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Next season, the man who leads the NFL in sacks will receive the "Deacon Jones Award."
The hall of famer who evidently coined the term "sack" died last month and the NFL announced that they would honor him with this award as part of funeral services held for him this weekend.
"Even with his fellow Hall of Famers, Deacon Jones held a special status. He was an icon among the icons," commissioner Roger Goodell tweeted after Jones' death. "He is warmly regarded by his peers not only as one of the greatest players in history but also for his influence & sense of humor."
Ironically, despite being one of the great pass rushers of all time, Jones never actually recorded a "sack." That's because the statistic did not exist during his playing days and therefore tackles of the QB were not tracked. So while he have footage and of course the memories of the fans who saw him play, we can't exactly quantify just how a great a pass rusher he was.
However, it's a pretty good indication of his greatness that from now on, the best pass rusher in the league will receive an award with Jones' name on it.
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