Drane Scrivener

Scrivener was born in 1951 in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] He attended Louisville's Male High School where he was co-captain of the track team. At the Kentucky state meet in May 1969, he led Male to a state championship, tallying 20 of the school's 41 points. He won the 180-yard low hurdles and the long jump and placed second in the 100-yard dash and the triple jump.[2]

In the fall of 1969, Scrivener enrolled at Cisco Junior College in Cisco, Texas. After one year at Cisco, he transferred as a sophomore to the University of Tulsa.[3] During the 1970 season, he was a backup halfback for the 1970 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team. He tallied 103 rushing yards on 19 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry.[4]

As a junior in 1971, Scrivener asked to be transferred to the defensive secondary and became a full-time starter at cornerback.[3] As a senior, he was selected as the most valuable payer on the 1972 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team,[5] as he led Tulsa's secondary to a No. 3 national ranking in pass defense.[3] After the 1972 season, he received All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.[6] He was also selected by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) as a first-team defensive back on the 1972 All-America college football team.[7]

Scrivener also played in the Blue–Gray Football Classic and the 1973 American Bowl.[3] He returned a punt for 71 yards in the American Bowl.[8] He also competed in the long jump for the Tulsa track team.

Scrivener was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft.[9] He attended the Cowboys' training camp, but he contracted a virus in his chest and was advised by his doctor not to play during the 1972 season.[3] He was released by the Cowboys in September 1973.[10][11]

In February 1974, Scrivener signed a multi-year contract with the Birmingham Americans of the World Football League (WFL).[3] He was released on September 18.[12]

In 1975, Scrivener was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent, but was released after a team doctor concluded that he was unable to play due to a back injury sustained in college and an abnormal heartbeat that he had since childhood. Scrivener noted at the time that a doctor had cleared him to play in Birmingham one year earlier, and he believed he was being given the run-around. Scrivener chose not to return to the WFL and retired from football.[10][13]

After his football career ended, Scrivener became a fire inspector for the Louisville Fire Department. He is also a published author on fire safety issues involving children with special needs, newborns, and older adults.[14][15][16][17][18][19]

In 1990, he was inducted into the University of Tulsa Athletics Hall of Fame.[5] In 1999, he was named to the third team on the Tulsa Football All-Century Team.[20]