Freddie Joe Nunn (April 9, 1962 October 16, 2021) was an American former professional football player who was selected by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

in the 1st round (18th overall) of the

1985 NFL Draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also hel ...

. He started his career as a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and later moved to the linebacker position. He played for the Cardinals organization from 1985 to 1993, and for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

from 1994 to 1996. In his career, Nunn played in 157 games and recorded 67.5 sacks. At the time of his death on October 16, 2021, Nunn's 66.5 sacks as a Cardinal stood as an official franchise record. When Cardinals linebacker

Chandler Jones Chandler James Jones (born February 27, 1990) is an American football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse, and was selected by the New England Patriots in the firs ...

broke that record in a game played only three weeks after Nunn's death, Jones paid tribute to Nunn by revealing a t-shirt worn under his jersey bearing Nunn's name and portrait.

References

1962 births 2021 deaths People from Noxubee County, Mississippi American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles American football linebackers Ole Miss Rebels football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Phoenix Cardinals players Indianapolis Colts players Players of American football from Mississippi {{linebacker-1960s-stub