Fearsome Foursome
The Rams defensive line of the 1960s that set the standard for every line after it.
The Fearsome Foursome was the Los Angeles Rams defensive line of the 1960s: Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy at end and Merlin Olsen and Rosey Grier at tackle. Other teams' lines carried the nickname too, but the Rams line became the one later lines were measured against.
Quick Facts
- Original line
- Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy
- Formed
- 1963
- Later
- Roger Brown (1967-1969)
Facts from the source article.
Background
The group formed in 1963, when the Rams got Grier from the New York Giants, and the team's publicity office started using the name in 1964. Dick Butkus called it the most dominant line in football history. Grier missed 1967 with a ruptured Achilles tendon, so in September 1967 the Rams traded three high draft picks to Detroit for tackle Roger Brown, who played beside Jones, Olsen and Lundy through 1969. A 2018 USA Today ranking named the 1967 Rams line the best ever. By 1970 Diron Talbert and Coy Bacon had taken over the right side.
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