Earl Franklin Leggett (March 5, 1933 – May 15, 2008) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive lineman in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for the
Chicago Bears,
Los Angeles Rams, and the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. He played
college football at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
(LSU). He was also an assistant coach for various teams.
Leggett's career in professional football began as a first-round draft pick of the Bears in 1957 and spanned 11 years (1957–1968). He is recorded as having played in 132 professional football games.
His career lasted from 1957 to 1965 with Chicago, where he played at both defensive tackle and defensive end positions. He was part of the famed "
Monsters of the Midway
The Monsters of the Midway is most widely known as the nickname for the National Football League's Chicago Bears—particularly the dominant teams of 1940 and 1941. The name was revived when the 1985 Chicago Bears proved to be similarly dominant, ...
" defense that led the Bears to the 1963 NFL championship. He was traded to the
Los Angeles Rams in 1966, where he played in 10 regular season games with the Rams' "
Fearsome Foursome ''Fearsome Foursome'' may refer to:
* Fearsome Foursome (comics) ''Fearsome Foursome'' may refer to:
* Fearsome Foursome (comics), a Marvel comic book group
* Fearsome Foursome (American football)
The Fearsome Foursome was the dominating defen ...
" defense.
Toward the end of his career, journeyman Leggett played 20 games in 1967 and 1968 for the expansion
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
franchise. While statistics on sacks were not recorded back then, www.pro-football-reference.com credits Leggett with 16 fumble recoveries, 1 safety and 1 interception.
Leggett did outstanding community service in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
and the Gulf Coast region. He first played college football at Hinds Jr. College (today known as
Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Raymond, Mississippi and branches in Jackson and Vicksburg. The Hinds Community College District includes Hinds County, Claiborne County, part of Copiah County, Ra ...
) which was the only school that would give him a chance due to academic circumstances. He started playing for them at 16 (which was then legal) and was able to raise his academic standing to get into LSU. Leggett became an All-Southeastern Conference player at LSU.
Leggett had four children and 14 grandchildren.
Coaching career
Leggett helped shape the careers of
Howie Long
Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American sports analyst and former professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons as a defensive end, spending his entire career with the Raider ...
with the Raiders and
Michael Strahan
Michael T. Strahan ( ; born November 21, 1971) is an American television personality, journalist, and former professional football player. He played his entire 15-year professional career as a defensive end for the New York Giants of the Nation ...
with the
New York Giants. He introduced Long into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
in 2000.
References
External links
*
1933 births
2008 deaths
American football defensive ends
American football defensive tackles
Chicago Bears players
Denver Broncos coaches
Hinds Eagles football players
Los Angeles Raiders coaches
Los Angeles Rams players
LSU Tigers football players
New Orleans Saints players
New York Giants coaches
Oakland Raiders coaches
San Francisco 49ers coaches
Robert E. Lee High School (Jacksonville) alumni
Seattle Seahawks coaches
Washington Redskins coaches
People from Palatka, Florida
Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida
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