Deacon Jones

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Lore & Background

Jones specialized in sacks, a skill that made him a cornerstone of the Rams' defense. He was a part of the Fearsome Foursome defensive line of the Rams (along with Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, and Merlin Olsen), which is now considered to have been one of the best defensive lines of all time. What separated Jones from every other defensive end was his speed and his ability to make tackles from sideline to sideline, which was unheard of in his time. He also was the first pass rusher to use the head slap, a move he perfected. "The head slap was not my invention, but Rembrandt, of course, did not invent painting. The quickness of my hands and the length of my arms, it was perfect for me. It was the greatest thing I ever did, and when I left the game, they outlawed it."

In Their Own Story

Discovered almost by accident while the Rams were scouting running backs, Deacon Jones was selected in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL draft. He quickly earned a starting role and became a force. In 1964, Jones had 22 sacks in only 14 games. If official, this would have stood as an NFL record until Al Baker's 1978 campaign. In 1967, Jones had 21.5 sacks; he again tallied 22 sacks in 14 games the following year. That is 1.57 sacks per game. The current NFL record, set by Myles Garrett in 2025, is 23 sacks in a 17 game season, or 1.35 per game. His relentless pursuit of the quarterback earned him the nickname "the Secretary of Defense."

Reader's Guide

The era of Deacon Jones with the Los Angeles Rams is defined by the dominance of the Fearsome Foursome. Jones won consensus All-Pro honors five straight years from 1965 through 1969 and was second-team All-Pro in 1964, 1970, and 1972. He was also in seven straight Pro Bowls, from 1964 to 1970. He was voted the team's Outstanding Defensive Lineman by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni in 1962, '64, '65, and '66. In 1971, Jones suffered a severely sprained arch, which caused him to miss four starts, and he ended the season with 4½ sacks, his career-low to that point. His number 75 was retired by the Rams on September 27, 2009.

Did You Know?

• Deacon Jones was drafted in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
• He was nicknamed 'the Secretary of Defense' and was renowned for his pass-rushing prowess.
• Jones popularized the 'head slap' move, which was later outlawed after he left the game.
• In 1964, Jones unofficially recorded 22 sacks in only 14 games, a rate of 1.57 sacks per game—though sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982.
• In the final game of his NFL career, the Washington Redskins allowed him to kick the point-after-touchdown.

Early Life and Civil Rights Context

Born in Eatonville, Florida, David D. "Deacon" Jones lived in a four-bedroom house with his family of ten. He attended Hungerford High School, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. During high school, Jones developed a lump in his thigh and learned that it was a tumor; he had surgery to remove it by Dr. Ron Alegria. Late in life, Jones told The San Diego Union-Tribune that when he was 14 years old, he witnessed a carload of white teenagers laughingly hit an elderly black woman with a watermelon. The woman died days later from the injury, and Jones recalls that there was never a police investigation. "Unlike many black people then, I was determined not to be what society said I was", Jones later recounted. "Thank God I had the ability to play a violent game like football. It gave me an outlet for the anger in my heart."

The Fearsome Foursome Era

Jones' college football career consisted of one year at South Carolina State University in 1958, followed by one year of inactivity in 1959 and a final season at Mississippi Vocational College in 1960. South Carolina State revoked Jones' scholarship after they learned that he participated in a protest during the Civil Rights Movement. However, one of the assistant football coaches at South Carolina State was leaving to coach at Mississippi Vocational, and told Jones and some of the other black players that he could get them scholarships at the new school. While he was playing at Mississippi Vocational, he and his black teammates had to sleep on cots in the opposing team's gym because motels would not take them on numerous occasions. Due to a lack of television coverage and modern scouting networks, Jones was largely overlooked during his college career. According to an NFL Films interview with writer Ray Didinger, "Deacon was discovered kinda by accident. The Rams were scouting some running backs and they found this defensive tackle who was outrunning the running backs that they were scouting."

Revolutionizing Pass Rushing

Jones specialized in sacks. Nicknamed "the Secretary of Defense", Jones is considered one of the greatest defensive players ever. What separated Jones from every other defensive end was his speed and his ability to make tackles from sideline to sideline, which was unheard of in his time. He also was the first pass rusher to use the head slap, a move that he said was, "to give myself an initial head start on the pass rush, in other words an extra step. Because anytime you go upside a man's head … or a woman; they may have a tendency to blink they eyes or close they eyes. And that's all I needed." Pro Football Weekly reported he accumulated 173.5 sacks over his career. The total would be third on the all-time sack list, which would have ranked first all-time at the time of his retirement by a substantial margin. In 1964, Jones had 22 sacks in only 14 games. If official, this would have stood as an NFL record until Al Baker's 1978 campaign. In 1967, Jones had 21.5 sacks; he again tallied 22 sacks in 14 games the following year.

Later Career and Cultural Legacy

Jones was traded along with Lee White and Greg Wojcik from the Rams to the San Diego Chargers for Jeff Staggs, a second-rounder in 1972 (30th overall) and a second and third-rounder in 1973 (31st and 60th overall) on January 29, 1972. He was named San Diego's defensive captain and led all Chargers' defensive linemen in tackles and won a berth on the AFC Pro Bowl squad. He concluded his career with the Washington Redskins in 1974. In the final game of his NFL career, the Redskins allowed him to kick the point-after-touchdown for the game's last score. Along the way, Jones was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week four times: week 14, 1967; week 12, 1968; week 11, 1969; and week 10, 1970. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.