Ed (Wahoo) McDaniel - #54 - LB - Oklahoma - Profile

You can call him Ed, but he might not answer. But it's for sure, if you call him "Wahoo" not only will he respond, but so will about half of the people in the neighborhood. The instant popularity of linebacker Wahoo McDaniel has been one of the real sensations caused by the new Jets at Shea Stadium. The colorful McDaniel, obtained by New York in an off·season trade with Denver, greatly strengthened the linebacking corps by adding experience in the middle. One of the toughest men in the AFL against a running game, McDaniel also roams to both sides to help out on wide-rushing plays. But even more substantial than his material contribution has been the way in which McDaniel, we mean Wahoo, has captured the fancy of the New York pro football audience. The deal in which the part Choctaw Indian was obtained was the largest in AFL history and it involved a total of nine men changing jerseys between the Jets and Broncos. Regarding his ancestry, Wahoo says, "My mother was one-ninth Indian and my father was a full-blooded Choctaw. That makes me more than half Indian." Between seasons, McDaniel is a professional wrestler who uses the Indian name of Chief Wahoo. Living in Long Beach, L. I., McDaniel and wife Monta Rae are the parents of a l5-month-old daughter.

From 1964 Jets yearbook.