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The New York Sack Exchange were the front four
The New York Sack Exchange were the front four defensive line
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
of the 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 ...
team New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
of 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 ...
during the early 1980s. The line consisted of Mark Gastineau
Marcus Dell Gastineau (born November 20, 1956) is an American former football player who was a defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generatio ...
, Joe Klecko
Joseph Edward Klecko (born October 15, 1953) is an American former football player, of Polish descent, best remembered for his days as a defensive lineman, a member of the New York Jets' famed " New York Sack Exchange."
Temple Owls
Before goin ...
, Marty Lyons
Martin Anthony Lyons (born January 15, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive tackle and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. Lyons play ...
and Abdul Salaam.Origins
In 1981, a fan by the name of Dan O'Connor submitted the "New York Sack Exchange" name to a pre-season contest held by The Jet Report, a team magazine. Jets public relations director Frank Ramos used the nickname in a press release and it was soon picked up by the media. All four members of the Sack Exchange were drafted by the Jets in the 1970s. Salaam (born Larry Faulk), adefensive 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 ...
from Kent State
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...
, was drafted in the 7th round
(188th overall) by the Jets in 1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
. Klecko, 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 ...
from Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
, was a 6th round pick (144th overall) in 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
. Lyons, a defensive tackle from Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, was a first round pick (14th overall) in 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, while Gastineau, a defensive end from East Central Oklahoma State University,
was selected with the Jets' second round selection in that draft (41st overall).
Success
In November 1981, Gastineau, Klecko, Salaam and Lyons were invited to ring the ceremonial opening bell at theNew York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
, which served as the inspiration for their nickname. Gastineau and Klecko competed to see which defensive end could record
the most sacks. In 1981, the Jets led the league with 66 sacks. The Jets reached the 1982 AFC Championship Game.
Salaam was replaced in the starting lineup by Kenny Neil
Kenny Neil (born January 8, 1959) is an American former professional American football player, who played defensive lineman for the New York Jets and Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in ...
in 1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
, then traded after the season. However, Gastineau, Klecko, and Lyons continued to have success for several years, with Gastineau and Klecko making two more Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
s apiece, even after the Jets shifted to the 3-4 defense in 1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. Lyons, the last active member of the Sack Exchange, retired after the 1989 season.
Legacy
The prowess of the New York Sack Exchange, andNew 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. ...
rookie linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
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 ...
, caused the NFL to start counting Quarterback sack
In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...
s as a statistic.
Members of the New York Sack Exchange have earned individual honors. The Jets retired Klecko's #73 during a halftime
In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in ...
ceremony on December 26, 2004. He was then inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. Lyons was inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
in 2011.
Klecko and Joe Fields
Joseph Charles Fields Jr. (born November 14, 1953) is a former professional American football center and guard in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the New York Giants.
Raised in Deptford Township, New Jersey, Fields ...
wrote a book on Klecko's career, including details on his personal relationship with Gastineau. A book that told the story of this era of the Jets, titled ''Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets'', by author Greg Prato, was released in September 2011 via ECW Press
ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholarly book ...
.
See also
*List of NFL nicknames
The following nicknames are given to a unit (defensive, offensive and special teams) or a secondary nickname given to some teams used to describe a style of play or attitude of teams at times in accordance with phrases in popular culture of the ti ...
*Legion of Boom (Seattle Seahawks)
The Legion of Boom (LOB) was the Seattle Seahawks secondary in the early 2010s. The original group that was nicknamed the Legion of Boom consisted of the main starters in the Seahawks defensive backfield (the cornerback and safety positions): ...
References
Bibliography
* * * {{New York Jets New York Jets Nicknamed groups of American football players