Out of Our Past: Richmond native Lumar Lundy was part of the Fearsome Foursome
Twenty-seven years ago, quarterback superstar Johnny Unitas spent part of the afternoon starring up at the sky at the Los Angeles Stadium.
He had been mowed down by "Fearsome Foursome" man-mountains, who charged into him relentlessly.
These four men weren’t the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but opposing football team quarterbacks probably thought so.
Few defensive lines have been as esteemed — or dreaded — in their combined destructive talents than the Fearsome Foursome and their legendary feats with the Los Angeles Rams.
Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Richmond native Lumar Lundy were members of what many consider to be the best defensive line in NFL history.
As a key component of the indomitable foursome, Lundy 's tenure with the Rams spanned the years 1957 to 1969.
Lamar Lundy, born in Richmond, excelled as an athletic two-sport star in high school. He led the Red Devils to the state finals in basketball and was selected to the Indiana All-Star team. He also was an All-State player in football.
After graduation Lundy went to Purdue on a football scholarship to play both basketball and football. (He also played these sports professionally.) Lundy is the only Boilermaker ever selected as both basketball and football Most Valuable Player. He is the only player to be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
On Dec. 11. 1960, Lundy led a ferocious charge against quarterback Johnny Unitas when the Rams played the Colts at the Los Angeles Stadium. Quarterback Unitas spent much of the afternoon looking up at the L.A. sky, which ended his remarkable 47-game touchdown streak at the same field that it began on.
Today Lundy and comrades could be dubbed the Fantastic Four, their phenomenal exploits being so super-heroic. The Fearsome Foursome are the stuff of legends. Lamar Lundy, a native son to be proud of at 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, was the imposing right end presence of this linebacker super force, a man mountain with speed and skill.
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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse had nothing on them. Other linemen had been dubbed with the name, but the reign of terror of the Rams’ linemen, lasting from 1963 to 1967, remains unprecedented. Dick Butkus called them “the most dominant defensive line in football history.”
They eventually parted as team trades were made.
Lundy returned home to Richmond after retirement, where he broadcast local high school football games.
His fellow Fearsome Foursome teammates visited him increasingly years later, when he faced severe health problems: diabetes, Grave’s disease, myasthenia gravis, cancer and heart disease.
Lundy told ‘Sport Illustrated’ in 2001, “What made us special was how we worked together. There was always a deep understanding among the four of us, something that keeps us close.”
Sadly the Richmond native was the first of the iconic foursome to pass away. He died on Feb. 4, 2007.
A giant once walked among us. His name was Lamar Lundy.
Contact columnist Steve Martin at stephenmonroemartin@gmail.com.