Chuck Muncie 1976-1979

When Hank Stram took over in 1976, one of his first priorities was to revamp the offense around veteran quarterback Archie Manning. The first step was drafting running back Chuck Muncie of California and Tony Galbreath of Missouri with the first 2 picks of the draft that year. The backfield tandem, nicknamed “Thunder and Lightning” by Saints fans finally gave the Saints a respectable running attack. In 1979, Muncie became the first Saint running back to rush for a thousand yards when he ended the year with 1198 yards and a 5.0 yards a carry average. With that effort he was named to the Pro Bowl and even earned the Pro Bowl MVP in that game after scoring 2 TDs.

But despite Chuck’s talent and success, his career was marked with discipline and drug problems.  Many feel he could have had a Hall of Fame Career had it not been for his work ethics.
He was traded to San Diego after that historical where he played out the rest of his successful, yet problematic career until 1984. As a Charger he managed another 1000+ yard season in 1981 (he also had a league high 19 rushing touchdowns) and 2 more Pro Bowl seasons before he finally retired in 1984.

After an 18-month stay in a California prison in 1989 Chuck evidently came to grips with himself and turned his life around. He became very involved in community services and even founded the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation that helped troubled youth. He passed away in 2013 after a heart attack.