Herb Rich
| No. 87, 42, 27 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 7, 1928 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | March 28, 2008 (aged 79) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 181 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Miami Beach (Miami Beach, Florida) | ||||||||
| College: | Vanderbilt | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1951: 2nd round, 24th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Richard Herbert Rich (October 7, 1928 – March 28, 2008) was an All-Pro American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.[1]
Early and personal life
[edit]Rich was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was Jewish.[2][3] He graduated from Miami Beach High School in Florida.[3]
He was married to the former Carla Blocker, and they had a son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Terry and Tracey.[3] The family lived in Nashville, Tennessee.[4]
College
[edit]He played college football at Vanderbilt University, as well as basketball and baseball, and was president of his class.[5][3] In football, he earned All-SEC honors at tailback, rushing for 1,282 yards during the 1948–49 seasons.[3]
Professional career
[edit]Rich was drafted in the sixth round of the 1950 NFL draft, and played defensive back and returned punts during his career.[3] In his rookie season he averaged 23 yards on 12 punt returns, an NFL record that stood for over 50 years.[3][6][7][8] He was a two-time All-Pro defensive back.[3]
In 65 career games, he had 29 career interceptions, including three for touchdowns.[3] In 1992, he was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Rich also became Vanderbilt's seventh "SEC Football Legend".[3]
After football
[edit]Rich was a 1954 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School.[3] After his football career ended, Rich was an attorney in Nashville.[5] He was president of the Nashville Jewish Community Center in 1971–72, and was a board member of Temple Ohabai Sholom in Nashville.[3]
Rich died at 79 years of age in 2008.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Herb Rich, former NFL star, dies at 79". Nfl.com. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Wechsler, Bob (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site - Vanderbilt University". Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
- ^ Herb Rich, NFL star, lawyer – The Mercury News
- ^ a b c Dorman, Lee (2010). Nashville's Jewish Community. ISBN 9780738566801. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Patterson, Ted (2000). Football in Baltimore: history and memorabilia. ISBN 9780801864247. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football. Rodale. 2005. ISBN 9781594861635. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ^ NFL Football Top 10. DK Pub. 2002. ISBN 9780789488411. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
External links
[edit]- "Former athlete Herb Rich passes away". Vanderbilt University. March 28, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
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- 1928 births
- 2008 deaths
- American football safeties
- Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players
- Los Angeles Rams players
- New York Giants players
- Vanderbilt Commodores football players
- Players of American football from Newark, New Jersey
- Jewish American players of American football
- Jews from New Jersey
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football defensive back, pre-1930 birth stubs