Rich Caster, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the New York Jets, has died, a family representative said Sunday. He was 75 years old.
Caster died in his sleep Friday after a long battle with illness, family representative Kenny Zore said. Caster lived on Long Island, New York. According to The Clarion-Ledger, Caster battled Parkinson's disease.
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New York Jets NFL football wide receiver Richard Caster poses for a photograph in New York in 1971. (AP Photo/Harry Harris, File)
The wide receiver was a second-round pick of the Jets in the 1970 draft. He spent eight seasons with the Jets before playing for the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints and later the Washington Redskins. He ended his career after the 1982 season.
In Caster's first Pro Bowl season, he had 39 receptions for 833 yards and 10 touchdowns. Joe Namath had 19 touchdown passes that season and Bob Davis had two. The Jets finished 7-7.
“The general approach of most teams on defense was to try to cover the tight end with a linebacker,” Caster recalled in an interview with the team's website in 2018. “And he could really outrun most of the guys. linebackers or any linebacker I ran into.” But it wasn't practically a secret. “Okay, let's see how this matches up, if it holds up.” He couldn't stand it.
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Richard Caster, #88, left, of the New York Jets, catches a second-period pass intended for Lance Rentzel, #19, of the Dallas Cowboys, during an NFL football game on September 14, 1970 in Dallas . (AP Photo/Spencer Jones, File)
“I ran away from most of the people I had a chance to run away from. It was all about getting a good matchup.”
Caster is credited with having a Super Bowl ring, although he only played in one regular season game. Washington defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII in the 1982 season.
“I'm very proud to be able to play this long, having spent 13 years in the league during a period where the career average was way under 13,” Caster said. “When I came in, I think it was about two and a half years. I was very proud of my ability to still have some talent that I could be traded and signed at the end of my career to provide some value to some teams.”
Caster is survived by his wife Susan, sons Richard J. Caster, Max Caster and Sean Caster, daughters Shannon Myla and Alona Nicole, and five grandchildren.
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Richard Caster standing in uniform. (Jackson State University via Getty Images)
Max Caster is a professional wrestler in All Elite Wrestling.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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