Jesse William Richardson (August 18, 1930 – June 17, 1975) was an American collegiate and professional American football player who played

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, and in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL) for the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

. Richardson played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Alabama and was drafted in the eighth round of the

1953 NFL Draft The 1953 National Football League Draft was held on January 22, 1953, at Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Selections made by the folded Dallas Texans were assigned to the new Baltimore Colts. This was the seventh year that the first ove ...

. He was the last lineman to have played without a face mask. He died on June 17, 1975, from

kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...

References

External links

Gallery of Jess Richardson football cards
1930 births 1975 deaths American football defensive tackles Alabama Crimson Tide football players Boston Patriots players Philadelphia Eagles players Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Philadelphia American Football League players Deaths from kidney disease {{defensive-lineman-1930s-stub

See also

References

External links