Sam Scarber, whose brief career as an NFL running back was followed by a prolific acting career, died March 8. He was 76.
Scarber’s death was announced in a social media post by the talent agency Dot Bristow Management.
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Scarber first made a name for himself as an athlete at O’Fallon Technical High School in St. Louis. After a junior college interlude, Scarber finished college at the University of New Mexico, where he played basketball and football.
In three seasons with the Lobos’ football team, Scarber carried 374 times for 1,531 yards and 16 touchdowns. He scored 13 of those as a senior in 1970, which led the Western Athletic Conference and ranked eighth in NCAA Division I.
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“Sam was a great athlete — big, strong, and more than that, really dedicated to the game and worked hard at it, so I assumed there would be things beyond UNM for him,” former UNM quarterback and administrator Chuck Roberts said.
In the 1971 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Scarber in the third round (69th overall). He would never play a regular-season game for the Cowboys, however, after being waived just before the regular season opener.
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Eventually, Scarber would land with the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, for whom he played from 1971-73. In 1974, he signed with the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League, and led the team with 138 carries for 606 yards and three touchdowns.
Scarber returned to the NFL with the San Diego Chargers in 1975. Over the next two seasons, he logged 76 carries, 304 yards, and two touchdowns, while catching 26 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
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Scarber latched on with the Oakland Raiders in 1977, but didn’t suit up in the regular season for head coach John Madden. He was forced to retire after he was injured while hitting a tackling sled in Oakland.
Later, Scarber settled in Los Angeles to embark on a prolific acting career while working as a personal trainer on the side.
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His television credits included roles in Seinfeld, Cheers, All in the Family, Hill Street Blues, All My Children, The Young and the Restless, Who’s the Boss, The A-Team, Family Matters, The Shield, Amen, Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, Jag, and Cold Case. On the big screen, Scarber was cast in Against All Odds, the Karate Kid, Over the Top, and Barbershop.
Scarber was inducted into the University of New Mexico’s athletics Hall of Honor in 2018.
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