The man who created the sack will be remembered with an award in his name to the NFL’s sack leader.
Deacon Jones, the Hall of Fame defensive end who’s credited with coining the term “sack” to mean tackling a passer behind the line of scrimmage, will be honored by the league by the creation of the Deacon Jones Award, which will go to the player who leads the league in sacks each year.
Although Jones played before sacks were an official statistic, historians say he would own or be near the records for most sacks in a season and most sacks in a career. Jones was not only one of the best pass rushers in the history of the sport but also the man who started referring to tackling the quarterback as “sacking” him, saying that he liked using the term that’s often used to describe the pillaging of a conquered city.
Jones, who played 17 seasons and was a member of the NFL’s All-Time Team, died on June 3 at the age of 74.