Roger Lewis Finnie (November 6, 1945 – August 6, 2012) was an
American football former
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
and
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 ...
who played eleven professional seasons in the
National Football League. Finnie 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 ...
for
Florida A&M University.
Finnie was an All-City team member at
Miami Northwestern Senior High School and a key factor in Northwestern's state championship in 1964. At
Florida A&M, Finnie garnered All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and All-American honors.
Finnie was selected by the
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 ...
in the 14th round of the
1969 NFL Draft
The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969.
The draft beg ...
. He began his NFL career as a defensive tackle and also played offensive guard and tight end with the Jets. He was traded to the
St. Louis Cardinals in 1973 where he was converted to a full-time offensive tackle. Finnie played left tackle on a record-breaking offensive line that included
Pro Football Hall of Fame member
Dan Dierdorf,
Conrad Dobler,
Tom Banks, and
Bob Young. That unit led the NFL with the fewest sacks allowed for three years (and the
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference ...
for five years) in the mid-1970s. In 1975, the group set an NFL record, allowing only eight sacks in 14 games. The Cardinals traded Finnie to the
New Orleans Saints in 1979 where he was reunited with former teammate Dobler. He retired in 1980.
After retirement, Finnie resided in Miami and served as a Coordinator for the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program, also working as a Senior and Youth Counselor. He also coordinated the city football league for boys ages 15 and under and was commissioner of the Miami city basketball team. He was inducted into the
FAMU Hall of Fame in 1990.
Finnie died in 2012 at the age of 66.
References
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