Lance Rentzel
1965 NFL Draft: Round 2 Pick 23
Rushing
| Season | Att | Yards | TD | Long | Y/A | 100Y | 200Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 * | SO | 23 | 96 | 2 | 4.2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1963 * | JR | 59 | 387 | 2 | 6.6 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964 * | SR | 89 | 491 | 4 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 171 | 974 | 8 | 0 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | |
Passing
| Season | Cmp | Att | Yards | TD | Int | Long | Cmp% | Effcy | 200Y | 300Y | 400Y | 500Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 * | JR | 4 | 8 | 58 | 0 | 1 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964 * | SR | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 5 | 17 | 65 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29.4 | 49.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Receiving
| Season | Rec | Yards | TD | Long | Y/R | 100Y | 200Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 * | SO | 2 | 73 | 1 | 36.5 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964 * | SR | 18 | 268 | 2 | 14.9 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | 20 | 341 | 3 | 0 | 17.1 | 0 | 0 | |
Interception Returns
| Season | Ret | Yards | TD | Long | Y/R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | SO | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 |
| Totals | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 | |
Scoring
| Season | Points | TD | FG | XP1 | XP2 | DefXP | Safety | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 * | SO | 18 | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 * | JR | 18 | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 * | SR | 36 | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 72 | 12 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
* Some/all stats have not been updated with bowl stats or validated that they already are bowl-inclusive.
Roster Info
| Season | Class | # | Pos | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | SO | 38 | RH | 6-2 | 190 |
| 1963 | JR | 38 | HB | 6-2 | 190 |
| 1964 | SR | 38 | HB | 6-2 | 197 |
Personal Info
| First Name: | Thomas |
| Middle Name: | Lance |
| Last Name: | Rentzel |
| Common Name: | Lance |
| Nickname: | |
| Hometown: | Oklahoma City, OK |
| High School: | Casady |
| Birth Date/Place: | October 14, 1943 in Queens, NY |
| Death Date/Place: | June 7, 2026 in Alexandria, VA (age 82) |
| Related To: | |
| Obituary: |
It is with great sadness that we share the news of Lance Rentzel's passing with his many friends and fans.
Thomas Lance Rentzel was born on October 14, 1943, in Queens, New York, and died on June 7, 2026, in Alexandria, Virginia. He was the son of Marjorie and Del Rentzel. Lance was a brilliant student, finishing fifth in his class at Casady School in Oklahoma City. He was accepted into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, but he chose to attend the University of Oklahoma to play football for coaching legend Bud Wilkinson. Lance graduated with honors from OU in 1965 with a degree in mathematics.
Lance earned twelve varsity letters across four sports in high school, but it was on the football field that he made his greatest mark. In 1960, he was named a First Team High School All American by The Sporting News. At Oklahoma, he was a halfback and punter, and was named First Team All Big Eight. His years at OU were filled with dramatic plays, such as catching back-to-back long passes against Texas on the first two snaps of his college career (the second for a touchdown) and his last-minute 90-yard TD reception that brought his #1-ranked Sooners from behind against Maryland. He played in both the Senior Bowl and the College All-Star Game, and he was the 23rd pick of the 1965 NFL Draft, selected by the Vikings.
In 1967, Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and his career took off. In 1969, he was named All-Pro, having led the League in touchdowns. He is perhaps best remembered for his fourth quarter, go-ahead touchdown catch from Dan Reeves in the legendary Ice Bowl. In 1971, Lance was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, where he continued to be one of the League's best receivers until his retirement in 1975. In 2025, the Dallas Morning News selected Lance as #62 in its list of the top 100 players in Cowboys' history.
During his NFL years, Lance was a nationally known figure, with television guest appearances and commercials. Additionally, his celebrity marriage was highly publicized. He became the subject of intense media attention, much positive and certainly some negative. For years, he lived the Hollywood life, but later followed a more traditional route with his second wife, Karen, and their daughter, Jenny.
In 1972, Lance published a New York Times bestselling autobiography, When All the Laughter Died in Sorrow, a candid and critically praised account of his high and low points. In the years that followed, he wrote numerous articles for publications such as Sport and L.A. Magazine.
In 1984, he moved to Washington D.C. to lead his hi-tech company's computerization of the Republican National Convention. Lance remained in the Washington area for the rest of his life, later focusing on government contracting. He never abandoned his love for writing, spending his off hours generating screenplays and movie concepts.
To all who knew him, Lance was larger than life - hilariously funny, unfailingly optimistic and happy, warm in spirit, and deeply loyal. He formed many close friendships over the years, most notably the enduring bonds that he shared with his teammates.
Lance is survived by his two brothers, Del and Chris, and by his daughter, Jenny.
Notes
- A (C) indicates that the player was a captain for that season (named before each game in 1982, 1995 through 1998, and 2022 to present).
- Related To refers to other OU athletes only.
- Calculations for career totals will be skewed if the season totals are incomplete.