When I learned Joshua Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns had set an NFL record Sunday for career touchdowns on kickoff returns with his seventh and eighth (100 and 103 yard runbacks against Kansas City), my first reaction was a question.Is Josh related to Joe Cribbs?

The answer is yes. Joe is Josh’s uncle.

Joe Cribbs

Joe Cribbs was an outstanding running back at Auburn in the late 1970′s, scoring 36 touchdowns and rushing for almost 3, 400 yards. He holds the school record of seven consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

Cribbs was a second round choice of the Buffalo Bills in the 1980 NFL draft, and later that year started all 16 games as a rookie, gaining 1,185 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns. He was the only rookie chosen as a starter that year in the Pro Bowl, and missed just one game the next three seasons.

The next fall, Joe tallied 10 touchdowns and was again a Pro Bowler as he was in 1983 when he once more scored 10 TDS, seven of them as a pass receiver. Cribbs played for the Bills from 1980 to 1983 and again in 1985 after jumping to the USFL to play for Birmingham in 1984. At Buffalo, he gained at least 100 yards on the ground in 13 games, and ran for 1, 000 yards in a season three times.

Cribbs was a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 1986 and 1987, played for Indianapolis in 1988, and finished his career with Miami in 1989.

Joe Cribbs

Joe Cribbs will celebrate his 52nd birthday in two weeks. He lives in Alabama where he has run his own advisory company for the past six years, and works with some current NFL players. Joe may help them in several areas——investments, disability insurance, or annuities.