1. Rubin Carter
Draft: 1975, 121st overall by the Denver Broncos
Career in Denver: 1975-1986 (154 games)
Pro Bowls: none (it’s a scandal)
Super Bowls: XII, XXI, XXII
This Rubin Carter is not to be confused with the boxer Rubin Carter who ended up in prison. This Carter was drafted out of Miami as a defensive tackle, but he only stayed at that position for his first two seasons.
After DT Lyle Alzado went down with an injury, defensive coordinator Joe Collier moved Carter to nose tackle. Collier had debated switching to the 3-4 scheme — brand new to football at the time — and the switch for Carter was the spark he needed. Carter was one of the first nose tackles in NFL history and one of the greatest to every play the position.
If you need proof, take a look at the 1977 cover of Sports Illustrated — it is a close-up of Carter’s game-face, talking about the 3-4 defense.
In his 12-year career, Denver had the most prolific defense of the decade, if not all-time. Carter anchored a defense which carried the team to the first of five AFC Championship games and three Super Bowls. A knee injury sidelined him for majority of the 1986 season, and at age 34, he retired as a player, but never from the game.
He stayed on as a defensive linemen coach for the Broncos until 1988, and coached a slew of other teams before reaching Purdue, where he is still the defensive line coach. The guy has dedicated his entire life to the game — that’s pretty neat.
