"Of course a lot of my interest was selfish. Although in just his second season as a starter, pundits were already referring to Slater as "overlooked" when post-season honors were announced. Jackie Slater, now 64, played for the Rams from 1976 to 1995. I help people find their financial freedom through Money Masters Workshops and one-on-one coaching. Discover what to watch this November including a Marvel docu-series, a '90s reboot, and a Star Wars holiday celebration. I think he had maybe one tackle. When Hall of Famer Jackie Slater was taken in the 1976 NFL Draft, things were different. But his more immediate goal, he confessed, "was just to make the team." "All they were talking about was this big tackle here in town, in Jackson, at Wingfield High - 6-4½, 285 pounds - agile, great basketball player. Jackie Slater was born on May 27, 1954 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA as Jackie Ray Slater. A terrific drive blocker, Slater blocked for seven different 1,000-yard rushers, including Lawrence McCutcheon, Wendell Tyler, Eric Dickerson, Charles White, Greg Bell, Cleveland Gary, and Jerome Bettis. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Chill it, O.K.?' Walter Payton summed up his evaluation of Jackie Slater by saying, "Of all the people I played with or against, he'd be one of the first three I'd pick if I were starting a team." ", JACKIE SLATER, PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMER, ON HOW CORONAVIRUS HAS CHANGED HIS DAILY ROUTINE, “And I got drafted by the Rams, and I was absolutely shocked and quite disappointed, to be honest,” Slater said. I came from an environment where a big, physical guy was expected to be that way, and I knew how to do that better than anybody else in the country.”. He attended Jim Hill and Wingfield High Schools where he competed in football, track, and basketball. “Being in Jackson, Mississippi, going to the Dallas Cowboys would have been marvelous, going to the New Orleans Saints or Atlanta Falcons would have been good. "It was really unbelievable watching these real pros work. "Even then I remember he was very serious about the quality of his football, trying to be as good as he could be." The former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall teams up with ‘House of Athlete’ to provide the resources our health care workers need to fight the virus on the frontlines. So my coach moved me to the inside to handle him," Slater remembered. With his unique brand of quiet confidence, Slater accepted the role of team leader. He never slows down," said Doug Smith the Rams veteran center when talking about the-then 16-year veteran Slater. That season, Jackie and his offensive line mates demonstrated their power and versatility. In the 1975 draft, the other two players -- Walter Payton, drafted with the fourth overall pick, and recently selected Hall of Famer Robert Brazile, the sixth pick -- were selected. Greenwood in check throughout the game. He returned to full form in 1985, and from that season on, the honors and accolades seemed automatic. Join Facebook to connect with Jackie Slater and others you may know. He keeps me going too." "It was such a veteran team," Slater said. They were students of the game. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. His No. “That was the only time they saw me live. He pointed right at me and said, 'That was my game plan.' He was a tackle his sophomore year and again as a junior - with the exception of one game - and was switched to guard his senior season. Over the years he'd been called "Grandpa", "Old Man River", and worse. And I appreciated that. "I started cutting him, hitting him around the shins and calves, to take him out of his game," he told Sports Illustrated. “I was playing at a high level, I was training well, and I didn’t have the injuries that slowed me down or hurt me that bad. But his more immediate goal, he confessed, "was just to make the team." After playing in that game, the very next day, I flew to Los Angeles, and I was in a car on my way to Cal-State Fullerton for my first reporting to camp, and that was two weeks after everyone else had reported. A humble and deeply religious man, Slater is always quick to share the credit for his successes with those around him. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images), “It took me some time to grow into enjoying myself in California,” Slater added. View her full profile, contact details and location on HealthShare. And, his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility is evidence that he is, in fact, one of the very best to ever play the game, at any position. There was Jack Youngblood and Jim Youngblood and Fred Dryer and Larry Brooks and Merlin Olsen and Cody Jones and Mike Fanning. Following high school, both Texas Southern and Jackson State offered Slater football scholarships. Slater lined up against future Hall of Famer Joe Greene. Slater served what he called "a good apprenticeship" for three years backing up linemen Doug France and John Williams. Slater played for the Rams from 1976-95. His apprenticeship ended, however, in 1979 when he stepped in and started every game at right tackle. Eager to play on both sides of the ball as he did throughout high school, Slater was disappointed when his coaches at Jackson State informed him that he would play on offense only. Slater, following his senior season, was named first-team All Black America, first team All-America by the Pittsburgh Courier, was named to the Southwestern Athletic Conference All-Star Team for the third consecutive year, and played in the College All-Star Game. Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist. And I say that because you have to remember that years ago, many of the guys that are going to the SEC and PAC-12 and all of these big football conferences around the country, they weren’t going there because they weren’t being recruited there. "I had the pleasure of being there when Jackie arrived," recalled Olsen, who was himself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. He chose Jackson State partly because "it was only five minutes from home." "Jackie Slater is proof that they were playing football in the prehistoric days," offered quarterback Jim Everett.