Former New York Jets tight end and wide receiver Richard Caster, who was selected for three Pro Bowls during his 13-year NFL career, has died. He was 75.
Family representative Kenny Zore confirmed Caster died in his sleep on Friday morning in Long Island, New York, after a long illness.
Caster, a second-round pick of the Jets in 1970 out of Jackson State, caught 322 passes for 5,515 yards and 45 touchdowns during his NFL career.
Caster spent his first eight seasons with New York and became a favorite target of Joe Namath. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound Caster entered the league as a wide receiver who ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, but was later switched to tight end by coach Weeb Ewbank because of his combination of size and speed.
“The general approach from most teams defensively was to try to cover the tight end with a linebacker,” Caster recalled in an interview with the Jets’ website in 2018. “And I could outrun most linebackers or any linebacker that I ever ran into, really. But it was pretty much not a secret. ‘OK, let’s see how this matches up, if it holds up.’ It didn’t hold up.
“I ran away from most of the people that I had a chance to get away from. It was all around getting a good matchup.”
Leave a Reply