
Hill was the first of many prospects George
Halas would snag that were virtually unknown to the rest of the NFL. He played
football at tiny Florence State Teacher's College and was drafted by the Bears
in the 15th round of the 1954 draft and didn't waste any time becoming a
dominant force in the NFL. In his rookie season, Hill caught 45 passes for 1124
yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are numbers Bears receivers have rarely achieved
during 16-game seasons through much of their history. He had a sophomore slump
in which he only caught 42 balls for 789 yards but still led the league in
touchdown receptions with 9. Then the following season, 1956, he returned to
form, catching 47 passes for 1128 yards and 11 scores as the Bears lost the NFL
championship to the New York Giants. Earlier that season, Hill made perhaps the
best catch in the history of football when he laid out for an Ed Brown bomb
along the goal line. Hill would admit that after 1956 he let his success go to
his head and drinking deterioriated his level of play, and his production
diminished through the end of his Bears career in 1961. Hill became sober,
moved back to Alabama and enjoyed a long career in secondary education. He
still ranks second on the Bears' all-time receiving list with 226 catches for
4,616 yards and 40 touchdowns.