Israel Alvin "Izzy" Lang (February 2, 1942 - October 10, 2008) was a former

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 with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

who played for six seasons 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 ...

. He was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in the 18th round of the

1964 NFL Draft The 1964 National Football League draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL dra ...

. He played for the Eagles from

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

–

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, and the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Tennessee State Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennesse ...

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Lang was selected by the

in the 18th round (240th overall) of the

. He was mainly a backup during his first two seasons in the NFL, and he earned the starting running back job in

1966 NFL season The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the first season in which the Super Bowl was played, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the additi ...

. In the season-opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, Lang rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries. In week 2, he rushed for 114 yards on 16 attempts. Lang was named Most Valuable Player of the 1966

Playoff Bowl The Playoff Bowl (officially known as the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl) was a post-season game for third place in the National Football League (NFL), played ten times following the through seasons, all at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was or ...

, even though he did not start in the game. The Eagles lost the game to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

, 20–14. In

, Lang rushed for 235 yards on 35 carries. After the season, he asked to be traded from the team.

Los Angeles Rams

On July 7, 1969, Lang was traded to the

in exchange for defensive end

John Zook John Eldon Zook (September 24, 1947 – June 6, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Falcons. Zoo ...

and wide receiver Harold Jackson. He retired after the season.

After football

Lang made an appearance in the 1970 film '' Where's Poppa?'' as Muthafucka. Lang was arrested 24 times after his retirement. On November 15, 1988, he was arrested for

impersonating An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...

then-

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

Joe Morris by forging checks. He had convinced

United Jersey Bank Summit Bancorp was a bank based in Summit, New Jersey, that operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. In 2001, it was acquired by FleetBoston Financial. History The bank was organized in 1899. In 1968, the bank organized a Pennsylva ...

to cash a check in Morris' name. He had also impersonated

Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981–1993) in the National Football League (NF ...

Leonard Marshall Leonard Allen Marshall Jr. (born October 22, 1961) is a former American football defensive lineman who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected 37th overall in the 1983 NFL Draft, he spent the first ten seasons of ...

and Doug Williams. He is buried at Hart Island (Bronx).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Izzy 1942 births Living people American football running backs Los Angeles Rams players Philadelphia Eagles players Tennessee State Tigers football players American fraudsters Forgers Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Burials on Hart Island