Before Jack Pardee went into coaching -- where he’s the only person ever to work as a head coach in the NFL, CFL, NCAA, WFL and USFL -- he was a standout linebacker for the Rams and Redskins from 1957-72.
Pardee, who died Monday at the age of 76 from gallbladder cancer, left behind quite a legacy for his coaching acumen, thanks to the run-and-shoot offense he helped develop and for taking two NFL squads (the Bears and Oilers) to the playoffs and getting the Redskins to 10 wins in 1979.
But as the below video proves, Pardee was a pretty decent player as well.
This appears to be a short cut of a highlight video from the 1967 Los Angeles Rams season when Pardee nabbed six interceptions. Seven defensive players from that L.A. squad made the Pro Bowl that season, but curiously, Pardee was not one of them (his only Pro Bowl appearance came in 1963). For the record, that team went 11-1-2 that season but fell in the division playoffs to the Packers (who won Super Bowl II that year by beating the Raiders).
Either way, the below video is pretty cool, and it leaves with me a question: Did Pardee actually drop the interception at the 18-second mark? Because I can imagine modern-day replay would not have been kind to Pardee on that particular play.
