Safety Blitz | Sports Then and Now

Remembering Larry Wilson – Creator of the Safety Blitz 1875302020-09-19+19%3A33%3A06Dean+Hybl

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Dean Hybl

The NFL lost a pioneering innovator this week with the passing of Hall of Fame defensive back Larry Wilson at the age of 82.

Though only 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, Wilson developed into one of the most feared defenders of his era as the first safety to regularly rush the quarterback in a play that became known as the safety blitz.

A two-way starter at the University of Utah, Wilson was selected by the Chicago Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1960 draft (which was conducted in November 1959). The team moved to St. Louis prior to the 1960 season and Wilson soon became a defensive pioneer.

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Tags: Larry Wilson Safety Blitz St. Louis Cardinals
Category Football, NFL, NFL 100

Vintage Athlete of the Month

Rusty Staub: A Man For All Ages
April 8, 2024 | 1:26 pm

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is a former major league baseball player who came into the game as a teenager and stayed until he was in his 40s. In between, Rusty Staub put up a solid career that was primarily spent on expansion or rebuilding teams.

Originally signed by the Colt .45s at age 17, he made his major league debut as a 19-year old rookie and became only the second player in the modern era to play in more than 150 games as a teenager.

Though he hit only .224 splitting time between first base and rightfield, Staub did start building a foundation that would turn him into an All-Star by 1967 when he finished fifth in the league with a .333 batting average.

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Remembering Larry Wilson – Creator of the Safety Blitz 1875302020-09-19+19%3A33%3A06Dean+Hybl

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