John M. Garlington (June 5, 1946 – February 10, 2000) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played professionally for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

Early life

Garlington was born in

Jonesboro, Louisiana Jonesboro () is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish, Louisiana, Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 4,106 in 2020. History Founded on January 10, 1860, by Joseph Jones and hi ...

and graduated from

Jonesboro-Hodge High School Jonesboro-Hodge High School is a high school located in Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. The school mascot is the Tiger, named after LSU. The colors are scarlet and royal blue. The school, a part of the Jackson Parish School Board, serve ...

in Jonesboro. in 1964. He was a star college athlete at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. At LSU, he was a 1967

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American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

All-American pick. He was also a First-team All- SEC pick in 1966 by the

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and in 1967 by both the AP and

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. He was described as an "Incredible athlete whose talents typified his play and teamwork. Had excellent speed and lateral pursuit. Opponents were timid when it came to attacking his side of the defensive line. Even with his size, he was a speed merchant. In the 1966

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

encounter, John picked off an errant pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown."

Professional career

Garlington was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2nd round (47th overall) of the

1968 NFL/AFL draft The 1968 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. It took place at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City on January 30–31, 1968. The Minnesota Vikings ac ...

. He played ten seasons with the Cleveland Browns, from 1968 until 1977.

Law enforcement career

After leaving professional football, Garlington worked, from 1986, as a Wildlife Enforcement Agent (

game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician/technologist, game warden, park ranger, forest watcher, forest guar ...

) with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division. He was promoted to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, in 1998, and was the commander of the department's Region 1 office near

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. Prior to assuming command of Region 1, Garlington held the rank of Sergeant, and was assigned to the department's Statewide Strike Force. Garlington died in the line of duty, from

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

, while investigating a

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

complaint near his home on the Mill Creek Reservoir near Saline, LA in

Bienville Parish Bienville Parish (, ) is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,981. The parish seat and most populous municipality is Arcadia. The highest natural point in Loui ...

. He had been on the force for 14 years. Garlington was survived by his wife Karon Garlington, and son Seth Garlington. He is buried at the Ebenezer Cemetery off Louisiana Highway 508 in Bienville Parish. His son, Jonesboro police officer John Moses Garlington, was interred at this same cemetery in the spring of 1994.

References

External links

*
Pro-Football-Reference.Com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garlington, John M. 1946 births 2000 deaths American football linebackers American police officers killed in the line of duty Cleveland Browns players Jonesboro-Hodge High School alumni LSU Tigers football players People from Jonesboro, Louisiana