Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome

Four of the greatest Los Angeles Rams of All Time were the Fearsome Foursome, Lamar Lundy, Rosie Grier, Merlin Olson & Deacon Jones. Merlin Olson & Deacon Jones are now proud members of the NFL Hall of Fame. Both are also part of the St. Louis Rams Ring of Fame.

Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome - Merlin Jay Olsen

(born September 15, 1940, Logan, Utah) is a former American football player, playing at defensive tackle first for Utah State University and then (from 1962 to 1976) for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. The leading defensive star of his era, Olsen did not miss a single game in his 15-season NFL career.

Following his retirement as a player, Olsen worked as a television sportscaster, teaming with Dick Enberg on NBC's coverage of the AFC throughout the 1980s. He also enjoyed success as an actor (most notably as a regular on the series Little House on the Prairie), and as a commercial spokesman for FTD Florists.

Olsen donated one of his cleats, which was bronzed, to be used during the annual football rivalry between two Las Vegas high schools, Eldorado High School and Chaparral High School, which both opened in 1973 (the second oldest high school rivalry in Las Vegas today), with the winner of the big game being awarded possession of the cleat for one year. Chaparral High School holds the series lead between the two schools, however, the Sundevils has won four games in a row against the Cowboys. Chaparral once had an eleven-game winning streak against Eldorado (from 1984-95), and won the first five meetings of the series (1973-77).

Olsen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome - Deacon Jones

Deacon Jones was a 6-5, 272-pound man when selected out of Mississippi Valley State in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL draft.

Jones soon became the leader of a devastating line that also included tackles Merlin Olsen and Roosevelt Grier and end Lamar Lundy.

Deacon (a self-ascribed moniker that replaced the "too common" David) became a terror for blockers who were not quick enough to keep him from bursting into the backfield and quarterbacks who had to scramble for their lives. It was Jones who coined the term sack, "You know, like you sack a city -- you devastate it."

In an effort to control Jones, teams used double- and triple-teams, but that strategy simply freed Olsen, his partner in the best tackle/end combination in NFL history.

Jones' greatest asset was the sprinter-like speed that allowed him to roam from sideline-to-sideline, delivering what he called "civilized violence."

A departure from the stay-at-home defensive linemen of his era, Jones also popularized the head slap, a maneuver that later was outlawed by the NFL.

Over a 14-year career Jones earned five consensus All-Pro citations and played in eight Pro Bowls. However he never played in an NFL championship game or a Super Bowl. Info from www.hollywoodsportsbook.com

Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome - Rosie Grier

AKA Roosevelt Grier

Born: 14-Jul-1932
Birthplace: Cuthbert, GA

LA Rams All-Pro defensive lineman

Cousin of Pam Grier.

Grier played 1955-62 for the New York Giants, then 1963-66 for the Los Angeles Rams. He retired after an injury to his Achilles tendon, becoming an actor (notably in The Thing with Two Heads) and macrame afficionado.

In the immediate aftermath of Robert F. Kennedy's assasination, Grier, along with George Plimpton, helped apprehend Sirhan Sirhan.

Info from www.nndb.com
 

Los Angeles Rams Fearsome Foursome - Lamar Lundy

Lamar Lundy was a key component of the line during his tenure with Rams which spanned the years 1957 to 1969. A native of Richmond, Ind., and a graduate of Purdue University, Lundy remains the only Boilermaker ever selected as both the basketball and football MVP. He is also the only player to be inducted into both the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. (Coincidentally, the Football Hall of Fame is located in Richmond and Lundy is a past president.)

In fact, not only was the 6-foot-7 Lundy drafted by Los Angeles in 1957, but also by the St. Louis Hawks (now Atlanta) basketball team.

In 13 years with the Rams, where he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1959 and was the team's sack leader in 1961. And, continuing his trademark of always doing two things at once, Lundy served as a tight end during his first few years, scoring a total of six touchdowns to which he later added three more from interceptions.

The group still sees each other once or twice a year for events and signings and they are meetings that Lundy always looks forward to. "It's an unbelievable feeling when we get together. We're 3,000 years old," he said with a laugh, "but when we get together we feel the same as when we played together."

Although firmly ensconced in life in Richmond, in 2000 Lundy made a very special trip to Atlanta where he watched the Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. While he was never part of a championship team during his tenure with the organization, the thrill of watching them bring home the Lombardi Trophy was almost as great as if he himself had been on the field.

"Once a Ram, always a Ram," he declared. Info from www.nfl.com