John Rufus Mendenhall (December 3, 1948 – February 26, 2021) was an American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

in the National Football League (NFL) for the

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. ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. 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 ...

at Grambling State University and was drafted in the third round of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...

. Mendenhall played in 116 games over the course of 9 seasons between 1972 and 1980. He had his best year as a pro in 1977, when he recorded 12 sacks and 7 forced fumbles. He died on February 26, 2021, at age 72 in

Cullen, Louisiana Cullen is a town just south of Springhill in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smal ...

References

1948 births 2021 deaths American football defensive linemen New York Giants players Detroit Lions players Grambling State Tigers football players People from Webster Parish, Louisiana {{defensive-lineman-1940s-stub