Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones nicknamed "Secretary of Defense" is a former professional football player and actor. Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him. An extremely durable player, Jones missed only six games of a possible 196 regular-season encounters in his 14 National Football League seasons. He is also noted for perfecting the notorious "head slap" in defensive line play, a tactic that was shortly made illegal in pro football.
He claims that he accumulated 173.5 sacks over his career, which, if true, would be third on the all-time sack list.
Jones also unofficially had 26 sacks in 1967, which (if official) would be the single seaon record.
Jones had an obscure college career consisting of a year at South Carolina State University in 1958, followed by a year of inactivity and a final season at Mississippi Vocational College (since renamed Mississippi Valley State University) in 1960. He was drafted in the 14th round of the 1961 draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and quickly blossomed into a top defensive end and, for most of a decade, he teamed with tackle Merlin Olsen to give Los Angeles a perennial All-Pro left side of the defensive line. The so-called Fearsome Foursome defensive line of the Rams (Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, Olsen, and Jones) is considered one of the best lines of all time, along with the Steel Curtain of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Purple People Eaters of the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones won unanimous All-Pro honors five straight years from 1965 through 1969 and was 2nd Team All-Pro in 1964, 70, and 72. He was also in seven straight Pro Bowls, from 1964 to 1970, and was selected to an eighth after the 1972 season with the San Diego Chargers. In 1967, Jones unofficially amassed 26 sacks in 14 games (the term "sack" had not yet been coined at the time, and official sack statistics were not recorded by the NFL until 1982). Was voted the team's Outstanding Defensive Lineman by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni in 1962, 64, 65, and 66.
In 1972, Jones was included in a multi-player trade with the San Diego Chargers where he was an instant success. He was named San Diego's defensive captain and lead all Chargers' defensive linemen in tackles and won a berth on the AFC Pro Bowl squad. He concluded his career with the Washington Redskins in 1974. Along the way Jones was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week four times: Week 14, 1967; Week 12, 1968; Week 11, 1969; and Week 10, 1970.
Jones always practiced kicking and in 1974, coach George Allen let him attempt an extra point in a game for the Redskins. The kick was good.
Jones is considered one of the greatest defensive players ever. The Los Angeles Times called Jones, "Most Valuable Ram of All Time," and former Rams head coach George Allen called him the "Greatest Defensive End of Modern Football."
Jones was considered by many to revolutionize the position of defensive end. Jones was noted for coining the "sack". What separated Jones from every other defensive end was his blinding speed and his ability to make tackles from sideline to sideline, which was unheard of in his time.
He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980, and was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994. In 1999, he was ranked number 13 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranked player to have played for the Rams franchise, the highest-ranked defensive end, and the second-ranked defensive lineman behind Bob Lilly. The same year, he was named by Sports Illustrated as the "Defensive End of the Century."