Carroll Wayne Dale (born April 24, 1938) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. He has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Dale was an All-American playing college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and has been inducted into Virginia Tech’s Sports Hall of Fame. In 1965, he became a member of the Green Bay Packers teams that won three straight NFL championships, and the first two Super Bowls, and has been inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame. He was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1968 to 1970). Dale was originally from Wise, Virginia and returned to live in Wise after becoming the first full-time athletic director at the University of Virginia College at Wise.
Early life Dale was born on April 24, 1938, in Wise, Virginia. He was raised in Wise, and attended J. J. Kelly High School (also known as Wise High School), a school with only 750 students."A Profile of Carroll Dale," in Colts-Rams, Baltimore Versus Los Angeles: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, December 9, 1961. [program] Los Angeles: Los Angeles Rams, 1961; pp. 11-13. Dale was class president in high school. In the Summer of 1955, he was selected to attend Boys' State, at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dale was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, and was among those further selected to attend the National Boys' Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Dale played three sports in high school; football, basketball, and baseball. Dale played on Wise's football team as a two-way player. As a senior in 1955, he was named as captain (highest vote recipient) of both the offensive (end) and defensive (end) teams on the District Eight All-Star football team. He played on two high school championship football teams (1954 and 1955), and was selected All-County, All-District, and All-State, as well as being an honorable mention All-American.
He was on Kelly's basketball team for four years, was an All-Conference basketball player in three seasons, and averaged 21.8 points per game as a senior. Dale's mother preferred that he play basketball over football.
College career Dale initially signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Tennessee on an athletic scholarship. "The size of that city, Knoxville, just kind of scared me and I left," Dale later recalled. He instead attended Virginia Tech, located in the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia, where he studied mechanical engineering.
Dale played football for the Hokies from 1956 to 1959, in the Southern Conference, under head coach Frank Moseley. He was again a two-way player, as well as becoming the team's punter. He was a wide receiver on offense, and on defense Dale has been described as a "floating end" and "corner man" during his Virginia Tech career. He was considered one of the fastest receivers among southern colleges.
Dale was a starter as a freshman in 1956, even though it was rare for Moseley to start freshmen on his football teams. Dale led the Hokies in receptions (8), receiving yards (157), and yards per reception (19.6). His three receiving touchdowns were tied for most in the Southern Conference. He also played end on defense, doing very well as a freshman. As a sophomore (1957), he led the Hokies with 17 receptions and 171 receiving yards.
As a junior in 1958, he had 25 receptions for 459 yards, leading the team in both categories. His 18.4 yards per reception and six receiving touchdowns led the Southern Conference that season. Dale was awarded the Southern Conference's Jacobs Blocking Trophy that season, after throwing key blocks in a number of games during the year. Dale also continued playing fine defense during that season. Dale was named team captain for the 1959 season. He again led the team in receptions (17), receiving yards (408), yards per reception (24.0) and receiving touchdowns (six). He punted 36 times that year for 1,181 yards (32.8 yards per punt). He was runner up for the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1959.
During his college career Dale played in all 40 Hokies' games, starting 39 consecutive games. As a receiver, over four years he had 67 receptions for 1,195 yards (17.8 yards per reception) and 15 receiving touchdowns.
College honors He won numerous honors and awards, in addition to the 1958 Jacobs Blocking Trophy. Dale was named an Associated Press (AP) second-team All-American in both 1958 and 1959. In 1959, he was named a first-team All-American at wide receiver in the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) coaches poll, and by Look magazine. Dale was named Southern Conference player of the year in 1958. He was the honorary captain of the 1958 All-Southern Conference team. The AP selected Dale first-team All-Southern Conference again in 1959. The Roanoke Touchdown Club named him Lineman of the Year for three consecutive years (1957 to 1959). He was chosen to play in the December 1959 Blue Gray Game, the January 1960 All-American Bowl and Senior Bowl, and the August 1960 Chicago College All-Star Game against the defending 1959 NFL champion Baltimore Colts. Dale started in the Chicago game against the Colts.
Professional career
Los Angeles Rams Dale was selected in the eighth round of the 1960 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, 86th overall. Prior to the NFL draft, he was also selected in the first American Football League draft by the team that was to play in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Dale signed a contract to play for the Rams in January 1960.
In Dale's first Rams game, on September 23, 1960 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Frank Ryan. It was reported at the time Dale "made a brilliant one hand running catch of the throw". He caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Billy Wade later that season. As a rookie in 1960, he played in all 12 Rams games, starting one game. He had 19 receptions for 336 yards (17.7 yards per receptions) and three touchdowns.
