Hello everyone,
Today, we will make a trip way back in time to talk about one of the toughest athletes of all time, Jack Youngblood. Having one of the sickest nicknames ever is not the reason we are here, (after reading a lot about Jack, there isn’t even one surname that fits better, boy was he old school) it is because time after time Jack showed that pain is to a certain extent mental, and no one controlled pain just like your old friend Jack. In a time where many athletes refuse to play due to minor injuries or even a small cold, lets go back to a time where it wasn’t exactly the same way.
Jack Youngblood was born on the 26th of January 1950 (during this same year a movie about a girl who lost her crystal shoe reached the cinemas and became an instant classic). Youngblood grew up Jacksonville, Florida and quickly became a phenomenon when it came to football, the sport he was built to play. He led his high school to a state championship, whilst playing two different positions, on offense and on defense. (The true definition of a game changer). After an illustrious high school career, it came as no surprise that his hometown university, the great University of Florida came after him. (Why leave home, am I right?).
Normally, when a player reaches college, in his first year, he doesn’t play as much and sits on the bench learning with the coaches and teammates. Jack wasn’t settling for any of that crap as he became an instant starter in his new position of defensive end, and quickly became a menace to opposing quarterbacks, finishing with a respectable 4 sacks. To add to this impressive first year, Jack Youngblood, a 1,95 meter tall 108kg man, was also responsible for kicking, hitting a great deal of field goals. (The definition of versatility, Youngblood teaching the other young’uns how to get things done). In the second year, Youngblood, now used to the college environment, put on a show. He started off the season as one of the team leaders, leading by example, as he was always the first to arrive in the training facility and the last one to leave. He was a man on a mission, finishing with a Florida record 14 sacks, 5 of them coming in the rivalry game against state rivals Florida State (Our boys was clutch). With a fearsome defense, Florida ended the year with 9 wins and 1 loss, capping off with a Gator Bowl victory. (So you are telling me that the winner of the Gator Bowl were the Gators… No bonus points for originality).
He headed to the 1970 season as one of the most feared college players of all time. The season started off great for the Gators with a great win versus Duke. During that same game however, something unprecedented happened. Youngblood got injured following one of his kickoffs after tripping himself up with one of the opponents. Many thought the injury would sideline Jack for the rest of the season ( they clearly hadn’t met the man yet) but after further evaluation, it was decided that Jack would stay out for 6 weeks. Jack accepted his faith and was forced to see his teammates battle it out from the sideline. After beating Mississippi State, the Gators faced the prestigious Alabama. Since the game was in Alabama, Jack decided to stay in Florida and listen to the game on the radio with some friends whilst on a boat. Well it just so happened that Florida was getting absolutely demolished, so, logically, Jack, who was suffering just by listening to the game, decided to see if he could ski to take his mind off the game. In his eyes, if he was able to ski properly, he would be able to play football “If I can ski on it, I can play on it.”. After struggling a bit at the beginning he ended up complete two full laps around the lake. ( I mean I can fault the logic, but it is for ideas like these that women live more than men). The very next day, Youngblood was right back at practice. ( Just a small glimpse of what is to come). With his veteran leadership guiding them, Florida ended up with a respectable record of 7-4 despite a worsened offense. Youngblood ended his college career as the best player in Florida history. Now, it was the time to make the set up to the big leagues, the NFL.
After a truly dominant college season, it was no surprise that the Los Angeles Rams would select Jack with the 20th pick in the 1971. ( One of the greatest decisions they have ever made). During his rookie season, Youngblood played sparingly as he was a backup for one of the most dominant defense players ever, Deacon Jones. After solid outings in the small playtime he had, the Rams decided to go all on the Florida man. (I’m sure he was best friends with an alligator, and I can’t really sure point out why). This was the right move, as just in his third season, Youngblood became one of the best players in the NFL. This started a run of six straight years where Youngblood would be considered an All-pro (a award given for the best player at each position) and a Pro Bowler (invited to participate in a sort of All-star game at the end of the season). The Rams thrived, reaching the Playoffs in all of these seven years but, unfortunately for Youngblood, they were never able to make the big game, losing constantly to the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. During these period, Youngblood gained a reputation for being one of the most badass men in the sport, with his relentless attitude and constant trash talk. He was a true leader, being the first to arrive at practice and always the last to leave. (Leading by example at its finest).
Then the 1979 season came around, and this is when Jack reached his immortal status. It so happened that during the season he played like a man possessed ( not that he wasn’t beforehand) winning the Defensive player of the year award. (Was this the year where it would all go in favor of Jack?). Riding Jack’s coattails, the Rams won the last 4 games of the regular season to achieve a playoffs berth. Their opponents: the Dallas Cowboys. The game was going perfectly, with the Rams winning 14-5 reaching halftime. Then, tragedy struck. On a play trying to tackle the opponents quarterback, Youngblood severely fractured his left tibia. This is one of the hardest injuries to deal with, requiring surgery and a recuperation time of more than 6 months. Jack headed back to the locker room; his season was over. Wait, I made a mistake ( it happened to the best of us), it wasn’t the season that ended, it was the half. After the 15 minute stoppage, there he was in all his glory, all taped up ready to finish the game. ( I can’t even imagine the pain that he must have felt walking, but I guess some people are just built differently). Youngblood would end up playing every snap in the second half with a BROKEN TIBIA, and even recorded a game clinching sack, as the Rams escaped with the upset. After the game Youngblood said to a reporter “Me being the captain, I'm the leader of this defense, this football team. And that was my job. And I wasn't about to go sit on the sidelines because I had something that I didn't think would hinder me that much. “(the definition of toughness).
Next up: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one game to decide who went to the Super Bowl. After being advised by every single one of the doctors to sit out the rest of the season, Youngblood decided to play (Medicine is for nerds anyway), and once again showed up leading the Rams to a 9-0 shutout victory. The Rams were now in the Super Bowl. Their opponents in the big game would be the fearsome Pittsburg Steelers. There was no way in hell Jack was going to miss this one, and so he once again had a historic performance, disrupting much of the Steelers offense in the first half. Unfortunately, his efforts weren’t enough to stop the powerhouse Pittsburg team, as the Rams were defeated 31-19. His season was over, now it was time for surgery. Well that is what everyone in the world thought, everyone except Jack, who decided to participate in the worthless Pro Bowl game in Hawaii because he didn’t want to miss the party. ( The true definition of FOMO, playing a game with a broken tibia so that you don’t miss out on the fun). Following the game, Youngblood finally had his surgery, and was ready for the start of the next season. (A true inspiration if you ask me).
This moment would define Youngblood for the rest of his illustrious career that lasted four more years. During this period, Jack also ruptured a disk in his back, an injury that normally takes 6 weeks to fully recover. Jack being Jack was back on the field just two weeks later.( At this point who is even surprised). Additionally, during the 1981 offseason, Jack decided to got to the medic to check out a problem he had on the arm since the beginning of that season. Well it turned out to be a blood clot the size of a hot dog. (You know, the usual. Why go to the hospital during the season, I’m I right). It was so big that the medic who saw it sent Youngblood to surgery that same day. This of course led to a total of zero games missed, as Youngblood finished his Hall of Fame 14-year career with just one missed game, despite several serious injuries.
This is the story of one of the most emblematic NFL players in history, the great Jack Youngblood. Following his career, he appeared in numerous sports and outdoor shows for the next several years before moving to radio work with the Rams. (No matter how hard you try, you can’t separate Youngblood from football).