David "Deacon" Jones, credited with coining the term "sacking the quarterback" during his stint as one of the NFL's greatest defensive ends, died of natural causes at his Southern California home, the Washington Redskins said Monday, June 3. He was 74. Here, the Los Angeles Rams Hall of Fame defensive end appears in the early 1960s.
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NFL great 'Deacon' Jones dies —
The 6-foot-5 Jones piled up 173 sacks during a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers and Redskins. Jones played for the Rams from 1961-71.
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NFL great 'Deacon' Jones dies —
Along with Rosey Grier, Lamar Lundy and Merlin Olsen, Jones formed one of the best lines of all time: the Fearsome Four. Rams fans nicknamed him "Secretary of Defense." And in 1999, Sports Illustrated named him the "Defensive End of the Century."
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NFL great 'Deacon' Jones dies —
Jones finished his career with the Redskins in 1974 after being traded two years earlier to the Chargers.
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NFL great 'Deacon' Jones dies —
Jones, right, with ex-basketball player Greg Anthony at a 2006 charity event in New York. In later years, Jones was a radio host and a spokesman for the blood pressure drug Atacand, and he started the Deacon Jones Foundation to mentor inner-city high school students.
