Jack Youngblood Biography

Future NFL Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood was born in Jacksonville, Florida on January 26th, 1950. Youngblood was introduced to football at a young age and starred on his high school team: earning all state honors as both an offensive lineman and linebacker.

These achievements earned him a scholarship to the University of Florida where Youngblood starred as a defensive lineman. Playing both defensive end and tackle for the Gators, from 1967 - 1970, and excelling at both positions along the line, Youngblood was a 1970 finalist for the Outland Trophy and finished his Florida career as one of the top interior linemen in college football. Jack Youngblood is commonly listed among the best all time SEC football players. Some have even said he was the top SEC defensive football player in history.

Following his illustrious college career, Youngblood was selected by the Los Angeles (now St. Louis) Rams with the 20th overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Playing his whole career for the Rams, Youngblood was considered deceptively fast for his strength and size and proved adept at sacking the quarterback from the defensive end position. In his first year, Young earned All Rookie honors despite starting less than half the team's games, and he was an All Pro player by his third season in 1973.

From 1973-1980, Youngblood was a lockdown defensive end for the Rams, earning seven straight pro-bowl berths, one NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year selection (1975), and one NFC Defensive Player of the Year Award (1976). His best year came in 1975 when he tallied an exceptional 16.5 sacks and completely dominated opponent's offensive lines. Moreover, Youngblood was also one of the most durable players in the league during that period in his career; amassing 201 consecutive starts stretching from 1970-1984. Indeed, he often played injured, including one famous stretch in the 1979 playoffs where he started in-and played through-three playoff games and a Superbowl with a fractured left fibula.

However, beginning in 1981, Youngblood's play began to slip, if only slightly. Although he remained defensive captain, he was not invited to the pro-bowl for the first time in eight years in 1981, and his production dipped to ten sacks in 1983 (from eighteen in 1979.) After missing his first start since 1970 in Week 15 of the 1984 season, Youngblood decided to retire from the NFL.

Overall, Youngblood is most remembered for his impressive speed, versatility, toughness, and fortitude. The star defensive end proved his loyalty by playing for one team his whole career and his consective starts record indicates his consistent willingness to risk personal injury to help his team win. Moreover, his talent made these intrinsic qualities all the more noticeable, and he dominated the NFL as one of the most imposing defensive linemen of the 1970s.

This Jack Youngblood biography written by SEC Sports Fan Senior Staff Writer Paul Grossinger.

We have named Jack Youngblood to our SEC All-Time All-Star Football Team. To learn more about our current Florida Football, visit University of Florida Gators Football page. You can also read more about the Florida Gators Football History.

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