Joseph Auer (born October 11, 1941 in Trenton, New Jersey) was an American football running back. He played collegiately for Georgia Tech and professionally in the American Football League for the Buffalo Bills (1964-1965), and the Miami Dolphins (1966-1967). He also played in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons.

He is most remembered for returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the Miami Dolphins in their first regular-season football game in 1966, against the Oakland Raiders. Subsequently, he was the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player. He now owns Competitive Edge Motorsports in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Joe is also a dog owner.

[edit] Business career

Auer founded and is currently the president of International Computer Negotiations.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Sports career

Auer, owner of Competitive Edge Motorsports, is best known as a professional American football player. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering.^{[citation needed]} He was then drafted by the Buffalo Bills, where he played for two years as the starting running back on their 1964 and 1965 championship team. He then played for the Miami Dolphins before ending his career with the Atlanta Falcons.^{[citation needed]} Auer is most famous for taking the opening kickoff in the Miami Dolphins' first-ever game in 1966 and returning it 95 yards for a touchdown. He went on to be the Dolphins’ leading scorer that year and not surprisingly; he became the Dolphins' first MVP.

After retiring from football, Auer founded RaceCar Engineering, a company that built high-quality racecars, some of which set track records and won championships for the company’s customers. He then began Competitive Edge Motorsports, racing both the Busch and Nextel Cup series in NASCAR.

[edit] See also

• Other American Football League players

[edit] External links

• Auer's 1967 Topps football card and kickoff runback photos