| Born: | October 7, 1928 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died: | March 28, 2008 (aged 79) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Safety |
| College | Vanderbilt |
| NFL draft | 1950 / Round: 6 / Pick: 67 |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1950 | Baltimore Colts |
| 1951–1953 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1954–1956 | New York Giants |
| Career stats | |
| |
Richard Herbert Rich (October 7, 1928 – March 28, 2008) was an All-Pro American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants.[1]
Rich was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was Jewish.[2][3] He graduated from Miami Beach High School in Florida.[3]
He was married to the former Carla Blocker, and they had a son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Terry and Tracey.[3] The family lived in Nashville, Tennessee.[4]
He played college football at Vanderbilt University, as well as basketball and baseball, and was president of his class.[5][3] In football, he earned All-SEC honors at tailback, rushing for 1,282 yards during the 1948–49 seasons.[3]
Rich was drafted in the sixth round of the 1950 NFL Draft, and played defensive back and returned punts during his career.[3] In his rookie season he averaged 23 yards on 12 punt returns, an NFL record that stood for over 50 years.[3][6][7][8] He was a two-time All-Pro defensive back.[3]
In 65 career games, he had 29 career interceptions, including three for touchdowns.[3] In 1992, he was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Rich also became Vanderbilt's seventh "SEC Football Legend".[3]
Rich was a 1954 graduate of Vanderbilt Law School.[3] After his football career ended, Rich was an attorney in Nashville.[5] He was president of the Nashville Jewish Community Center in 1971-72, and was a board member of Temple Ohabai Sholom in Nashville.[3]
Rich died at 79 years of age in 2008.[5]