in 1961.
Miller never missed a game during his four full seasons, rushing for 979 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 111 passes for 1,186 yards and nine more scores, but those weren’t his top skills.
“I was considered to be the best blocker in the league, among running backs " Miller said.
Miller led All-AFL running back Clem Daniels to rush for 766 yards and six touchdowns in 1962, an AFL-leading 1,099 yards and three scores in 1963, and 884 yards and five TDs in 1965 before retiring.
“It was great having Miller in front of me because he always went he right way and threw a good block on the first defender he ran into, whether it was a lineman, linebacker or defensive back,” said Daniels, the AFL’s 1963 Most Valuable Player and a member of the All-Time AFL team.
Raiders Coach and General Manager Al Davis called Miller “pound for pound, the toughest player in the league, and he means so much to our offense.”
Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wrote in his book, The Pain of Glory: “Alan might have been the Raiders’ most intelligent player ever ... he used his intelligence on the football field. He had different ways of blocking people and also getting open on pass routes.”
Miller retired following the 1965 season at 28. After graduating No. 2 in his law class at Boston University, he joined a prominent firm in Milwaukee. He also had a disabled daughter who needed more of his attention.
Upon completing his football and law school career, Miller served as general counsel to the American and National Football League Players Association from 1967 to 1972. In 2007, Miller was awarded the Silver Shingle Award from the Boston University School of Law for distinguished service to the legal profession.
Miller also served as legal counsel to the World Football League Players Association and worked for NBC television as a color commentator for NFL games.
Miller is a motorsports attorney and has been an agent representing various stars such as Jimmie Johnson, Helio Castroneves, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Danica Partick, Casey Mears, and Greg Moore.
August 12, 2023:
Homegrown Heroes: The Original Boston Patriots
It is a well-known fact that most expansion teams run on local flavors. Whether they come from the local high school or starred in the local collegiate program, all that the infant team cares about is getting rumps in the seats in hopes that they can attract an audience and reap the financial...
www.thegoldnuggett.com
Alan Miller was born on June 19, 1937 in Mount Kisco, New York, attending Boston College where he starred as the Eagle's fullback. After earning All-East/All-New England honors in 1959, he signed with the Patriots for their inaugural season.
He rushed for 416 yards and two touchdowns that year while averaging an impressive 4.1 yards per carry. He was impressive as a receiver too, catching 29 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. But despite his versatility, he was traded to the Raiders where he earned an invitation to the AFL All-Star Game the following year. Of all the players the Patriots should have kept from that squad, his departure may have hurt the most. When he retired in 1965 - as a Raider - he had rushed for 1,395 yards and 10 touchdowns while receiving 1,470 additional yards through the air and catching 11 touchdowns.
1960 Boston Patriots Media Guide
Alan Miller Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Get Alan Miller Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
1960 Boston Patriots Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Check out the 1960 Boston Patriots Roster, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports and more on Pro-Football-Reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
Pro Football Archives -- Alan Miller Player Profile
Pro Football Archives -- Alan Miller Transactions
Alan Miller (American football) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame - Miller, Al 1990 *
Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame
www.mmshof.org
Alan R. Miller (1988) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame - Boston College Athletics
Boston College Athletics
bceagles.com
