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| Position | Offensive guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | April 14, 1953 Carrizo Springs, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | October 2, 1995(1995-10-02) (aged 42) Canyon, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 258 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Carrizo Springs | ||||||||
| College | West Texas A&M | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1976: 8th round, 233rd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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John Milton Ayers (April 14, 1953 – October 2, 1995) was an American professional football guard in the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 through 1987. During that span, he appeared in two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XIX for the San Francisco 49ers. Ayers was a key contributor on the final 89-yard drive that led to the play that has been immortalized as "The Catch" in the 1982 NFC Playoffs versus the Dallas Cowboys.
John Ayers played college football for the West Texas A&M Buffaloes. He was also a member of the 1987 Denver Broncos team that lost Super Bowl XXII, but did not appear in that game.
Death
[edit]Ayers was diagnosed with liver cancer and died on October 2, 1995.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Ayers also served for a brief period as the figurehead President of Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation.
His daughter, Jolee, was a scholarship basketball player at Texas Tech University. His grandson, John Curry, is a college football linebacker at Texas Tech.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Former lineman John Ayers dies". San Francisco Gate. October 2, 1995.
- ^ Williams, Don (November 29, 2021). "Coronado LB Curry commits to Texas Tech". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
External links
[edit]- St. Petersburg Times
- sportsillustrated.cnn.com Deprecated link archived 2012-12-05 at archive.today
- sportsillustrated.cnn.com
- http://johnayers86.blogspot.com/
- 1953 births
- 1995 deaths
- People from Carrizo Springs, Texas
- American football offensive guards
- West Texas A&M Buffaloes football players
- San Francisco 49ers players
- Denver Broncos players
- Deaths from liver cancer in Texas
- Players of American football from Texas
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football offensive lineman, 1950s birth stubs