Fred Dryer

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Fred Dryer

Fred Dryer in 2001
Date of birth: July 6, 1946 (1946-07-06) (age 61)
Place of birth: Flag of the United States Hawthorne, California
Career information
Position(s): Defensive end
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Jersey №: 89
College: San Diego State
NFL Draft: 1969 / Round: 1 / Pick 13
Organizations
 As player:
1969-1971
1972-1981		 New York Giants
Los Angeles Rams
Career highlights and Awards
Pro Bowls: 1
Honors: Little All-America 1968

All-Pro 1974
2nd Team All-Pro 1974,75
All-NFC 1974,75,
2nd Team All-NFC 1970,73,79
Records: NFL, Most safeties/game (2)
NFL, Most safeties/season (2)tie

Rams, Most safeties/career(2)tie
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
College Football Hall of Fame

John Frederick "Fred" Dryer (born July 6, 1946 in Hawthorne, California), is the son of the late Charles F. Dryer and Genevieve Nell Clark and is an American actor and former football defensive end in the NFL. He is also known for co-starring in 1980s television show Hunter with Stepfanie Kramer. Dryer also starred in the action-thriller movie Death Before Dishonor as well as Mike Land in the TV series Land's End (21 episodes, 1995-1996). He is also the only actor, so far, to portray legendary comic book hero Sgt. Rock, during his appearance on the Justice League TV show. Fred got married in May of 1983 (divorced in 1988) to actress and Playboy centerfold Tracy Vaccaro, who also worked with him on Hunter and Land's End. He stills resides in Los Angeles and has his own production company (Fred Dryer Productions).

Contents

[edit] College career

Dryer began his football career at Lawndale High School, Lawndale, CA, and then attended El Camino Junior College before transferring to San Diego State University (SDSU). In 1997 Dryer received college football's ultimate honor in being voted to the College Football Hall of Fame and is one of only three SDSU Aztecs in the collegiate Hall of Fame. During Dryer's career at SDSU, the Aztecs had a combined record of 19-1-1. He was voted the outstanding defensive lineman on the team and as such was the recipient of the Byron H. Chase Memorial Trophy. One of Dryer's teammates was Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the first four films of the Rocky series. In 1988, Fred was inducted into the San Diego State University Aztec Hall of Fame.

Dryer was named to the Little All-America team in 1968 since at the time the school was 1-AA. Dryer played in the East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco, the Hula Bowl in Honolulu and the College All-Star Game in Chicago where the college stars played the world champion New York Jets.

[edit] NFL Career

He was a #1 draft choice by the New York Giants and won a starting job as a rookie. He was the starting right defensive end from 1969 through 1971. He led the team in quarterback sacks each of those three seasons with 8-1/2 in 1969, 12 in 1970 and 8-1/2 in 1971. Dryer was traded to the New England Patriots in February 1972 for 3 draft choices, then on draft day of that year he was dealt to the Los Angeles Rams for a first round draft pick and backup defensive end Rick Cash. He spent his first year with the Rams sharing the left defensive end spot with Jack Youngblood making four starts and playing in every game despite a broken hand and broken nose. In 1973, Dryer started all 14 games on the right side and became the only NFL player ever to have two safeties in the same game by dumping opposing passers in the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. No player has recorded more than two safeties in a single season. In 1974 he had 15 sacks and was voted the Rams Outstanding Defensive Lineman. Scored his first NFL touchdown in 1975 on a 20-yard interception return against Philadelphia. He ended 1975 with 12 sacks, behind only Jack Youngblood on the squad and was voted All-NFC.

Dryer was a Pro Bowler in 1970 and 1975 and was named All-NFL by Newspaper Enterprise Association in 1974 and was an Associated Press 2nd team All-NFL selection in 1974 and 1975. He played in Super Bowl XIV when the Rams met the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dryer ended his career with 104 career sacks, one of the few in NFL to do so, although since Dryer played prior to 1982 when sacks became an official statistic they are not credited in the NFL record books. Dryer played on a tough Los Angeles Ram defense that during the decade of the 1970s, allowed fewer points, fewer total yards, fewer rushing yards, and sacked more quarterbacks than any other defense during that time-frame.

After scoring his touchdown against the Eagles, Dryer promised that if he ever scored another, he would set his hair on fire in the end zone. Against the Eagles that day, he chose to celebrate by "rolling six", a touchdown celebration where the player scoring rolls the ball like an imaginary pair of dice with some of his teammates looking on.

