Bearly Legal 11-01-10

Tom Mack

Although he played at the relatively obscure position of left guard on the offensive line, Tom Mack gained a lion’s share of attention during his 13 star-studded seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 through 1978.

He never missed a game during his 184-game tenure, a consecutive game streak third in Rams’ history behind only Jack Youngblood and Merlin Olsen. During the years that Mack played, the Rams enjoyed 12 winning seasons in 13 and compiled a .720 won-lost record (129-48-7). They won their division eight times and wound up in four NFC championship games.

The Los Angeles team was loaded with outstanding talent but Mack, as the youthful leader of an excellent offensive line, was one of the most honored of all Rams. The 6-3, 250-pound Mack earned the first of 11 Pro Bowl invitations after his second season in 1967. From that year through his final 1978 campaign, Tom missed earning a Pro Bowl spot only following the 1976 season. At the time of his retirement, his 11 Pro Bowl games ranked him in a third-place tie with Bob Lilly and Ken Houston among those with the most appearances in the post-season classic. Olsen ranked first with 14 Pro Bowl appearances and is followed by Jim Otto with 12. Mack was also all-pro or All-NFC nine times in a ten-year span from 1969 through 1978. As was the case with the Pro Bowl invitation, he missed All-NFC acclaim only in 1976.

An All-America at Michigan in 1965, Mack was the No. 1 pick of the Rams in the 1966 NFL Draft. Tom, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 1, 1943, was one of only two rookies to survive the entire season on George Allen’s veteran-dominated squad. Tom got a starting chance in the fifth game when starter Don Chuy was injured. Mack moved into the lineup the next three games, then relinquished the role briefly to Ted Karras before grabbing the starter’s job again. He remained the Rams’ starting left guard for the next 12 years.

Tom\'s Hall of Fame Bio

Bob Lilly

Bob Lilly was a two-time All-South West Conference pick and a consensus All-America choice at Texas Christian before the Dallas Cowboys\' selected him as their first-ever draft choice in 1961.

For the next 14 seasons, his play on defense was so outstanding that he became popularly known as \"Mr. Cowboy.\" Bob starred as a defensive end in 1961 but then moved to a defensive tackle spot in his third season with even more sensational results. As a tackle, Lilly was a first-team All-NFL choice every year from 1964 through 1969, then again in 1971, and 1972. The only years he missed first-team honors was his final two seasons in the league and in 1970 when he was a second-team choice.

Equally effective as both a pass rusher and a rushing defender, Lilly continually battled double-team and even triple-team opposition but he rarely was delayed in his pursuit of the ball carrier. Quick, agile and coordinated, he even scored four touchdowns in his career. One came on a 17-yard interception return in 1964 while the other three came on fumble recoveries. Altogether, he returned 18 fumbles for 109 yards.

Extremely durable, Bob played in 196 consecutive regular-season games. His only career \"miss\" came in the 1973 championship game with Minnesota, when a leg injury put him on the bench. Post-season play became a way of life for the 6-5, 260-pound Olney, Texas, native. The Cowboys played in seven NFL/NFC title contests in an eight-year period from 1966 through 1973 and also in Super Bowls V and VI. Bob also was selected to play in 11 Pro Bowls. He is the first player who spent his entire career with the Cowboys to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bob\'s Career Stats