| No. 55 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | May 27, 1954 Richland, Washington, U.S. | ||||||
| Died: | August 1, 1990 (aged 36) Kern County, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 223 lb (101 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Fremont (CA) | ||||||
| College: | San Jose St. | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1976 / Round: 5 / Pick: 128 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Carl Frederick Ekern (May 27, 1954 – August 1, 1990) was a National Football League (NFL) linebacker.[1]
Biography[edit]
Ekern was born in Richland, Washington. He attended Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, California. Ekern was a graduate of San Jose State University and played pro football from 1976 to 1988 for the Los Angeles Rams. He appeared in the 1986 Rams promotional video, Let's Ram It,[2] under the name of "Carl E, General of the D."[3]
Ekern died of head injuries on August 1, 1990, when the Jeep he was driving ran off a highway near the Kern County town of Ridgecrest, California. At the time of the accident, Ekern was en route to Minden, Nevada, where he was a volunteer counselor and coach at the Rite of Passage, a camp for juvenile delinquents. The camp is located about 15 miles east of Lake Tahoe.[4][5]
Carl Ekern Spirit of The Game Award[edit]
The Carl Ekern award, honoring the former Rams linebacker, is the Los Angeles Rams award given to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship, work ethic, and commitment to his teammates.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Ekern is a Norwegian name (Origin of The Name Ekern) Archived 2011-06-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rams". Los Angeles Times. November 13, 1986. p. 129. Retrieved April 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ram IT (NFL Rams Football Team) Song". Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved April 17, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Ex-Spartan, Rams Star Ekern Killed In Accident (San Jose Mercury News, August 2, 1990, page 1E)
- ^ Carl Ekern, Football Player, 36 (New York Times. August 4, 1990)
- ^ Rams Team Awards (The official site of the St. Louis Rams)[permanent dead link]
External links[edit]
- NFL profile
- Carl Ekern football statistics
- Rite of Passage the at-risk youth camp at which Ekern volunteered