So Cal's All-Time Roster: No. 75
No. 75:
Our pick:
==Deacon Jones, Rams (1961-'71)
The "Secretary of Defense" was a member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary team in 1994 and made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. His Fame bio says: " Noted for clean, but hard-hitting play. . .Specialized in quarterback 'sacks,' a term he invented." Clean? Sure, if you consider slapping someone's head a noble gesture. It was said that one offensive lineman had the screws turned out on his helmet so that if Jones kept hitting him upside the head, he'd feel it.
Sacks? He had plenty. 173.5 for his career (although no records were officially kept), with 159.5 coming with the Rams. He had 21 during the 1967 season and went double figures in sacks seven times. Jones, teammed with Merlin Olson on the left side of "The Fearsome Foursome," was the first defensive lineman to record 100 solo tackles in single season (1967), the first of back-to-back years when he was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Voted to nine Pro Bowls, including seven straight with Rams (1964-70), he made the NFL's All-Decade Team in 1960's.
After the Rams, he played for the San Diego Chargers (1972-73) and Washington Redskins (1974), then tried a career in TV. He couldn't slap producers upside the head.
Runner up:
==Howie Long, Raiders (1982-'93, also wore it in Oakland in '81)
A Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2000. Long joined the Raiders one year after the team won Super Bowl XV. Three years later, in 1983, the 6-5, 268-pound defensive end helped the team capture another Super Bowl title with a 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. His five-tackle performance in that game capped off a season that saw him record a career-high 13 sacks, including five in one game against the Redskins.
Other No. 75s:
==Irv Eatman, UCLA ('79-'82), Rams ('93)
==Pat Harlow, Raiders ('96-'98)
==Max Montoya, UCLA football ('77-'78)
==Kevin Brown, UCLA football ('03- )
Sports Illustrated's choice for the all-time No. 75: Jones, over Long, Mean Joe Greene and Forrest Gregg.
Did we miss anyone?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours: