ARTICLES ON JACK YOUNGBLOOD
Jack Youngblood lives near Orlando, Fla., in a town called Winter Park, where he is a consultant for the Arena Football League and fishes and hunts and raises his son, Robert.
"I think my numbers speak for themselves," says Jack Youngblood, pictured during 1980 NFC title game, on Hall of Fame candidacy. Robert is 16 and dabbles in football. What Robert plays, though, is soccer.
Now when the son of Jack Youngblood can grow up in Florida a soccer player, then you know football has made a terrible, terrible mistake.
"He's growing," said Youngblood, the former Ram defensive end, pleased. "He eats everything that doesn't eat him first."
That's not all that unusual when it comes to Youngbloods. Football eats its Youngbloods.
For one, Robert isn't playing it.
For another, Jack remains ignored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a fact that saddens him and mystifies former teammates.
The Hall's Board of Selectors votes Saturday on its Class of 2000, a group that is sure to include Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott and might overlook Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.
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Youngblood has been eligible for 11 years, so 10 of these Saturdays have come and gone without so much as a telephone call.
"I'm not nervous," he said. "I've been through it too many times to be nervous. I certainly have an anticipation about it."
In a 14-year career, Youngblood was selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls, beginning in 1973. He played most of his career when sacks were not an official statistic, and before sack dances drew so much attention to them, and therefore he lacks the evidence that all-time sack leaders Reggie White and Bruce Smith possess.
"I'll tell you what, compared to the guys that have been taken, and you hate to be negative, but the last two or three defensive ends that were inducted, there was no comparison to Jack Youngblood," former Ram offensive guard Dennis Harrah said. "We called him, 'The Duke of Football.' "
In Harrah's view, Youngblood was better than Lee Roy Selmon and he was better than Buck Buchanan. Both are in the Hall of Fame, both elected in the last decade, while Youngblood was eligible.
"Of all the people that I played with, with [Hall of Famers] Merlin Olsen and Tom Mack and Eric Dickerson, Jack Youngblood is still number one above all of them," Harrah said. "It's an atrocity that he has not made it by now. No one compared to Jack."
Youngblood loved his career. He loves the memories of it. He laughs at the joys of it, at that unexplainable Ram team that went to the Super Bowl 20 years ago, and he grieves for the defeat, still.
Something dragged him into that game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and whatever it was had very little help from Youngblood's left leg. He broke it two games before.
The emotion remains in him. Whatever pulled him onto the field at the Rose Bowl still makes him strong.
"The reason you do those kinds of things, or attempt to do those kinds of things, it wasn't just another football game," Youngblood said. "It's significant. Those opportunities to play in championship games are few and far between.
"The disappointment of losing is huge. The joy of winning is not as dramatic as the losses were, because I expected us to win. Some psychologist is going to read that and go, 'Now that boy needs some therapy.' But, it's like what I've tried to communicate with my son, to give him some of those intellectual concepts of why we play these games. You have the opportunity to go and excel."
Since the franchise moved from Anaheim, there are now two species of Rams.
There are these Rams, the ones who will play the Tennessee Titans Sunday in the Super Bowl, the bob-and-weave set of St. Louis.
Then there are those Rams, the ones who played XX Super Bowls ago, those who will be thrilled to learn that the rough-and-tumble Youngblood, as of Wednesday morning, made it to his 50th birthday.
The species haven't mixed much.
Lawrence McCutcheon continues to work for the organization. Equipment manager Todd Hewitt's father, Don, was the old equipment manager. Former coach Jack Faulkner works as a scout.
Youngblood was a guest of the Rams in St. Louis in December. He watched his old colors defeat the New York Giants. He passed through the L.A.-St. Louis abyss and back. With a sense of the club's new texture, with an interest in its personalities, he then watched the Rams win a couple of playoff games.
"You get to the playoffs, to the Super Bowl, that conjures up different emotions," Youngblood said. "You've been there. You know what they're experiencing.
"The emotions of the game do not change. The people change, the cities change, but the competitive emotions of playing in those games, they don't change."
Their achievement warmed him some.
So it's a big weekend for Jack Youngblood. A big weekend.
"I think we all want to be remembered for what we did," he said. "To be considered in that elite group of players who are recognized as the best who played the game, is certainly an honor. But, there's nothing that you can say or do now to alter what the voters are going to do on Saturday. And what you did, hopefully they will remember it and remember it as being worthy.
"It is subjective. When you look at other defensive ends who have been inducted prior, you look at the hard numbers, and you do say, this is a subjective thing. Years of service, continuity, consistency. I think my numbers speak for themselves."
Somehow, football missed Robert Youngblood. Saturday, it has a chance to make good on his old man.
YOUNGBLOOD MISSES BY ONE VOTE!
ATLANTA - When the painful moment of truth arrived just before noon Saturday, Jack Youngblood sat at a corner table in the Hyatt's lobby cafe. But it was clear he'd rather have been in a cave at that moment.
The news had just come, ignominiously, on a TV a few yards away. Jack's wife, Barbara, had noticed over Jack's shoulder the news conference to announce this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees was being aired.
She sprinted across the corner of the lobby to stand inches from the screen, close enough to hear what the man behind the podium was saying. Word had filtered out of the committee room 15 minutes earlier that Jack was among the six finalists, thus fostering pulsing expectations at the corner table. The Youngbloods had waited there, fractiously, with Arena Football League Commissioner David Baker, his wife and an interloping columnist.
In a moment, Barbara returned, the dark news clearly etched across her face. Her eyes locked on Jack's. She shook her head silently, then fell into a tearful embrace with her man.
``I love you, Jack,´´ she blurted.
``I know, baby. I know,´´ he said, managing a weak smile.
Once again, this former UFlorida All-American and five-time All-Pro had come oh so close to anointment by the Hall's 38-man selection committee. A whispered confirmation moments later would turn up the torture several notches: He had missed by one vote.
One stinking vote.
It was an excruciating gut shot like none this defensive end took during 17 seasons of college and pro football mayhem.
Once the panel Saturday morning had pared down this year's 15 finalists to 10, then six, the procedure calls for a simple yes or no final affirmation by secret ballot. Eighty percent - 31 votes - are needed at that point for induction.
Apparently, Youngblood pulled 30 yeses and former Steelers receiver Lynn Swann a few less than that. The other four finalists - Steelers President Dan Rooney, defensive end Howie Long, quarterback Joe Montana and defensive back Ronnie Lott - were swept into the Hall along with this year's pick from the old-timers' category, linebacker Dave Wilcox.
Youngblood hadn't planned on being in Atlanta for Super Bowl week. He didn't want to appear to be lobbying, or groveling, for votes. Besides, his pride had been battered by this agony several times during the '90s - this Saturday morning of pacing on Super weekend, waiting helplessly to find out whether 38 media veterans would validate his career among the immortals. Each time had brought this same, searing frustration. But officials at the Hall, perhaps sensing Jack's time had come, talked him into flying to Atlanta late in the week.
And why shouldn't Jack's time come? Indeed, why hadn't it comes years ago?
With 150 1/2 career sacks, Youngblood ranks No.3 behind only Deacon Jones and Reggie White (158). By comparison, Hall members Randy White and Lee Roy Selmon rank 18th and 63rd. Jack was exemplary off the field and legendary on it for playing every defensive play in both the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl in 1980 with a fractured leg.
Too classy to dispute the voters, Youngblood nevertheless admits to this nagging thought: ``You just have to wonder, though, after all [my) numbers and years.´´
Others have no qualms about openly making Jack's case. People with names such as Manning, Madden, Dierdorf, Staubach, Dobler, Coryell, Knox and Namath. I called all of those in 1995, and several had this knee-jerk response: ``What?! I thought Jack was already in the Hall!´´
Nope. And still not.
Jack and Barbara had planned to await the news in the privacy of their hotel room in an Atlanta suburb after attending the Athletes In Action Prayer Breakfast on Saturday morning in the downtown Hyatt Regency, official Super Bowl headquarters. But the breakfast ran long and he decided to wait at the Hyatt for the 11:30 announcement.
He herded his little entourage to the atrium coffee shop, open to milling media and fans in the Hyatt lobby, and ordered a Diet Pepsi. The Hall of Fame officials were given the number of the cell phone that lay on the table, if they needed to reach him with the happy news he was needed at the 11:30 announcement in a ballroom two flights below. His handsome, familiar features - dapper in the suit and turtleneck - attracted numerous passersby who knew what he was waiting for. ``Good luck, Jack!´´ many of them shouted.
This moment had to compare to the anxiety he experienced before hundreds of kickoffs, right? Jack laughed and said, ``Yes, but this is worse. Those other times, I knew I could go out and do something about that.´´
Youngblood, 50, who lives in an Orlando suburb, is the Arena Football League's liaison with the NFL, a job he took after several seasons as GM of the Orlando Predators. Now his task was to avoid looking at the cell phone, which remained silent.
Not a good sign. It was 11:20. If he were needed at 11:30, wouldn't they have called by this time? In response to a question, Jack admitted he was mentally rehearsing what to say publicly, if he were elected. And if not.
``If you don´t make it, there´s nothing to say,´´ he said.
``Yes, there is,´´ Barbara corrected, chuckling. ```Here´s your Kleenex, honey!´´´
Youngblood's head rocked back in laughter. ``Yes, and Jake´s still gonna love me,´´ he mused, alluding to their golden retriever.
The cell phone's silence grew louder. Ring, phone. Dammit, ring!
If elected, somebody facetiously suggested Jack open his press briefing with: ``It´s about bleeping time you [expletives) got this right!´´
More laughter around the corner table. ``Yeah, you want to say that,´´ he chortled. ``But what you do is talk about what a proud moment it would be in my life, the crowning achievement of my career, to be included with that group of people. To be bronzed.´´
Just then, Barbara spotted the news conference starting on the TV and was off across the lobby.
In a moment, the people who had wished Jack luck, were drifting back to offer condolences. He thanked each of them, smiling graciously. A veteran, respected member of the Hall's selection committee, Frank Luksa of the Dallas Morning News, approached the table and introduced himself to Youngblood.
``Jack, I´m sorry and I´m embarrassed. You belong in the Hall.´´ Youngblood thanked him, genuinely appreciative of the gesture.
In the secrecy of the selection meeting, Luksa, along with Tampa columnist Tom McEwen, had given impassioned seconding spiels on behalf of Jack after ancient Bob Oates, who covered Youngblood's career for the Los Angeles Times, had rambled through the nominating speech.
By making the final six, Youngblood automatically qualifies among the 15 finalists for next year's election before Super Bowl XXXV at Tampa. ``We love you, Jack,´´ Baker said. ``Maybe next year.´´
Youngblood returned a wistful smile and collected his belongings. The cell phone was fetched from the table, still silent.
GREAT CLASS STILL HAD ROOM FOR 2 MORE
Tom McEwen
ATLANTA - It's a wonderful Pro Football Hall of Fame class, but it could have been even grander.
Jack Youngblood and Lynn Swann should have made it. They missed out by the smallest of margins.
I voted for both, and spoke for Youngblood at the marathon Saturday morning selection meeting, apparently not very effectively. Thought both would make it this time since they made it to the final six. But they did not. They will, perhaps as early as next Jan. 27, the weekend of Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa.
Making it was former 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox, the old- timers candidate; shoo-in ex- Niners Joe Montana, maybe the game's greatest quarterback; prototype defensive back Ronnie Lott; tough-guy Raiders defensive end Howie Long; and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, chairman of the NFL expansion committee when Tampa Bay got its franchise in 1974. I spoke for Rooney, as good a pro football friend as Tampa Bay ever had.
Assured his player-friends Montana and Lott would win election, Eddie and Candy DeBartolo, owners during the Niner heydays, drove up Saturday morning from their new Tampa home for the announcements. They drove fast.
Awful, icy conditions at the Atlanta airport prevented them from flying in Eddie's private plane. Would have come by dogsled, if that were the requirement for the Montana-Lott anointments.
``They are my football sons,´´ DeBartolo said. ``They are family. They were the heart and soul of our great Super Bowl teams. We grew up together. We won together, and yes, we lost together. We laughed together, celebrated, cried together. I feel like crying now, but in happiness.´´
DeBartolo has moved his business operations to Tampa. His sister, Denise, now runs the 49ers, but there is thinking in some quarters he might not be far from returning to active management of the franchise he and his late father took to such glory.
AFTER THE SATURDAY announcements, Montana and Lott called DeBartolo their benefactor and adopted father. Montana said he would ask ``Mr. D´´ to be his presenter at the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this summer at Canton, Ohio, where the Hall of Fame is located. A privilege, he said.
See, Saturday morning there were 14 modern-day finalist candidates for the Hall, and one old-timers candidate (Wilcox). At the meeting of the 38 selectors - of which I am privileged to be one - Wilcox quickly was approved.
Then began the secret deliberations on the 14 modern-day candidates. Rules call for a minimum of four and a maximum of seven to be voted in. The discussion of the individual candidates went on for more than two hours. It was probing.
Then the balloting began. Four were eliminated on a first ballot: linebacker Harry Carson, wideout James Lofton, guard Mike Munchak and tackle Ron Yary. By second ballot to reduce the 10, eliminated were tight end Dave Casper, defensive end Carl Eller, Buffalo coach Marv Levy and wideout John Stallworth.
THE REMAINING SIX still standing were Montana, Lott, Rooney, Swann and Youngblood. Next process was for selectors to individually vote, secretly, yes or no for induction of these final six. Eight negative votes, eliminate. My policy always is to vote yes to all who make that final list. And I did that again.
Frankly, we knew Lott and Montana were locks. Frankly, I thought all six would be approved.
I thought the feeling was Swann deserves the vote, Youngblood does even more, with his longevity (14 seasons, 202 games), seven Pro Bowls, five years as all- pro, 201 consecutive games played with the old Los Angeles Rams, his 1975 Defensive Player of the Year award, his playing the entire Super Bowl XIV with a broken left fibula. He had been an All-American at Florida and as I see it, was one of the greatest overachievers of all time in the NFL.
But he and Swann didn't get the 31 votes they needed. It had to be close. But no matter what you read elsewhere, nobody but the accounting firm counting the votes know the specific tally.
Disappointed?
``Sure,´´ Youngblood said, ``but we´re not going away. Never have. Won´t now.´´ It was his seventh time as a finalist in the voting.
He'll get in and so will Swann. Bet on it.
Meanwhile, for the disappointment in the Youngblood and Swann camps, there was gratitude and jubilation in those of Montana, Lott and the DeBartolos, and those of the gracious, helpful Dan Rooney, Howie Long, and of the great linebacker Wilcox, who waited longer than any of them.
John Quincy Adams said, ``time passes, the moment is lost.´´
True, but for Youngblood and Swann, there will be another moment for the seizing a year from now in some meeting room at the new Marriott Channelside during Tampa's Super Bowl, when the weather simply can't be as frigid and frightful as it is here for Super Bowl XXXIV.
Rams end defined by 1979
JOEY JOHNSTON
of The Tampa Tribune
ST. LOUIS - Jack Youngblood's career might best be defined by the 1979 postseason, when he played with a broken leg.
Defensive end Jack Youngblood played 201 consecutive games for the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times. He was considered one of the greats in his generation. Next week, he might be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That's a nice resume. But it doesn't include Youngblood's career highlight: a three-week miniseries that made him an NFL icon.
Youngblood played most of the 1979 postseason with a broken leg.
``It was just the only way I knew,´´ said Youngblood, an Orlando resident and special consultant to the commissioner of Arena Football. ``I think people could relate to it. You know, people go in sick to work, something like that. Most of all, it was an example of the passion I had for the game of football.´´
Youngblood was a major inspiration behind the Rams' 9-0 victory against the Bucs in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. He played at ``about 60 percent´´ after suffering a hairline fracture in his left leg one week earlier against Dallas.
``I don´t regret playing,´´ said Youngblood, who wore a plastic brace. ``In time, my leg got fine. Oh, it still reminds me when it´s getting ready to rain. But I couldn´t do much more damage to a broken leg. It became a matter of minimizing the pain.
``My regret is not being 100 percent for those important games. I don´t think I hurt my team. But in the Tampa Bay game, I remember chasing Doug [Williams] and him getting outside of me. That just didn´t happen. I was frustrated. My speed was neutralized. But I wasn´t coming off that field. No way.´´
Youngblood, who played in Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks after the NFC title game, suffered the injury in the first half against Dallas on Dec. 30, 1979. He had beaten the block of offensive tackle Rayfield Wright, but was knocked sideways by an offensive guard.
His leg was pinned under Wright's body. ``It snapped like a pencil,´´ Youngblood said.
He was taken to the Texas Stadium locker room, where Rams orthopedic specialist Clarence Shields delivered the bad news. The leg was broken.
``I say, `Well, OK, let´s tape it up. I´m going back out there. I´m playing. Clarence gets this panicky look on his face. `Now Jack, I can´t do that.´ Well, I´m stubborn. I´m not taking no for an answer. I say, `Oh, yes you can. I´m playing, dadgum it. Tape me up right now.´
``Clarence is just shaking his head. `No, no, I can´t do that.´ I´m getting madder and madder. `Clarence, I´m telling you to tape me up. This is the playoffs. I´m going out there. I´m finishing this game. Tape me up right now.´ Now Clarence is looking down at the floor. He´s starting to whisper. `Jack, I can´t do that.´
``Now I´m ready to explode. I grab Clarence. `Now you listen here. I´ve waited too long for this. I´m not missing this game. You´re not going to stomp on top of my pride. This is my life. You tape me up right now. It´s my leg. It´s my body. I´m willing to put it on the line. You keep saying, I can´t do that, I can´t do that. What´s stopping you? WHY CAN´T YOU DO THAT?´
``Clarence looked me right in the eye. `Jack, I don´t know how to tape.´ ´´
Youngblood says he stood silently, then burst into laughter. Shields quickly found a trainer to do the taping. Youngblood finished the game. And the rest is history - courageous NFL history.
``Don´t get me wrong. That thing hurt like crazy,´´ Youngblood said. ``But this was my chance to go to the Super Bowl. Nothing was going to stop me.´´
Youngblood Denied The Hall Again
Another year's Hall of Fame inductees has been announced, and that will mean another year of whining by mostly Steelers fans that wide receiver Lynn Swann has been shut out of the voting again. Swann's Super Bowl graceful heroics always make a strong case for the Hall, but he has a few things counting against him: (i) he never once had a 1,000 yard season, (ii) he only played 9 seasons posting modest career numbers and (iii) how many more Steelers from those 70's teams can go into Canton? These flaws could not be said about a man he faced in Super Bowl XIV - former Ram great, defensive end Jack Youngblood. He totalled 150.5 (unofficial) sacks in the 202 games (including 201 straight) he played over 14 seasons, being named All-Pro 5 times, named to the Pro Bowl 7 times, and as the gritty blood and guts defensive captain led the Rams to an NFL record 7 straight divisional championships in the 1970's. Yet despite his prolific career, Youngblood, like Swann, has agonisingly missed out on enshrinement to Canton throughout the 90's.
This year the disappointment was even more heartbreaking as unofficial word has it that Youngblood missed out by one vote. The group for selection had been narrowed to six, by rule meaning that each candidate needed 31 yes votes (80%) from the 38 man panel who make up the selection committee. Montana, Lott, Rooney, Wilcox and Long all passed, but Jack only got 30 votes, meaning he missed enshrinement by the closest possible margin ...
