Miller Farr was a two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback for the Houston Oilers in the late 1960s. But a single play in a 1969 exhibition game shattered the Pro Bowler’s confidence and he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals less than a year later.

Farr passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80.

The Beaumont, Texas native was a high school track and football star and primarily played running back at Wichita State but was selected as a cornerback in the first round of the 1965 AFL redshirt draft by the Denver Broncos. He was released mid-season, signed by San Diego, and then traded to Houston prior to the 1967 season.

Farr blossomed into the one of the finest cornerbacks in the AFL with the Oilers. He led the league with 10 interceptions and scored three touchdowns in 1967 and only surrendered two touchdown passes in three seasons.

Although he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1969, Farr didn’t play as well as he had the previous year, and he blamed getting beat on the last play of the last preseason game against the Baltimore Colts.

The Colts trailed 29-27 and had the ball at their own 42-yard line with only three seconds left in the game. Quarterback Earl Morrall dropped back to pass and lofted a ball deep downfield in the direction of wide receiver Willie Richardson, who streaked past Farr, caught the ball on the 20-yard line, and scored the winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.

“I couldn’t forget,” Farr told Jeff Meyers of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “It kinda blew my mind. It stayed with me. I lost my confidence.”

Farr was shaken. He became conservative, unwilling to gamble, and lost the aggressiveness necessary for cornerbacks to succeed.

Farr gave up four touchdown passes in 1969 and was traded to the Cardinals on January 21, 1970.

Farr learned of the trade while driving on the Los Angeles Freeway. Over the car radio came the news that he and teammate Pete Beathard had been traded to St. Louis for Charley Johnson and Bob Atkins.

“I was disappointed,” Farr told the Post Dispatch. “I liked coach Wally Lemm. He was good to me. But I wasn’t shocked. My brother Mel (Lions running back Mel Farr) told me two weeks earlier that I was going to be traded. How he knew, I don’t know.”

The Farr acquisition paid immediate dividends for the Big Red. In his second game, the 27 year old returned a Sonny Jurgensen pass 19 yards for a touchdown in a 27-17 victory over Washington. The Cardinals defense, which yielded 38 touchdown passes the previous year, only gave up 16 in 1970. The difference was Farr and an experienced Roger Wehrli at cornerback.

“It’s remarkable how they’ve helped the defense,” head coach Charley Winner said. “If you don’t have sound cornerbacking you’re limited in what you can do. But Miller has done a tremendous job. And he’s a fine man to work with.”

“My confidence is way up there again,” Farr told the Post Dispatch after a 35-20 win over the Eagles in October. “I’m back to being my old self.”

“Coach Drulis (defensive coach) taught me to keep my stance square and stay on my backpedal until the receiver makes his move. In Houston, I had a habit of turning and when a receiver sees you turn in one direction, he takes off in the other.”

Farr also gave credit to linebacker Larry Stallings. “He’s the guy who helped me the most.”

Farr intercepted five passes and helped lead the Cards defense to three consecutive shutouts in 1970. He started 40 games in three seasons and had 10 interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

On September 7, 1973, the Cardinals traded Farr to the Lions where he teamed up with his brother Mel. He played six games in Detroit and a season with the World Football League Florida Blazers before hanging up the cleats.

Farr finished his nine-year career with 35 interceptions, 578 return yards, and four fumble recoveries. He was named to the AFL’s All-Time second team and is a member of the Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

After football, Miller and Mel were both successful owners of auto dealerships in the Detroit area. Condolences go out to the friends and family of Miller Farr.