Former NFL cornerback LeRoy Irvin, a two-time All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams, has died at 68, the team announced Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irvin was a fixture for the Rams during the 1980s, first making his impact known as a punt returner before emerging as a starting corner. He tallied four touchdowns on punt returns and added six more scores defensively, with 35 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries over his 11-year career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eric Dickerson, previously Irvin’s Rams teammate, posted a tribute to him Thursday on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Devastated to hear about the passing of my brother, teammate, and Rams legend Leroy Irvin,” Dickerson’s post read. “Leroy wasn’t just a lockdown corner and a fierce competitor on the field; he was a true friend and a great man who always brought incredible energy. Rest in peace, my brother. Sending my thoughts and prayers to the Irvin family and all of Rams Nation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 1980 third-round selection out of Kansas, Irvin was recognized as an All-Pro returner in his second season after posting 615 punt return yards with three scores and a 13.4 yards-per-return average, all of which led the league. He also set a still-standing NFL single-game record in Week 6 of that season with 207 punt return yards against the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though the Rams used him sparingly in the return game starting in 1984, Irvin remained a home-run threat at cornerback, robbing opponents of possessions and adding points to the scoreboard with uncanny regularity. From 1984-87, he scored at least once on defense each season, finding the end zone twice in both ’84 and ’86.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During that four-year run, he made two Pro Bowls and again was recognized as an All-Pro, but as a cornerback rather than a returner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irvin initially joined the Rams in the final season of an eight-year playoff streak for L.A., and although the next decade wasn’t as successful as the franchise’s last, he helped the team maintain it’s place as a consistent contender. The Rams and Irvin made seven playoff trips together, reaching the NFC Championship Game in both 1985 and 1989.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Irvin added another four picks and two forced fumbles in postseason play, including an interception he returned 94 yards to help the Rams to a 1983 wild-card win over the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following 10 years with the Rams, Irvin played for the Detroit Lions in 1990, his final season in the NFL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Former NFL cornerback LeRoy Irvin, a two-time All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams, has died at 68, the team announced Thursday. Irvin was a fixture for the Rams during the 1980s, first making his impact known as a punt returner before emerging as a starting corner. He tallied four touchdowns on punt returns and added […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12903"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418917"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":418918,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418917\/revisions\/418918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}