He became a full-time starting receiver in 1961, starting all 14 games with 35 receptions for 561 yards and two touchdown receptions. In 1962, he started nine of the 14 games in which he appeared, with 29 receptions for 584 yards and three touchdowns. His 20.1 yards per reception led the Rams, and was fifth best in the NFL that season. He started eight games in 1963, with 34 receptions for 638 yards and seven touchdown receptions. His 18.8 yards per receptions led the Rams, and was eighth best in the NFL. In Dale's fifth and final season with the Rams, he started 13 games, with 32 receptions for 544 yards and two touchdowns, and his 17.0 yards per reception was ninth best in the NFL.
In five seasons with the Rams, he started 45 games, with 149 receptions for 2,663 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. His 17.9 yards per reception average as a Ram ranks sixth all-time among Rams players with at least 110 receptions (through 2025).
Green Bay Packers On April 13, 1965, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for linebacker Dan Currie. Dale believed that his former Rams' receivers coach, Tom Fears, who had gone on to assist Packers head coach Vince Lombardi in Green Bay, played a role in the trade. At the time, the Packers had lost their No. 1 draft choice Larry Elkins to the American Football League, and Lombardi said "We lost our first draft choice and, as a result, we need a receiver with speed". Dale preferred playing in a small city like Green Bay, over a large city like Los Angeles where he was unhappy, as he was "a small-town guy at heart".
The Packers were NFL champions during Dale's first season in Green Bay (1965). During the regular season, he caught 20 passes for 382 yards (19.1 yards per reception), with two touchdowns. He had three receptions for 63 yards in the divisional round playoff win over the Baltimore Colts. In the 1965 NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns, he had two receptions for 60 yards. He scored the first touchdown in the Packers 23–12 win over the Browns, on a 47-yard pass from Bart Starr. The ball had slipped while Starr was passing, and Dale saw the ball was thrown short and came back to catch it. He left two defenders sliding on the muddy field, and outraced three others to score the touchdown. He had the most receiving yards (123) in the NFL playoffs in 1965.
In 1966, the Packers again won the NFL Championship, and then the first AFL-NFL Championship Game (later formally known as the Super Bowl). Dale started all 14 games for the Packers, playing both tight end and wide receiver during the season. He was second on the Packers with 37 receptions and led the team in receiving yards (876), yards per reception (23.7) and receiving touchdowns (7). He was second in the NFL in yards per reception, and eighth in total receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards per game.
The Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 34–27, in the NFL Championship Game. Dale had five receptions for 128 yards. He caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Starr in the game, beating defensive back Cornell Green on the play. The Packers then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I, 35–10. Dale had four receptions for 59 yards. Dale had the most receptions (9) and receiving yards (187) in the playoffs that season.
In 1967, the Packers won the NFL Championship for a third consecutive season. Dale had 35 receptions for 738 yards and five touchdowns. He led the team in receiving touchdowns and yards per reception. His 21.1 yards per reception was sixth best in the NFL. In the Packers 1967 divisional round 28–7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Dale had six receptions for 109 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown reception, and a long reception of 48 yards. The Packers then defeated the Cowboys, 21–17, in the 1967 NFL Championship Game, which came to be known as the Ice Bowl because the temperature when the game began was –13 degrees Fahrenheit (–10.6 C), and only got colder as the game progressed. Dale caught three passes for 44 yards in the game. The Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, 33–14. Dale had four receptions for 43 yards. For the third consecutive season he had the most receiving yards in the playoffs (196), and he also had the most receptions in the playoffs that season (13).
In 1968, Dale had 42 receptions for 818 yards (19.5 yards per reception) and eight receiving touchdowns. He was tied for fourth best in the NFL in yards per reception, tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns, and was eighth in total receiving yards. He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, and was named second-team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. The Packers finished the season 6–7–1 and did not make the playoffs. Dale had another Pro Bowl season in 1969. He led the Packers in receptions (45), receiving yards (879), and receiving touchdowns (6). He averaged 19.5 yards per reception, fourth highest in the NFL that season, and was eighth in total receiving yards.
Dale was selected to the Pro Bowl for a third consecutive season in 1970. He led the Packers in receptions (49), receiving yards (814), and yards per reception (16.6). He was 10th in the NFL in total receiving yards. His 89-yard game-winning touchdown reception against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter of a late-September game tied him with future Hall of Fame receiver Bob Hayes for the longest pass reception of the year in the NFL that season. Dale also had a 23-yard touchdown reception in the Atlanta game, and had four receptions for 186 yards overall in that game.