Ron Berger was an American college and professional football player. A defensive end, he played college football at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, and played professionally in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL) and

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 ...

(NFL) for the Boston/New England Patriots.

Career

Berger began his career with a semi-pro team in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

, in 1965 with the St. Petersburg Blazers of the North American Football League. The next year, the 6-foot-8 Berger played for the Orange County (Calif.) Ramblers of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...

before signing with the NFL's

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

. He joined the Patriots as a free agent in 1969 as the biggest lineman to ever suit up for the team. Burger played in 41 games for the Boston/New England Patriots. His final season was with the Miami Dolphins in 1973. 1942 births Living people Players of American football from Detroit American football defensive linemen Wayne State Warriors football players Boston Patriots players New England Patriots players American Football League players Miami Dolphins players {{defensive-lineman-1940s-stub