| Date of birth: | October 7, 1928 |
| Place of birth: | Newark, New Jersey, United States |
| Date of death: | March 28, 2008 (aged 79) |
| Place of death: | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Safety |
| NFL Draft: | 1950 / Round: 6 / Pick: 67 |
| Organizations | |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Richard Herbert Rich (October 7, 1928, in Newark, New Jersey – March 28, 2008) was an All-Pro American football safety in the National Football League for the Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.[1]
Early and personal life[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
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[]
References[]
- ↑ "Herb Rich, former NFL star, dies at 79". Nfl.com. November 18, 2008. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d80776208/article/herb-rich-former-nfl-star-dies-at-79. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ Day by day in Jewish sports history. https://books.google.com/books?id=aOTWUl-9LQoC&pg=PA281. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site - Vanderbilt University
- ↑ Herb Rich, NFL star, lawyer – The Mercury News
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Nashville's Jewish Community. https://books.google.com/books?id=s1u5vTCdxlAC&pg=PA124. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ Football in Baltimore: history and memorabilia. 2000. https://books.google.com/books?id=cZeye8iTWyMC&pg=PA89. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game!: A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football. Rodale. 2005. https://books.google.com/books?id=gf5X7pDdGaIC&pg=PA167. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
- ↑ NFL Football Top 10. DK Pub. 2002. https://books.google.com/books?id=s7NozJystxsC&q=%22herb+rich%22+football&dq=%22herb+rich%22+football&hl=en&ei=S70tTamPAsT68AbryKWWCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CEkQ6AEwCTgU. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
External links[]
- "Former athlete Herb Rich passes away". Vanderbilt University. March 28, 2008. http://vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/032808aaa.html. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- Herb Rich at Find a Grave
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