NFL to do Right by a Legend; Naming Sack Award after Deacon Jones

Deacon Jones was a men among men in the NFL; a true pioneer in the game credited with naming an act done maybe once or twice a game--if at all.  Fans of solid defensive play hope to see many of them. I'm talking about the sack of course.

And now the league leader in sacks at the end of each season will be given the Deacon Jones Award.

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Deacon Jones passed passed away earlier this month at the age of 74. An ambassador for the game after his playing days were done as well as when he was busy harassing quarterbacks, the NFL decided that it wanted to honor his memory and his contribution to the game.

So its naming an award after him for the player that makes the most sacks.

"...He was a trailblazer. He drew our attention to a play that we appreciated but never recognized. … ‘He redefined the game,' said St. Louis Rams executive vice president and COO Kevin Demoff.

Back in his day the NFL did not record sacks as a statistic so it is not known for certain how many sacks he had during is 14 years in the league. It is believed that he did have as many as four 20-sack seasons. Since the NFL has been officially recording sacks there have only been nine times where a player had 20 or more sacks and none by the same player.