Posted on 02/14/2023 1:22:47 PM PST by llevrok
Dubbed the “dirtiest player” in the NFL over his 10-year career with three teams, Conrad Dobler, 72, died Monday in Pueblo, Colorado.
After a standout career playing for the University of Wyoming from 1969-71, Dobler was a fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals.
He started all but four of the 129 games he played over a decade in the NFL for the Cardinals, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, and was named to three Pro Bowls.
He also earned a reputation of doing whatever it took to protect his quarterback – whether it was allowed within the rules or not.
In an infamous 1977 Sports Illustrated cover story, Dobler was dubbed “Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player.”
From being accused of kicking LA Rams Hall of Fame defensive lineman Merlin Olsen in the head to punching Mean Joe Greene of the famed Iron Curtain of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dobler never made excuses for his reputation.
“I’ll do anything I can get away with to protect my quarterback,” he told Sports Illustrated.
When asked, Dobler told SI that he didn’t break the rules any more than other players, but then “in the next breath he says that rules are made to be broken. … If you’re going to break the rules, you’ve got to have a little style and class.”
n 2016, Dobler was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, where he recounted some of the infamous stories of his career.
About punching Mean Joe Greene, he said the 6-foot-4 defensive lineman practically asked for it.
A punch to the gut is “the best way to get the guy’s hands down,” Dobler said. “When they jump up to knock down a pass, the solar plexus is just so inviting.”
On another occasion, he broke down an opponent playing the Washington Redskins to the point of tears.
“It was so funny because he dropped to his knees and he started to cry,” Dobler said.
As for allegations he once spat on a player, he said that, “I don’t think I ever spit on the guy. Well … maybe I did, I don’t know.”
Asked about whether he would intimidate opponents on the field, Dobler said as his reputation grew, he didn’t have to. Opposing coaches would psyche out their own players ahead of time.
“I don’t think you can intimidate someone on the field, but I think because of the reputation and because of what the press made out of it, some of these coaches” would psyche them out, Dobler said. “They were intimidated before they walked on the field.”
Kevin McKinney was the sports information director for the University of Wyoming when Dobler was a Cowboy and said he doesn’t remember him as a dirty player in college.
“When he was at Wyoming, he wasn’t quite what he ended up like in the NFL reputation-wise,” McKinney told Cowboy State Daily. “He played both ways and was probably almost a better defensive player than an offensive player.”
Despite moving on and finding national fame and acclaim in the NFL, McKinney said Dobler would return to UW often and even attend away games at times.
“He was always proud of being a Wyoming Cowboy,” McKinney said. “He would come to games on the road and come back to Wyoming. I know he was proud to be a Cowboy, and that’s always special to me.”
McKinney said he also got a kick out of following Dobler’s professional career after playing for the Cowboys.
“He was a character, that’s a fact, but he was just a good teammate and a good Wyoming player,” he said. “He was a good football player, but he was a better celebrity.
“It’s really interesting to see how he evolved and grew into the NFL.”
Dobler’s wife, Joy, died in 2018, and he’s survived by six children and 11 grandchildren.
His daughter Holli Dai, who lives in Kansas, Holli Dai, posted on her Facebook page about her father that, “In his final hours, he was surrounded by his family as they cheered on his favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to win the Super Bowl.”
Only 72, ouch.
Worked hard, and put away wet way too many times will wear a guy out.
When it was still a game.
RIP
This is spooky - cleaning out old stuff this past weekend (moving) this magazine was in the stack I took to the dump:
“1977 Sports Illustrated cover story, Dobler was dubbed “Pro Football’s Dirtiest Player.”
Haven’t seen or thought of it for 40+ years until Saturday..
Suddenly? Yes...only took 72 years.
A name that struck hearts with fear on the Gridiron.
“That’s not what he says...”
I always thought that honor belonged to Erich Barnes, fearsome cornerback. He was known for clothesline tackles, and admitted “I like to get a personal foul early so they know I mean business.”
You nailed it. Football from when back in the day when it was worth watching. Not a bunch of showboats. Just ass kickers.
Exactly, which is why the game is not fun for me to watch anymore. I literally see a QB run the ball out of bound, and the defender does not touch him at all. Back when I played, someone would “take one for the team” and late hit the guy in the manner of “he is not going to be the same reckless player today”. A WR catches the ball over the middle, take his knees out. QB runs a sneak, “ear hole” the guy with your helmet.
The NFL is high scoring because, receivers have NO FEAR. It is a sad excuse of a game well past its peak.
Yes sir. My dad coached both Basketball and football. In a peewee game, the opposing PG could get to the rim because he was quick and fearless. Dad calls a timeout and tells my little brother, to form tackle the guy next time he makes a move to drive to drive into the key. My brother form tackles him like NFL 1960. He gets a foul as the player went to the line and made 1 free throw. He comes down after a timeout, to do the same move, my brother faked a tackle, he drops the ball, Brother picks it up and goes for a layup. We won by one point eventually, and it was the championship game.
Even coaches of FB teams would tell their biggest hitter, to “lay some wood” on a player. I still watch games and wonder why the players and the fans can be so enthusiastic, but they won’t do “everything it takes” to be a winner.
And Dobler played both ways-—an actual football game. None of that play half of a game then say how tired you are? And go wheeze on the sideline after two plays.
Bkmk
I remember him losing in a Thanksgiving Game, and firing his helmet into the crowd. Pretty sure the game was being played in Detroit. Guy played with a passion you don’t see much these days.
And in the NFL, Dobler was just the man for the job.
They couldn’t cast Miller Lite commercials today. No bad asses, just pajama boys.
Too much showboating and as role models it's amazing what kids are doing now. Just saw some highlights for HS basketball. After each made basket the player goes into 10 seconds of goofiness, it's laughable.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.