Rich Saul, Millennium Hall of Fame

Playing in the middle of the tough NFL trenches, Rich Saul earned

many purple hearts for the Los Angeles Rams in the team’s glory days of

the 1970s, never missing a game in 12 seasons.

But these days, Saul, the former All-Pro center who snapped to

quarterbacks Roman Gabriel and Vince Ferragamo, could use a few blocks of

his own in the game of life.

Saul, 51, was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery in

April. In May, he began an eight-month chemotherapy program following the

removal of four lymph nodes.

“Hey, it’s the hand you’re dealt and you just go out and do the best

you can,” he said. “Ain’t none of us getting out of here alive.”

Saul, who is involved in numerous charities, including Orangewood and

ChildHelp USA, could use a score from the offense of life right about

now, while doing everything he can to fight cancer. On Oct. 4, he’ll

serve as celebrity chairman of the 10th annual Corporate Challenge Cup at

Santa Ana Country Club, a golf tournament that benefits the American

Cancer Society (Orange County Region).

“The only thing that matters, when you get right down to it and when

you’re faced with (afflictions such as colon cancer), is how many people

did you really help out?” Saul said. “It’s a blessing, though. It really

is. Already there are people doing a lot of praying. It jolts you back to

the Lord when that happens, and it’s even that way for other people,

because they think, ‘Wow, this guy’s in good shape.’ Their prayer life

has gotten better and they’re going in and getting themselves checked

(for cancer).

“For however long I’m here on earth, all that matters is, ‘Did I make

a difference in some peoples’ lives?’ I’m a poster child now. I’m gone

from the sidelines, but I’m in a game now.”

Saul, who played for the Rams from 1970 to 1981 and made All-NFC three

times, was the team’s captain in Super Bowl XIV and called the coin toss

at midfield at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where the Pittsburgh Steelers

eventually won, 31-19, in a thriller not reflected by the final score.

“I loved playing with those guys, like Jack Youngblood, (Jack) Hacksaw

Reynolds, Dave Elmendorf and Fred Dryer,” said Saul, who grew up in

Butler, Pa., and played college football at Michigan State, because the

Spartans also gave his twin brother, Ron, a scholarship.

His older brother, Bill, played nine years in the NFL with the Colts,

while Ron ended up playing six years as an offensive lineman and,

eventually, becoming one of the “hogs” on the Washington Redskins, paving

the way for powerhouse running back John Riggins, the MVP of Super Bowl

XVII.

Saul, who wore jersey No. 61, was selected by the Rams in the eighth

round of the 1970 NFL draft and went on to play in six Pro Bowls from

1976 through ’81.

Nolan Cromwell, Larry Brooks, LeRoy Irvin and Lawrence McCutcheon were

some of Saul’s teammates in the later years, while Pro Bowlers like Tom

Mack, Merlin Olsen, Isiah Robertson and Charlie Cowan dotted the Rams’

playing field in his earlier seasons.

“(In 1973) Carroll Rosenbloom was the owner and Chuck Knox was the

head coach, and I’d played my rookie year under George Allen (in 1970),”

Saul said. “In 1970, our defense had Richie Petibon, Jack Pardee, David

Jones and Olsen. That’s what kind of team we had. I was running around

trying to get guys’ autographs.

“I had the best of both worlds. My rookie year I played with all those

guys, then when George Allen left, he took a lot of guys with him. So you

had the old Rams and the new ones. Those, as many fans like yourself

feel, were the real Rams. Those were the Rams people remember -- the

glory years.”

A Corona del Mar resident and one of the few former Anaheim-based Rams

who still live in Orange County, Saul is the latest member of the Daily

Pilot Sports Hall of Fame, celebrating the millennium.

With Saul at center, the Rams dominated the NFC West, capturing seven

straight division titles from 1973 to ‘79, capped by the Super Bowl

season.

“We won our division but we had to go play Dallas at Dallas, then

Tampa Bay at Tampa Bay, but then the Super Bowl was here,” he said. “It

was like we were on our home turf. We had a tough regular season that

year, finishing 9-7, so it was nip and tuck between us and New Orleans.”

Super Bowl XIV, played in front of 103,985 fans at Pasadena and a

worldwide television audience, featured seven lead changes, with the Rams

leading at halftime and at the end of the third quarter. They even led

with about 10 minutes to go in the game, but Pittsburgh came back and won

its fourth Super Bowl of the decade.

“It was not a one-sided game,” Saul said.

Saul, who has always made his family a top priority in his life, and

his wife, Eileen, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on Flag Day,

June 14. Their daughter, Jaime, graduated this year from Notre Dame,

while their son, Josh, is a sophomore at Northwestern, where he’s on a

wrestling scholarship and studying biomedical engineering.

“Josh needs to make a better mouse trap, and I’ve got a lot of buddies

who need it. I’ve got a lot of candidates,” said Saul, referring to his

son’s chosen field, in which many of Saul’s former teammates could no

doubt benefit with advanced medical engineering.

Jaime Saul has joined the working world in Chicago, not far from where

her brother attends college. “I see both of our kids doing well,” Saul

said. “I speak to a lot of kids, and they haven’t been as fortunate or

something, but I think it’s the parents not staying together. Once in

awhile you have a kid who goes sideways, but that probably won’t happen

if you’re really spending time with them, and really encouraging them.”