Rich Jackson
No. 32, 87 | |||||||
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Position: | L.B. Landry (New Orleans) | ||||||
College: | Southern | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1966 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Richard Samuel Jackson (born July 22, 1941), nicknamed "Tombstone", is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and a linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Southern Jaguars. Jackson played for the AFL's Oakland Raiders in 1966 and Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1969, remaining with the Broncos in 1970 through 1971 after their post-merger transition to the NFL, and the Cleveland Browns in 1972. Jackson was named an All-Pro in 1969 and 1970.
Early years and college career
Jackson was born in
Upon graduating from Landry, Jackson enrolled at
Pro career
Oakland Raiders
After college, Jackson went undrafted and signed with the AFL Oakland Raiders as a free agent in 1965 and he played five games at Linebacker in 1966 for Oakland. The Broncos acquired him at the beginning of training camp in 1967 when Broncos head coach Lou Saban sent All-Pro wide receiver Lionel Taylor and another player to the Raiders in exchange for Jackson and two other players.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos switched him to defensive end and Jackson showed the quickness that was to become his trademark in professional football. He played for the AFL Denver Broncos from 1967 through 1969, with 10 sacks in ‘68 and a career high 11 in ‘69. Jackson racked up another 10 Sacks in 1970 as the AFL and NFL merged. Jackson was the first Bronco to be named to the All-NFL first team in 1970 and was a starter in the Pro Bowl that year. By all reckoning, he started 52 of 67 games in 5.5 years with the Broncos from 1967-72.[1]
During his time in the NFL, Jackson's nickname was "Tombstone," and he became famous for moves such as the "head slap" and the "halo spinner" which he used to subdue opposing offensive linemen. In Lyle Alzado's book "Mile High" he recalled Jackson as the toughest man he'd ever met, and told the story of Jackson breaking the helmet of Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Bill Hayhoe with a head slap.[2]
Jackson recorded 10 sacks in both 1968 and 1970 and posted a career-high total of 11 in 1969.
Legacy
Jackson's career was cut short by a severe knee injury midway through the 1971 season. He finished with an unofficial total of 43 sacks, 31 of which came during the three-season period of 1968 to 1970. Despite the shortened career,
Jackson wore number 87 with the Broncos and was part of the inaugural class of inductees into the Denver Broncos' "
In 2015, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Jackson to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2015.[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Denver Bronco Legends: Rich "Tombstone" Jackson | Bronco Planet". broncoplanet.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-12.
- ^ Hochman, Benjamin (2014-08-31). "Toughest Bronco there ever was: "Tombstone"". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ "MHR's Forgotten Broncos -- Rich "Tombstone" Jackson". 21 May 2008.
- ^ Network, Sports History (2021-03-30). "Paul Zimmerman's All-Time NFL List". Sports History Network. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ "Colorado Sports Hall of Fame". www.coloradosports.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Professional Researchers Association Hall of Very Good Class of 2015". Retrieved November 10, 2016.