Jack Youngblood: Broken leg only part of Hall of Fame career
LOS ANGELES (BVM) – When the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl in February, it was the first for the franchise in the city, having only previously won in St. Louis in 2000. The win finally brought the Lombardi Trophy to Los Angeles after the team had just missed out in its two previous attempts. This was a moment Rams legend Jack Youngblood had waited decades to experience and with it finally coming to fruition, he couldn’t help celebrating.
Super Bowl Champions!!!! Congratulations!!!! @RamsNFL @AaronDonald97 https://t.co/aMMwwkoYw8
— Jack Youngblood (@theblood85) February 14, 2022
Having come so close to winning the NFL’s biggest game during his time in the league, losing Super Bowl XIV with the Rams against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the recent win was significant for Youngblood, who many considered the heart of the team during his time. Now, the Hall of Fame defensive end is finally celebrating an LA Super Bowl with his franchise, something that he worked extremely hard for.
Early life and high school football
Born and raised in Monticello, Florida, Youngblood was not considered an elite prospect by any stretch during his time playing football at Monticello-Jefferson County High School. At 6-foot-3, 194 pounds, Youngblood used his size to be a strong two-way player as the team’s center and linebacker. Despite helping Monticello-Jefferson go 10-1-1 and win the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 6B state championship in 1966, not many teams considered Youngblood talented enough to join their programs even though he was a first-team all-state selection and registered a team-high 70 tackles.
Barb and I took a ride out to Monticello. Had a great weekend! pic.twitter.com/pC1n4vxgEL
— Jack Youngblood (@theblood85) April 25, 2022
However, one coach did see something in Youngblood. That coach, University of Florida football assistant coach and baseball coaching legend Dave Fuller, approached Youngblood after the Tigers’ 28-12 victory and offered him a scholarship seeing him as the best player on the field. Shortly after, Youngblood accepted the offer, bringing his talents to the Gators.
Florida Gators
Youngblood arrived at Florida as an underweight linebacker in 1967, but would quickly turn into a force on the defensive line. During his junior season, Youngblood led the Gators with 66 tackles. The next season, the senior defensive end picked up his game even more, registering 58 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks to earn unanimous first-team All-American honors.
During the course of his four years in Gainesville, Youngblood helped the Gators beat rival Florida State each year, recorded 29 career sacks and was named the Southeastern Conference Most Outstanding Defensive player as a senior in 1970. He was named to the all-SEC 25-year team from 1950-74 and became the third Gators player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. Youngblood’s No. 74 jersey was retired by the program in 2006.
Los Angeles Rams
Just after his college career ended, Youngblood established himself as one of the best prospects in the 1971 NFL Draft class as he won Senior Bowl Most Outstanding Player honors. Later that spring, Youngblood was selected with the No. 20 overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams, pairing him with team legends Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen across the team’s defensive line.
After playing as a backup and role player over his first two seasons, Youngblood would take over starting defensive end duties in 1973 and held that position for 184 consecutive starts over the next 12 seasons, the only miss coming in his final season. During that time, Youngblood was named to the Pro Bowl seven straight seasons from 1973-1979, first-team All-Pro five times and second-team All-Pro once while helping the Rams go to five NFC Championships and one Super Bowl.
Over the course of his career, Youngblood was considered one of the league’s toughest players. Not only did the defensive end have his long consecutive start streak, but he also proved his dedication during the 1979 postseason. After breaking his left fibula in the first half of the Rams first round game against the Dallas Cowboys, Youngblood returned and went on to play on the broken leg in both the NFC championship and the Super Bowl.
Retirement and Hall of Fame
Youngblood retired in 1984 after playing in 202 games with 201 of them being consecutive. Though only officially having just 24 career sacks thanks to the NFL not keeping the statistic until 1982, unofficially Youngblood retired with 151.5 sacks, the second-most unofficially all-time at that point behind only former teammate Deacon Jones
In 2001, Youngblood was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His No. 85 jersey is retired by the Rams, cementing his legacy with the franchise.
Today, Youngblood lives a retired life with his wife Barb in his home state of Florida. The 72-year-old still cheers on the Rams as well as the Gators and is quite active on social media, giving away autographed memorabilia and making appearances on Cameo.
— Jack Youngblood (@theblood85) June 2, 2022
Though he didn’t win a Super Bowl, watching the modern-era LA Rams do so was as good as it could get for Youngblood. As the champion Rams set off for their title defense this fall, their legendary defensive end will be there to support them every step of the way.
