Former Los Angeles Rams Pro Bowl running back Jon Arnett dies at 85

Jon Arnett (YouTube)

According to the Associated Press on Monday, former Los Angeles Rams running back Jon Arnett of Los Angeles, California passed away on Saturday at the age of 85 of heart failure. Arnett played seven seasons with the Rams from 1957 to 1963, and again three seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1964 to 1966.

Arnett played 123 games in the National Football League, and had 964 rushes for 3833 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He also had 222 catches for 2290 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Arnett’s finest NFL season was in 1958 when he had career highs in rushing yards (683), touchdowns (six), and receiving yards (494). His finest game came a year earlier in his rookie season. On November 17, 1957, Arnett had 17 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown in a 31-27 Rams win over the Green Bay Packers.

In addition to being a five-time Pro Bowl running back for five straight years in the NFL (1957 to 1961), Arnett was a standout in college. In three years with the University of Southern California Trojans from 1954 to 1956, Arnett had 336 carries for 1898 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also had 11 catches for an additional 292 yards, and five touchdowns.

Arnett was then selected in the first round, second overall, in the 1957 NFL Draft. Interestingly, the first player selected in 1957 was Green Bay Packers halfback Paul Hornung, who died on November 13 at age 84 of dementia.

Arnett was nicknamed Jaguar, well before the Jacksonville Jaguars were in the National Football League. He was then inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001, alongside former Brigham Young University quarterback Steve Young, who would go on to star for the San Francisco 49ers. After his retirement, Jon and his wife Jan founded the Retired Professional Athlete Association, where they were an advocate for retired professional football players and their families.

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