"Los Angeles Rams" Fred Dryer Hand Signed 3X5 Card Todd Mueller COA

Description

Up for auction the
"Los Angeles Rams" Fred Dryer Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-3876
John Frederick Dryer
(born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, screenwriter and former
American football
defensive end
in the
National Football League
(NFL). He played for 13 years in the NFL, in 176 games starting in 1969, and recorded 104 career sacks with the
New York Giants
and
Los Angeles Rams
. He is the only NFL player to score two
safeties
in one game. Following his retirement from football, Dryer had a successful career as a film and television
actor
, notably starring in the series
Hunter
. His height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and physique are useful for his action roles. Dryer was
drafted
in the first round of the
1969 NFL Draft
by the
New York Giants
and won a starting job as a rookie. He was the starting right defensive end from 1969 through 1971. He led the team in quarterback sacks each of those three seasons with 8½ in 1969, 12 in 1970 and 8½ in 1971. He was among the defensive leaders in other categories as well. In 1969, he tallied 58 tackles (39 solo), six passes deflected and forced two fumbles and recovered two. The next season Dryer was an alternate to the Pro Bowl but could not play due to a bruised hip. He was Second-team All-NFC after recording 69 tackles (53 solo) four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, while recovering two to go along with his 12 sacks. In 1971, he again led the team with 8½ sacks, and totaled 62 tackles (33 solo). He deflected two passes, forced two more fumbles and recovered two for the third consecutive season.
After several run-ins with Giants management in 1971, Dryer was traded to the
New England Patriots
in February 1972 for three draft choices (a first and a sixth in
1972
; a second in
1973
). The Giants used the first round pick to select defensive back
Eldridge Small
. Because Dryer had not signed a contract for the 1971 season, he was eligible to become a free agent in May 1972. He refused to report to the Patriots unless they signed him to a long-term contract making him the highest paid defensive lineman in pro football. The Patriots refused to meet his demands and instead dealt him to the Los Angeles Rams for a 1973 first round draft pick (which they ultimately used to select
fullback
Sam Cunningham
) and backup defensive end
Rick Cash
four days before he could become a free agent.
This trade gave Dryer what he wanted all along—a move to a west coast team—and he agreed to a multi-year contract with the Rams. In his first year with the Rams he backed up left defensive end
Jack Youngblood
making only four starts but playing in every game despite a broken hand and broken nose. His primary role in 1972 was to come in on likely passing downs and rush the passer. He had 40 tackles (17 solo) and 4½ sacks.  In 1973, Dryer started all 14 games on the right side and became the only
NFL
player ever to have two
safeties
in the same game by dumping opposing passers in the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. He ended the season with 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and recovered 3 fumbles (all three were second on the top-ranked Rams defense). After the season, he was a Second-team All-NFC pick by
Pro Football Weekly
. He finished the season with 39 tackles (21 solo) s passed knocked down, three forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered.
In 1974, he had 15 sacks, which co-led (with Youngblood) the NFL (unofficially, sacks were not officially recognized by the NFL until 1982) and was voted the Rams Outstanding Defensive Lineman and was named
All-Pro
and All-NFC. Statistically, he had another solid year versus the run, totaling 49 tackles (34 solo) and two forced fumbles.
[
Dryer scored his first NFL touchdown in 1975 on a 20-yard interception return against
Philadelphia
. After scoring his touchdown against the Eagles, Dryer promised that if he ever scored another, he would set his hair on fire in the end zone. Against the Eagles that day, he chose to celebrate by "rolling six", a touchdown celebration where the player scoring rolls the ball like an imaginary pair of dice with some of his teammates looking on. He ended 1975 with 12 sacks, behind only Jack Youngblood and was voted All-NFC. Additionally, Dryer played in the
1975
Pro Bowl, was a
Second-team All-Pro
selection as well. Statistically, Dryer was excellent against the run with 61 tackles (39 solo) and two passes deflection, two fumbles recovered to go along with the 20-yard TD interception.