In January, 1981, Dryer made the cover of Interview magazine, published by Andy Warhol from the late 1960s through the early 1990s and was considered the very essence of "magazine chic". The magazine was noted for the full face Worhol-designed covers that featured prominent newsmakers. Dryer was the first and (probably) only NFL player to make the cover amongst people like Cher, Sting, Truman Capote, John Travolta, Mick Jagger, and many other "A" list celebs and the avant-garde.

When voted into the San Diego Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, Dryer joined athletes like Ted Williams, Archie Moore, Billy Casper, Ron Mix, Billy Mills, John Hadl, Charlie Joiner, Don Coryell, Brian Sipe, Dan Fouts, Sid Gillman, Ernie Ladd, Kellen Winslow, Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, Terrell Davis and others in receiving the "ultimate award" for a San Diego athlete.

In 2003 the NFL Alumni presented Dryer with its Career Achievement Award which is presented to former NFL players "For Getting to the Top of His Field". In being voted this award Fred joined an elite group of notable NFL successes such as former teammate Merlin Olsen, Jack Kemp, Gino Marchetti, Willie Davis, Dr. Dan Fortmann, Frank Gifford and others.

[edit] Record game

Fred Dryer's record-setting game on October 21, 1973, at Los Angeles read Rams 24, Green Bay 7.

1 2 3 4 Total
Packers 0 0 7 0 7
Rams 0 10 3 11 24

Newly acquired quarterback John Hadl, the NFC Player of the Year in 1973, and a stingy Los Angeles defense led the 6-0 Rams to a 10-0 lead in the first half on the way to a 24-7 victory over the 2-2-2 Green Bay Packers. After a scoreless first quarter, the Rams took the lead on kicker David Ray's 44-yard field goal. The next score came on a 46-yard touchdown pass from Hadl to former Eagles wide receiver Harold Jackson. Green Bay cut the deficit to 10-7 on wide receiver Barry Smith's 23-yard touchdown catch from MacArthur Lane on a halfback option pass.

Los Angeles gained momentum in the third quarter on a 40-yard field goal by David Ray. A 1-yard touchdown run by running back Larry Smith in the fourth quarter put the Rams ahead 20-7. Later in the game, the Packers found themselves deep in their own territory. Moments later, Dryer came storming in from the right side of the defense and chased down Green Bay quarterback Scott Hunter, dropping him in the end zone for a safety. On the Packer's following possession near their own goal line, Dryer attacked again. He looped through the middle of the Packer's offensive line and dragged backup quarterback Jim Del Gaizo down for his second safety of the game, setting a new NFL record.

For his efforts, Dryer was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week.

[edit] Scoring

  • LA - FG Ray 44
  • LA - Jackson 46 pass from Hadl (Ray kick)
  • GB - B. Smith 23 pass from Lane (Marcol kick)
  • LA - FG Ray 40
  • LA - L. Smith, 1 run (Ray kick)
  • LA - Safety, Dryer tackled Hunter in end zone
  • LA - Safety, Dryer tackled Del Gaizo in end zone

[edit] Acting career

[edit] Hunter

Main article: Hunter (TV series)

[edit] Land's End

Mike Land (Dryer) is a former LAPD detective. His wife Rebecca (Mary-Margaret Humes), was killed in a car-bomb explosion, aimed at eliminating Mike. The killer (Matthew McCulla) (Bryan Cranston), stands trial on drug trafficking but bribes the jury and is found not guilty. Mike - as result - leaves the Department and receives a call from his good friend Willis (Geoffrey Lewis), who is in trouble. Willis lives in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) and is in need of help. He works as a repoman and was arrested after he crashed a small plane into a vehicle parking lot. He can afford the bail, but not the damages. Mike foots the bill and Willis is released. Willis convinces Mike to hang around in Cabo for a while. After solving a murder case, Mike is appointed by Courtney Saunders (Pamela Bowen), as head of security for the Westin Regina Resort. He and Willis also work as private detectives from time to time. In Autos Júnior, Mike buys a '66 blue GTO convertible. He doesn't have kids, likes to play golf, fish, play baseball and may be a vegetarian (In a couple of episodes he refuses to eat hamburgers and sausages). His hobbies includes diving.

Willis P. Dunleevy (Lewis) grew up in the South side of Chicago and was in the Special Forces during the Vietnam War. In Cabo, he lives in a house which he is building little by little, with antique pieces from all over the world, and drives a red pick up Ford. He has a couple of Australian parakeets, Pepe and PeeWee. Like Mike he also likes to go diving.

Courtney Saunders (Bowen) is the manager of the Westin Regina Resort in Cabo. She is originally from Roboken, New Jersey. When she was a child, she lived abroad because of her father's job: he used to be an officer in the U.S. Air Force stationed at various bases. Her hobbies include diving and collecting Mexican craftsmanship.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links