Herschel Ray Jacobs (born November 21, 1938) is a former professional

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 wi ...

defensive tackle in the American Football League for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

and Boston Patriots. He played college football at

Howard Payne University Howard Payne University is a private Baptist university in Brownwood, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Howard Payne College was founded by Reverend Noah T. Byers and Dr. John David Robnett in 1889. The institu ...

Early years

Jacobs attended

Corsicana High School Corsicana Independent School District is a public school district based in Corsicana, Texas, United States. In addition to Corsicana, the district serves the central Navarro County towns of Angus, Mustang, Oak Valley, Retreat, and Richland. ...

, before moving on to Navarro Junior College. After his freshman season he transferred to

, where he played offensive tackle and defensive tackle. He was a two-time NAIA All-American and a three-time

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in T ...

selection. In 2005, Jacobs was inducted into the

Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted to the Navarro College athletic hall of fame in 2021.

Professional career

Houston Oilers

Jacobs was selected by the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

in the first round (7th overall) of the 1962 AFL Draft and was also selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

in the seventeenth round (228th overall) of the

1962 NFL Draft The 1962 National Football League draft was held on December 4, 1961 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The Washington Redskins used the first overall pick of the draft to select running back Ernie Davis, then subsequently traded him ...

. Although he signed contracts with both teams, he chose to report to the Oilers training camp. Besides playing

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 formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

, he also was tried as a placekicker. He was waived on August 19,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

Denver Broncos

On October 29,

, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He was used as a

before switching to defensive tackle and was a two-time second-team All-AFL. On May 4,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

Bill Cronin.

Miami Dolphins

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. * Janu ...

, although he was limited during the season with multiple injuries, he led the

with 107 tackles. On March 4,

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 was traded to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice (not exercised).

Oakland Raiders

Jacobs was released before the start of the season on September 9,

Buffalo Bills

In September

, he was signed by the Buffalo Bills to their development squad. On October 21, he was traded to the Boston Patriots in exchange for an eighth round draft choice (#183-Louis Ross).

Boston Patriots

, he played in 8 contests. He recovered two fumbles in the seventh game against the New York Jets. He was injured in the last game of the season against the

, suffering disc damage on his back and could not report to

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

the next year, forcing the team to cut ties with him.

Personal life

Jacobs later became a football coach at

Mabank High School Mabank High School is a public high school located in the city of Mabank, Texas, United States and classified as a 4A school by the University Interscholastic League (UIL). It is a part of the Mabank Independent School District located in central ...

. He had 8 knee operations during his professional career.

References

External links

HPU Sports Hall of Fame bio

Old Man Jacobs Needs No Help
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Ray 1939 births Living people American football defensive tackles American Football League players Boston Patriots players Denver Broncos (AFL) players Houston Oilers players Howard Payne Yellow Jackets football players Miami Dolphins players Navarro Bulldogs football players High school football coaches in Texas People from Corsicana, Texas Players of American football from Texas