He was born Herbert Jackson Youngblood III on January 26, 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida and went on to be one of the best defensive ends the Rams organization would ever come to know. He would become known as one of the toughest defensive ends to ever play the game. Pure and simple Youngblood was simply 'Ram Tough' and it wouldn't be surprising if Dodge did not have this indestructible lineman in mind when their advertising department came up with their slogan 'Ram tough'.And just how tough was this man? Everyone who knows anything about football probably already knows how he played in the playoffs and in the Super Bowl with a broken fibula. But that doesn't say how tough this character was.
He knew it was broken, he didn't have to wait for the doctors to examine the X-rays to tell him that, after all he was quoted as saying 'I heard it snap like a pencil.' as he fell over Dallas lineman Rayfield Wright in a divisional playoff game of 1979.
Youngblood's aggravation mounted at an alarming rate as he sat their impatiently listening to the team doctor try to explain to him the severity of his injury. He recalled getting so angry at the doctor that he finally bellowed out 'Daggummit, it's Dallas, just tape the thing up.'
Not only did Youngblood go out with it taped up to finish the game he took that daggum broken leg with him to the NFC Championship game as well as the Super Bowl. Jackie Slater recalled how impatient Youngblood was when they were trying to fit him with a brace for his leg and all he could say was 'Hurry up, I've got a game to play.'
Youngbloods pain tolerance wasn't high, it was beyond high, it was more like Wile E. Coyote, drop an anvil on my head and I'll still keep coming, or kick me off the cliff and I'll dust it off, type of pain tolerance.
From 1978 - 1980 Youngblood played with a pinched nerve in his left shoulder that caused him to lose 50 percent of the strength in his arm, by 1981 the injury had finally caused a life threatening blot clot that had to eventually be removed. After which they weren't even sure if he'd ever be able to play football again. Yet he continued on three more years with the Rams.And who does Youngblood give credit to for all his toughness? Merlin Olson. Youngblood said that he, Olson, had to be one of the toughest guys on the field that he'd ever played with. He recalled one time when a guy stepped on Merlin's hand with those nylon cleats. Ripped it wide open. He came back to the huddle holding it. Youngblood looked over, and could see all the bones. Youngblood almost fainted. Merlin said, 'Aw it's all right.' Merlin held it together and stopped the bleeding a little bit. That was first down. He stayed out there two more plays before we went to the sidelines.
On the other hand Olson would end up saying that Youngblood was the type of guy that would keep on playing until a bone started popping out, then he might leave the field.
Youngblood played 202 games, 201 of them consecutively which is a Rams team record and played before sacks were officially considered a stat and recorded 151.5 which at retirement would have put him only behind his teammate Deacon Jones who holds the 'unofficial' sack record for the NFL. He was equally efficient as a run stopper and he led a Rams defense that helped the Rams win seven straight NFC West titles from 1973-1979.
Youngblood really didn't put much thought into becoming a professional player while in college and even after a stellar performance in the Senior Bowl, he was already planning for a career outside of football. So when the Rams picked him as their first pick in the draft he wasn't quite prepared and even put his hand over the phone at the time and asked if anyone knew who the Rams head coach was.
But all his southern fried wide eyed innocence would quickly subside the minute he realized he'd hit the big time and his tenacity and quickness enabled the Rams to move him into the starting lineup quickly and eventually traded Deacon Jones to San Diego.
He quickly turned into one of the games most feared pass rushers and relished unnerving other teams quarterbacks with his fury and antics. It's been said that he often yelled at the quarterbacks and ran them down with banzai style screeches.
On the field Youngblood made quarterbacks shake in their cleats but off the field they say he was just an ordinary guy who loved to tool around with his buddies in four wheel drive trucks, stop at any country/honky tonk place they could find. Or sometimes just jump in his truck, turn on some Willie Nelson and head off to the mountains alone and enjoy the moment of solitude.
Youngblood played the game with fire, intensity and the heart of an eight year with reckless abandonment and an undying childlike love that has never died. His back finally slowed him down and in 1984, when he couldn't play up to his own standards he said goodbye to the Rams and his passion.
Although he never did win that ring the legacy he left behind is nothing to be ashamed of.
Honors:
- 1971 NFL All-Rookie
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1975
- NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year 1975
- NFC Defensive Player of the Year 1975 & 1976
- NFL All-Decade Teams 1970's (first team)
- Player of the Week 1983 (week 16) & 1984 (week 5)
- All-Madden 1984 & 1996 (Super Bowl Team)
- Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award 1975-1976 & 1979(Rams Award)
- Ed Block Courage Award 1984 (Rams Award)
- Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001
- Rams Ring of Fame
September 30, 2006, Youngblood was among the first four Gator legends to be inducted into the Florida Football Ring of Honor, alongside Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, and Emmitt Smith.
Not bad for a boy who grew up crating watermelons in the Montecello, Florida.
