Deacon Jones Pro Football Hall of Fame

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Jones was originally selected in the 14th round of the 1961 AFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, but after being cut by the Chargers, he signed with the Rams as a free agent. He earned a starting role as a defensive end and teamed with Merlin Olsen, Lamar Lundy, and Rosey Grier to form the Fearsome Foursome, now considered one of the best defensive lines of all time. What separated Jones was his speed and ability to make tackles sideline to sideline, which was unheard of in his time. He pioneered the head slap move, saying, "The quickness of my hands and the length of my arms, it was perfect for me. It was the greatest thing I ever did, and when I left the game, they outlawed it."

In Their Own Story

In 1964, Jones had 22 sacks in only 14 games—a figure that would have stood as an NFL record until Al Baker's 1978 campaign. In 1967, he had 21.5 sacks, and the following year he again tallied 22 sacks in 14 games, a rate of 1.57 sacks per game. Jones won consensus All-Pro honors five straight years from 1965 through 1969 and was second-team All-Pro in 1964, 1970, and 1972. He was in seven straight Pro Bowls from 1964 to 1970 and was voted the Rams' Outstanding Defensive Lineman by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni in 1962, '64, '65, and '66. In 1971, a severely sprained arch caused him to miss four starts, ending the season with 4½ sacks, his career-low to that point.

Reader's Guide

Deacon Jones did not win a Super Bowl during his Rams tenure, but his individual accolades defined an era of defensive excellence. He was selected to seven straight Pro Bowls from 1964 to 1970 while wearing the blue and gold, highlighting his consistent dominance. During seasons where sack statistics were unofficially tracked, Pro Football Weekly reported he accumulated 173.5 sacks over his career, which would have ranked first all-time at his retirement by a substantial margin. His number 75 was retired by the Rams on September 27, 2009. 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 and the highest-ranked defensive end. Sports Illustrated named him the "Defensive End of the Century" the same year.

Did You Know?

• Jones was originally selected in the 14th round of the 1961 AFL draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, but after being cut, he signed with the Rams as a free agent—a discovery that changed NFL history.
• In 1964, Jones had 22 sacks in only 14 games, a rate of 1.57 sacks per game; the official single-season sack record is 22.5, shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021).
• Jones pioneered the head slap move, which he called 'the greatest thing I ever did,' and it was outlawed after he left the game.
• Pro Football Weekly reported Jones accumulated 173.5 sacks over his career, which would have ranked first all-time at his retirement by a substantial margin.
• In the final game of his NFL career with the Washington Redskins in 1974, the Redskins allowed him to kick the point-after-touchdown for the game's last score.