Jack Youngblood was one of the toughest men in NFL history. Just the name alone evokes images of utter violence on the gridiron. Like a select few in history, Youngblood lived up to his name, terrorizing quarterbacks Sunday after Sunday for the Los Angeles Rams. His lasting legacy though, had less to do with violence on the field and more to do with an endless supply of will and desire. On Super Bowl Sunday 1980, Jack Youngblood played the whole game with a broken leg. This is his story.
The Early Years
Herbert Jackson "Jack" Youngblood was born on January 26, 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida. He grew into a two-way star at Monticello-Jefferson County High School, fortifying the offensive line while manning the middle linebacker spot for a defense that shutout seven opponents while allowing just 10 touchdowns all year. With the 1966 Florida state championship in hand, Jack Youngblood hardly got any offers for college but managed to scrounge one up from the University of Florida.
His physical transformation as a Gator is legendary at the Swamp as Youngblood came in as a freshman standing 6'4" and weighing a slender 185 lbs and left as a senior standing 6'5" and weighing 248 lbs. Jack Youngblood became an All-American while wrecking havoc in the backfield, racking up 11.5 sacks as a junior and 21 overall while making 36 tackles for loss in three years as a Gator.
He ended his college career by being named Most Outstanding in the 1971 Senior Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams took notice and drafted him 20th overall in the 1971 NFL Draft. His life would never be the same
The Rams
At some point, everyone needs to have a mentor. Jack Youngblood lucked into having two early in his career, as both Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen took him under their wings, teaching him all they knew about the position and life in the National Football League. While Youngblood backed up both Jones and Coy Bacon his first two years, he didn't learn much.
In a 1972 loss to the Oakland Raiders, Youngblood was exposed again and again by the future Hall of Fame left tackle Bob Brown. By the end of the 45-17 drubbing, young Jack looked like he was on his way out of the league as he peeled off the bloodied tape and muddied jersey. When was he ever going to truly fit in?
The Pain and the Glory
Things began to change when Chuck Knox took over the organization in 1973. With the famed Fearsome Foursome were soon to leave for retirement, Knox approached Youngblood in the offseason and expressed his desire that he start at left defensive end, Deacon Jones' old spot. Knowing that great power comes great responsibility, Knox made it clear to his young player that he evoke the leadership that Jones displayed throughout his career.
From that day forward, Youngblood was a different player. Unfortunately in those days sacks were an unofficial statistic so whatever is found on the internet will always be suspect. Still, we must persist. According to Pro Football Reference, Jack Youngblood recorded 16.5 sacks in his first year as the team's unquestioned starter at left end. It was his first Pro Bowl season and the following year, after accounting for 15 sacks, Youngblood made first-team All-Pro, the first of six All-Pro nods in his career.
Between 1973 and 1976, Youngblood recorded at least 14.5 sacks each year, displaying a rare relentlessness powered with a terrific blend of brute strength and blinding speed on a daily basis.
Still, despite the accolades, the one that evaded him year after year haunted him more than an uncalled holding penalty: the Super Bowl. The NFC was ruled by the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys in those days and no matter how good the Rams were, they could never seem to get past one or the other every year from 1973 through 1978.
But something changed in 1979. Led by a terrific running attack and a conservative passing game, the Rams won when it mattered most and entered the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
The Rams led the mighty Dallas Cowboys 14-5 in the Divisional Round when Youngblood suffered a hairline fracture in his left fibula. Lying there on the bench, Jack Youngblood's career flashed before his eyes. He remembered the bitter NFC Championship loss to Minnesota in 1974 when his Rams lost by just four points and he remembered the 28-0 thumping they endured at Dallas just a year earlier. Remembering these struggles and many more, he knew that he didn't have much time left in the game and that neither of his mentors had ever reached the Super Bowl.
With those emotions swirling around in his heart, Jack Youngblood looked up at the team trainer and ordered him to "Tape it up, Clarence... I can still run, tape this dadgum thing up!". While each step in between plays was agony, the adrenaline sustained him in the midst of the war and Youngblood managed to pay the rest of the game, even sacking Roger Staubach to decide the 21-19 victory. It was the last game that the great Dallas quarterback ever played.
Inspired by his determination, the Rams beat Tampa Bay 9-0 the next week to finally win their first NFC Championship and advance to their first Super Bowl, where a legend would grow into legacy. The Rams battled the aging Steelers for much of the game and led 19-17 early in the fourth quarter when they forced Pittsburgh to look themselves in the mirror on third-and-eight.
At the snap, Terry Bradshaw dropped back in the pocket, reared back his arm and could hear Jack Youngblood bearing down on him as he launched the pigskin high into the Rose Bowl sky where it plopped into the awaiting hands of receiver John Stallworth who took it to the house. The Steelers never relinquished the lead.
A week later, a still-hobbled Jack Youngblood started in his last Pro Bowl, ending an incredible year where he recorded a career-high 18 sacks and made it to the Super Bowl, all the while forging a legacy that will last for as long as the game itself.
He still played well in the new decade, recording 11.5 sacks in 1980 and 1981, racking up 10.5 in 1983 and coming a half sack short of recording his fourth double-digit sack season of the 1980's. All was going well until he ruptured a disc late in 1984. Usually a season ender, he willed himself into the starting lineup two week later, finishing his career with losses against the 49ers in the regular season finale and the New York Giants in the Wild Card. All told, he ended his career with 151.5 unofficial sacks.
After Jack Youngblood's retirement, his jersey number 85 was quickly retired by the team and he was named to the NFL All Decade team of the 1970s. He filled his days with a flourishing acting and broadcasting career, often broadcasting NFL games on ESPN and even earning an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in C.A.T Squad: Python Wolf. He even worked in player relations and marketing for the Rams from 1986 through 1991. After years of waiting, Jack Youngblood was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Naturally, Merlin Olsen presented him.
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