Former Cowboys wide receiver, 9-year NFL veteran, dies

Wide receiver Lance Rentzel, a veteran of nine NFL seasons who once led the league in touchdown receptions, died June 7. He was 82.

Rentzel was chosen in the second round (23rd overall) of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of the University of Oklahoma after a stellar college career. Over the next decade, he would rack up 268 catches for 4,826 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also ran for two touchdowns.

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As a rookie with the Vikings in 1965, Rentzel returned a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown — a record that stood until 2007. Rentzel would return 23 kickoffs for 783 yards, as well as 48 punts for 217 yards, in his career.

Injuries limited Rentzel’s impact during two seasons in Minnesota, and he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys before the 1967 season. The move transformed his career. Playing for coach Tom Landry, Rentzel became a key target in one of the NFL’s emerging passing offenses.

Rentzel topped 900 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons with Dallas, including a 1,009-yard campaign in 1968 and a 960-yard season in 1969, when he led the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions. He earned All-Pro recognition in 1968 and helped Dallas reach consecutive NFL Championship Games.

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One of the signature plays of Rentzel’s career came in the 1967 “Ice Bowl,” when he caught a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Dan Reeves to give the Cowboys a brief lead over the Green Bay Packers.

Rentzel lived a colorful but occasionally troubled career off the field. In 1969, he married the actress and singer Joey Heatherton.

Their marriage was short-lived. In 1970, Rentzel was arrested in a widely publicized indecent-exposure case involving a young girl. The incident overshadowed his football accomplishments and effectively ended his time in Dallas.

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After appearing in 11 games for the Cowboys in 1970, Rentzel was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. He spent four seasons with the Rams, remaining a productive receiver and helping the team reach the playoffs.

In 1973, while on probation for the indecent exposure charge, Rentzel was suspended indefinitely by the NFL at the start of the season for conduct detrimental to the league after being convicted for possession of marijuana.