Jerome Eli Sally (born February 24, 1959) is an American coach, educator, and former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who played

nose 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 ...

for seven seasons 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. ...

, 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 ...

, and the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

Early life and college career

Sally played football at

Proviso East High School Proviso East High School is a public secondary school in Maywood, Illinois which serves the educational needs of Maywood and three other villages within Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois: Broadview, Forest Park and Melrose Park. It is th ...

and attended the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

from 1978 to 1981. He was a standout defensive lineman who helped anchor Tiger defenses that keyed Mizzou to four consecutive bowl games from 1978 to 1981, lettering three years (1979–1981). During that time, MU had a combined record of 23–13, including two bowl game victories. After retiring from football, Sally earned a Master of Education from

William Woods University William Woods University is a private university in Fulton, Missouri. Founded in 1870, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Expanding its mission to address the need for graduate and adult-oriented programs, the instit ...

Career

Sally played professionally with the

from 1982 to 1986, where he had 7 1/2 QB sacks in 1985 and eventually won a Super Bowl ring as part of the 1986 World Championship team. He also played in the NFL for the

and

before his retirement in 1988. After retiring from professional football, Sally worked as the defensive coordinator at

Hickman High School David Henry Hickman High School (commonly Hickman or HHS) is a public secondary school in Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving students in grades 9– 12. Built in 1927, it is the oldest of four high schools in the Columbia Public Schools ...

from 1991 to 1996 and as the school's strength and fitness coach from 1991 to 2006. At one point during Sally's coaching career, future host of the " Knowledge Fight" podcast, Dan Friesen, dropped Sally's Super Bowl ring and was made to run laps as punishment. He was elected to the University of Missouri Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Proviso East Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. Since 2015, Sally has worked as an assistant principal at Hickman High School in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

. In 2018, Sally sued

Columbia Public Schools The Columbia Public School District is located in Columbia, Boone County, Missouri. The district is Accredited with Distinction by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 19,052 students are enrolled as of 2020. The dist ...

for alleged race and age discrimination, claiming that he had been paid less than his white colleagues.

References

1959 births Living people Sportspeople from Columbia, Missouri Players of American football from Chicago American football defensive tackles Missouri Tigers football players New York Giants players Indianapolis Colts players Kansas City Chiefs players {{defensive-lineman-1950s-stub