Nicknamed the "Secretary of Defense", Hall of Fame defensive end David "Deacon" built up the reputation as a big, bad man you did not want to mess with on the football field. He was also credited with coining the term "sack" well before the important stat was documented. "You take all the offensive linemen and put them in a burlap bag," he once said, "and then you take a baseball bat and beat on the bag. You're sacking them, you're bagging them. And that's what you're doing with a quarterback." Pro Football Weekly attributes 173-1/2 unofficial sacks to Jones over the course of his 14-year career (1961-74) spent predominantly in Southern California with the Rams and Chargers. Of course, it was with the Rams that he joined forces with Merlin Olsen, Roosevelt Grier and Lamar Lundy to form the "Fearsome Foursome."
Presented here is one of Deacon's vintage gamers dating to the late 1960s. The blue cotton pullover bears Jones' number "75" on the front, back and both sleeves in white screened-on numerals (no nameplate on back). Each sleeve also has two white appliqué stripes. A partially obscured Russell Southern manufacturer's tagging is found on the lower left front tail with laundry instructions and a size 52 label. on the left front tail. The classic button crotch piece is fully intact. The garment exhibits excellent wear with several team repairs and some spot stains from sweating and soiling. The royal blue color has aged very well on the soft cotton fabric, better than most other examples you'll find.
As for this rare blue cotton style, records indicate that only three NFL teams (Rams, Cowboys and Browns) wore white at home from 1964-69; the remaining squads wore solid colored jerseys. Therefore, the Rams would wear white durene jerseys for their seven home games during the regular season (14-game schedule) and white for many of their road games as well. This offered blue cotton jersey was worn infrequently, making it a great find for vintage jersey collectors.
There are several images online of a kneeling Jones, circa mid-late '60s, on the sidelines. The crooked alignment of the front numbers and dark spots on the blue cotton are visual matches with this jersey. Includes LOA from MEARS graded A8.