Israel Alvin "Izzy" Lang (February 2, 1942 - October 10, 2008) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

who played for six seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the 18th round of the

1964 NFL draft The 1964 NFL draft was held in Chicago, Illinois, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Monday, December 2, 1963. The first overall pick was Dave Parks, an end from Texas Tech, selected by the San Francisco 49ers. The AFL draft was two days e ...

. He played for the Eagles from

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

–

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, and the

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

in 1969. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Tennessee State.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Lang was selected by the

in the 18th round (240th overall) of the

. He was mainly a backup during his first two seasons in the NFL, and he earned the starting running back job in

1966 NFL season The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the first season in which the Super Bowl was played, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addit ...

. In the season-opener against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, Lang rushed for 65 yards on 16 carries. In week 2, he rushed for 114 yards on 16 attempts. Lang was named Most Valuable Player of the 1966

Playoff Bowl The Playoff Bowl (officially known as the Bert Bell Benefit Bowl) was a post-season game for third place in the National Football League (NFL), played ten times following the through seasons, all at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was o ...

, even though he did not start in the game. The Eagles lost the game to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

, 20–14. In

, Lang rushed for 235 yards on 35 carries. After the season, he asked to be traded from the team.

Los Angeles Rams

On July 7, 1969, Lang was traded to the

in exchange for defensive end John Zook and wide receiver Harold Jackson. He retired after the season.

After football

Lang made an appearance in the 1970 film '' Where's Poppa?'' as Muthafucka. Lang was arrested 24 times after his retirement. On November 15, 1988, he was arrested for impersonating then-

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Joe Morris by forging checks. He had convinced United Jersey Bank to cash a check in Morris' name. He had also impersonated Lawrence Taylor, Leonard Marshall and Doug Williams. He is buried at Hart Island (Bronx).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Izzy 1942 births Living people American football running backs Los Angeles Rams players Philadelphia Eagles players Tennessee State Tigers football players American fraudsters Forgers Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Burials on Hart Island American sportspeople convicted of crimes