Jim Whalen played in the AFL for the Boston Patriots, and then in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles.
34 Facts About Jim Whalen
1.
2.
Jim Whalen was selected in the third round of the 1965 AFL draft.
3.
Jim Whalen was chosen in the fourth round of the 1965 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings.
4.
Jim Whalen is the only football player to have 3 TD receptions in a college game played at Boston College Alumni Stadium and have 3 TD receptions in a professional football game played at Boston College Alumni Stadium.
5.
Jim Whalen would become the first Patriots receiver to be accorded First-team All-Pro.
6.
Jim Whalen was the son of James Francis "Brud" Whalen and Helen Whalen, nee Zukowski.
7.
Jim Whalen was elected into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.
8.
The younger Jim Whalen was a three-sport star at Cambridge High and Latin, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a school that produced a number of other top athletes including MLB Hall-of-Fame pitcher and 342 game winner Tim Keefe, MLB player Eddie Waitkus on whom the movie The Natural was loosely based and Olympic high jumper John Thomas.
9.
Jim Whalen, who starred in football, baseball and ice hockey, was inducted into the Cambridge Rindge and Latin Athletic Hall of Fame.
10.
Jim Whalen is considered one of the finest pass catchers and all-around athletes to graduate from Boston College.
11.
At the time of his graduation after the 1964 season, Jim Whalen was the top pass receiver in Boston College history with 73 career receptions, surpassing the total of 70 accumulated by Art Graham, who like Jim Whalen a few years later, would go on to a stellar career with the Boston Patriots.
12.
Jim Whalen was elected into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1995.
13.
Jim Whalen started as a sophomore at Boston College recording 16 catches for 309 yards and a lofty 19.3 yards per reception.
14.
Jim Whalen was second on the team in touchdowns with six, trailing only Art Graham who scored seven.
15.
Jim Whalen's 523 receiving yards on 26 catches ranked eighth nationally, only 36 yards out of the fourth position.
16.
Jim Whalen recorded 31 catches and 398 receiving yards, leading the team in both categories.
17.
Jim Whalen was one of three primary punters that season leading the squad with nearly 35 yards per kick.
18.
Unlike his father, who turned down offers from both professional football and Major League Baseball, the younger Jim Whalen decided to take his athletic talents to the professional level.
19.
On October 24,1965, Jim Whalen recorded his first professional 100 yard receiving game against the Oakland Raiders.
20.
Jim Whalen's four receiving touchdowns ranked first among AFL tight ends and fourth overall trailing only John Mackey, Jerry Smith and Pete Retzlaff.
21.
Jim Whalen's five receiving touchdowns as a tight end ranked second in the AFL and fourth in the combined AFL and NFL.
22.
Jim Whalen's 651 receiving yards was tops among all Patriot receivers, ahead of the 606 recorded by WR Art Graham and 502 by RB Larry Garron, and his five receiving touchdowns topped the squad.
23.
Jim Whalen piled up 718 receiving yards ranking second among AFL tight ends and fourth across the combined AFL and NFL.
24.
Jim Whalen's 87-yard pass reception on a Tom Sherman pass against the Super Bowl-bound New York Jets was at the time the longest play from scrimmage in Patriots history.
25.
Ironically two years later, Jim Whalen would be playing for the Broncos.
26.
Also during the season, Jim Whalen would have two multiple touchdown games in a pair of wins against the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.
27.
Jim Whalen is named Patriots team MVP by the 1776 Booster's Club.
28.
However, during that game against the Chiefs, Jim Whalen missed a block that resulted in the game-winning touchdown, and was abruptly released by the Broncos two days later.
29.
Jim Whalen was then picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he hauled in a 41-yard pass against the Washington Redskins before retiring.
30.
Jim Whalen is one of only four Patriot tight ends to string together three consecutive seasons of 500+ yards receiving, and one of only three to record 650+ yards in back-to-back seasons.
31.
Furthermore, Jim Whalen protected the ball exceptionally well, fumbling just twice in his career.
32.
Jim Whalen's accomplishments compare favorably to those of his peers during his time in professional football.
33.
Jim Whalen lined up with Steve Tensi, Alan Pastrana, Steve Ramsey and Don Horn in the quarterback position.
34.
Jim Whalen was elected into the Patriots 1960s All-Decade Team.