David "Deacon" Jones, a Hall of Fame defensive end that played for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins, died at the age of 74 from natural causes.
According to ESPN.com, Jones was credited with inventing the word sack and while the official stat did not come in to play during his career, he was considered one of the fiercest rushers in the game while plating for the Rams from 1961 to 1971 and then also playing with the Chargers and the Redskins before retiring. Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980 and is considered to be one of the best defensive players of all time in the league. He made a number of Pro Bowl games and played in eight during his career and he starred on a Rams team that had one of the best defensive lined in all of football.
According to ESPN.com, his unofficial stats of 159½ sacks for the Rams and 173½ for his career are excellent and he also only missed five games during his career, proving to be a durable player. He was not the only star drafted out of Mississippi Valley State, where he was taken out of in the 14th round, as Jerry Rice also was taken there later on.
Jones went into acting and them became CEO of his own foundation later in life.
"The thing we've got to remember being players in this era is to really respect the game 'back when,' because those guys could really play," said Chris Long of the Rams, whose father, Howie, also is in the Hall of Fame. "Deacon Jones is a perfect example. This whole league and everybody in this game should honor the past and the players who played in that era. Those guys paved the way for us."
