Some friends of mine, legendary members of Detroit's concert production fraternity, don't have very many rules but one abiding one was "You can't give yourself your own nickname."
No matter what milieu I've been in, I've enforced that rule whenever applicable.
"My name is Marvin, but you can call me Madman".
"Why do they call you Madman, Marvin?"
"I call myself Madman because…"
"Sit down, Marvin, we'll let ya know if we give ya a nickname."
I know quite a bit about Deacon Jones, especially for a guy I barely remember watching play.
Until today, I did not know he gave himself his own nickname. According to Sports Illustrated's Mark Bechtel, Jones simply wrote down "Deacon" instead of David on a questionnaire his rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams. It doesn't seem like there was much Deacon Jones wanted to do that he didn't.
If I'm gonna bend the rule for someone, it might as well be Deacon Jones. It's not just because Deacon Jones also put a name to a particular football play that has become the official name in the official record book and you hear it every game. Deacon Jones is the man who first called tackling the quarterback for a loss a "sack". And Deacon Jones sacked quarterbacks on a regular basis. The record book does not reflect this, however, because it was not an official statistical category until 1982 and Deacon Jones's 14 year career ended in 1974. A career that almost never happened because of a sit down "Jim Crow" protest when he was at South Carolina State that led to his scholarship being revoked.
Deacon Jones was a badass whose signature move was headslapping the crap out of an offensive linemen's helmet. The NFL couldn't keep up with the headslapping Jones and eventually outlawed the move, making Deacon one part Daniel Webster, one part John Dillinger
He actually recorded real songs with a real band and released a single in 1969. Listen to it here. Most of the guys in his band "Nightshift"went on to be in a quaint little band you might have heard of called "War". That's a far cry from the Bears pathetic ass Super Bowl Shuffle.
And here's a clip I dug up from his appearance on The Brady Bunch. Based on the fashions and Peter Brady's age, it sure as shit looks like he beat Joe Namath to that gig.
Hall of Famer David "Deacon" Jones dies in June of this year. Cheers, Deacon. You deserved to call yourself whatever you wanted to.
No matter what milieu I've been in, I've enforced that rule whenever applicable.
"My name is Marvin, but you can call me Madman".
"Why do they call you Madman, Marvin?"
"I call myself Madman because…"
"Sit down, Marvin, we'll let ya know if we give ya a nickname."
I know quite a bit about Deacon Jones, especially for a guy I barely remember watching play.
Until today, I did not know he gave himself his own nickname. According to Sports Illustrated's Mark Bechtel, Jones simply wrote down "Deacon" instead of David on a questionnaire his rookie year with the Los Angeles Rams. It doesn't seem like there was much Deacon Jones wanted to do that he didn't.
If I'm gonna bend the rule for someone, it might as well be Deacon Jones. It's not just because Deacon Jones also put a name to a particular football play that has become the official name in the official record book and you hear it every game. Deacon Jones is the man who first called tackling the quarterback for a loss a "sack". And Deacon Jones sacked quarterbacks on a regular basis. The record book does not reflect this, however, because it was not an official statistical category until 1982 and Deacon Jones's 14 year career ended in 1974. A career that almost never happened because of a sit down "Jim Crow" protest when he was at South Carolina State that led to his scholarship being revoked.
Deacon Jones was a badass whose signature move was headslapping the crap out of an offensive linemen's helmet. The NFL couldn't keep up with the headslapping Jones and eventually outlawed the move, making Deacon one part Daniel Webster, one part John Dillinger
He actually recorded real songs with a real band and released a single in 1969. Listen to it here. Most of the guys in his band "Nightshift"went on to be in a quaint little band you might have heard of called "War". That's a far cry from the Bears pathetic ass Super Bowl Shuffle.
And here's a clip I dug up from his appearance on The Brady Bunch. Based on the fashions and Peter Brady's age, it sure as shit looks like he beat Joe Namath to that gig.
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