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| No. 86, 84 | |||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1939-01-31)January 31, 1939 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | June 12, 2016(2016-06-12) (aged 77) Prescott, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Indiana | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1961: 5th round, 66th pick | ||||||
| AFL draft: | 1961: 1st round, 7th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Earl Faison (January 31, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theAmerican Football League (AFL) between 1960 and 1966. He spent most of his career with theSan Diego Chargers.
Drafted by both theDetroit Lions of theNational Football League and theLos Angeles Chargers of theAFL, Faison signed with the Chargers as a first-round pick immediately after the conclusion of theEast–West Shrine Game on December 31, 1960.
The 6-foot-5, 260 pound Faison had been an All-American atIndiana University, playing on both offense and defense. After entering the pro ranks, he worked with Chargers' assistant coachChuck Noll to continually blow past opposing offensive lineman on his way to smashingAmerican Football League quarterbacks.
Faison was a member of the original"Fearsome Foursome" (the Chargers' defensive line) from 1961 to 1966. The "Foursome" was made up of Faison and Chargers Hall of Fame linemateErnie Ladd, with alternate members of the group includingBob Petrich,Ron Nery,George Gross,Bill Hudson andHenry Schmidt.
Despite often being double and triple-teamed, Faison was chosen as theAmerican Football League Rookie of the Year and All-AFL in1961. He missed the early portion of the 1962 season, after suffering a knee injury, then reported late the following year after a contract dispute. The contract problems would resurface in 1965, but his performance remained good enough to continue a string of five consecutive All-Star seasons in the league from 1961 to 1965.
On January 15, 1966, Faison and Ladd were dealt to theHouston Oilers as part of a five-player trade, but four days later, the trade was nullified because of tampering by Oilers' ownerBud Adams. In response, Faison looked to theCanadian Football League'sToronto Argonauts, but eventually signed a three-year $90,000 contract with the Chargers on July 29.
The bitter contract problems, coupled with Faison's back problems, continued to linger until October 18 when Faison was released by the Chargers. In announcing the dismissal, head coachSid Gillman bitterly noted that Faison, "has a long way to go to become average." One day later, the expansion Miami Dolphins signed Faison for the remainder of the year.
On June 27, 1967, Faison was involved in a seven-player trade which sent him to theDenver Broncos, although 10 days later, the team returned him to the Dolphins, who then placed him on waivers on July 24. Faison's release led him to file a lawsuit against Miami on October 6, citing breach of contract. Claiming his three-year contract entitled him to the remaining $60,000 over two years, Faison was ultimately unsuccessful in his lawsuit.
A member of theChargers Hall of Fame, Faison was also inducted into theIndiana University Hall of Fame in 1990. In his post-playing career, Faison briefly dabbled in acting, includingKolchak: The Night Stalker and a pair of appearances inThe Beverly Hillbillies. He then returned toCalifornia as an educator and football coach, and while atLincoln High School, he served as head coach during the era of futurePro Football Hall of FamerMarcus Allen before eventually serving as the school's principal. He later coached P.E. at Muirlands Junior High School in La Jolla. It was there that he coined the term "grabasser" for unruly students. Faison later went on to become the Vice Principal atUniversity City High School in San Diego.
Earl Faison is a member ofThe Pigskin Club Of Washington, D.C. National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
In 1997, Faison was also inducted by theSan Diego Hall of Champions into theBreitbard Hall of Fame[usurped] honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.[1] Faison was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.
He died on June 12, 2016, in Prescott, Arizona.[2]