Youngblood was an All-America defensive end at the University of Florida, and when the Rams picked him 20th overall in the 1971draft he became the first Gator defensive lineman picked in the first round (a trend now followed by the likes of Kevin Carter and Jevon Kearse). The 6-5, 246lb senior had exceptional quickness for a man of his size, and was best known for his tenacious and relentless ability to rush the passer. However when he arrived in LA, the Rams still had the great Deacon Jones, so Youngblood spent his first season backing up the future Hall of Famer. With Jones traded in 1972, Youngblood became a full time starter but it wasn't until Chuck Knox arrived in 1973 that he started to blossom leading the team with 16.5 sacks as the Rams won the NFC West. It would be the first of seven straight, and Youngblood would dominate the position in the mid 70's totalling a further 44.5 sacks in the next 3 years being named All-Pro after each one, including being named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1975. However disappointment would follow in each season, as the Rams would fall to Minnesota, Dallas and Minnesota again in the NFC Championship game (see page 26).
The same pattern would follow in 1978 - another All-Pro season followed by a loss to nemesis Dallas in the NFC Championship Game. However in 1979, the playoff pattern would change and Youngblood's performance would earn him a legendary reputation for his determination to play through pain. He was dominant all year, totalling a career high 18.0 sacks in helping the Rams win their 7th straight divisional title. The highlight was a week 10 performance when the Rams held the Seahawks to a NFL record minus 7 total yards in a 24-0 win. Once again though Youngblood's Rams again faced the Cowboys in the playoffs. However disaster struck early on in the divisional playoff in Texas, when he fractured his left fibula. As Youngblood recalled in a recent interview, "They carted me into a Texas Stadium locker room before halftime and did X-rays. I told our team doctor, 'It's only a fibula. Just tape it up and let me get back on the field'." Amazingly that happened, and after being fitted with a special brace Youngblood returned to the field. "It had snapped like a pencil, but I couldn't damage it any further. It was just a matter of dealing with the pain. They taped me together. I took a lot of aspirin, then returned to chase Roger Staubach." Inspired by their leader's return the Rams finally got past the Cowboys 21-19 and into the Championship Game versus Tampa Bay. However with an elusive Super Bowl trip so close Youngblood was not done, and he even though he estimated he was only at 60%, lots more aspirin and he was in uniform the following week. Inspired once more, the defense pitched a shutout to reach its first Super Bowl. There they met the powerhouse Steelers team, and despite leading 19-17 at the start of the 4th quarter, lost a great battle 31-19 with Youngblood the heroic centre of attention.
Playing through the injury had no lingering effect, as he returned to lead the Rams in sacks in 4 of the next 5 seasons. However there would no return to the Super Bowl as the Rams struggled in the early 80's before coach John Robinson took over in 1983. At that time the new coaching staff installed a 3-4 defense, which meant Youngblood would line up opposite an offensive lineman as opposite to a 'gap' in the old 4-3 he had played his entire career. The change in formation didn't bother Youngblood as he still led the team in sacks (10.5). He started his 200th straight game in 1984, but disaster struck when after twisting his back against Tampa Bay he was diagnosed with a sciatic nerve condition in his lower back. This caused a loss of strength in his left leg, and after trying to play through the injury the following week he decided that he could no longer maintain the high standards he set for himself anymore and reluctantly retired after the 1984 season. (Even in his 14th season he was still named a Pro Bowl alternate).
Despite being eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame for over a decade Youngblood has come up short each year, usually making the final 15 list but no further. At least by making the final six this year, he automatically qualifies among the 15 finalists for next year's election before Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa. Although the Rams have not retired his jersey number officially, number 85 is no longer issued. When the NFL named it's All-1970's team, Youngblood was starting Defensive End. Only Deacon Jones has more career sacks among Hall of Famers (though of course sacks were not 'official' until 1982). Surely Canton will open its doors to the one of the most durable, rugged and dominant players of his generation.
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JACK YOUNGBLOOD, Defensive End (1968-70)
THE RAMS WON 7 STRAIGHT DIVISIONS WITH
WAS DEFENSIVE CAPTAIN TO ONE OF THE
From JC
