Practice and Prunes: The Oldest NFL Rookie in History
Practice and Prunes: The Oldest NFL Rookie in History
Most NFL players start their career in their early twenties, but that didn't stop Dieter Brock from a legendary season in 1985 at the age of 34. Born in Birmingham, Alabama Brock, also known as The Birmingham Rifle was no one to mess with. He once threw a ball so fast it got lodged in the receiver's facemask and had to be pried out.
He went undrafted in the 1974 draft and instead spent the next decade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers winning back-to-back CFL Most Outstanding Player awards in 1980-1981. Also in 1981, he broke the CFL record with 4,796 passing yards.
He was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1983 where he led the Tiger-Cats to a Grey Cup but ultimately lost to his old team. He finished his CFL career with 37,488 passing yards, 226 touchdowns, and 171 interceptions.
In 1985 he agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Rams, led by a young Erik Dickerson. Brock won the starting job from a struggling Jeff Kemp and the Rams took off to a 7-0 start, finishing at 11-5 for first in the NFC West. Rams' Head Coach John Robinson lavished praise on Brock, telling Sports Illustrated, «I've coached a lot of great quarterbacks in my day, including Dan Fouts when he was at Oregon. This guy may be the best I've ever seen throwing the ball.» He went on to add, «He seemed to just appear one day from out of nowhere, like Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Missouri in Damn Yankees or Roy Hobbs in The Natural. I just hope he hasn't had to sell his soul to the devil.»
The success of the Rams was largely based on Dickerson's 1,234 rushing yards and the play of Brock. He completed just under 60% of his passes; good for 2,658 yards and 16 touchdowns (against 13 interceptions). He was also sacked 51 times. Brock took out the Dallas Cowboys 20-0 in the playoffs before ultimately losing to the Champion 1985 Bears. He planned on returning the next year but was delayed due to a back injury. He was released over the phone after returning from his brother's funeral, and the Rams went with Jim Everett.
Brock retired at that point not wanting to start over and became a successful coach. And that is how Brock became the oldest rookie in the history of the league.
Article Written by: Joseph Scott King
