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RIP - Rich Saul

  • Just read the obit for Rich Saul, former MSU great and LA Rams ProBowler.

    Rich and his twin Brother Ron were the first siblings to be named Academic All Americans in the same year.

    RIP Big Fella!

    Rich Saul dies at 64; played center on the L.A. Rams

    Saul was a member of the only L.A. Rams team to play in the Super Bowl, in 1980. He and his identical twin brother, Ron, played at Michigan State and in the NFL.

    www.latimes.com

    If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. Jimmy Valvano

    GatorBill ●

  • Spartan nation lost a great one. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

    This post was edited by Spartan8Ball on 4/17/2012 at 1:11 AM

    signature image

    Spartan8Ball

  • God bless Rich Saul & his family.
    He was not only one of the greatest players in MSU history, but one of the greatest Centers in NFL history...making 6 straight Pro Bowls.
    He was a family friend, and I've known him and his family for decades...a real fighter...he was diagnosed with cancer in the late 90s, and given a short time to live...and he really fought it and outlived the expectations. Typical Saul man --- tough as nails! Just like his brothers and his father.
    God bless the Saul family...his wife and their children Jamie and Josh.

    PABuck24 ●

  • PABuck24 said...

    God bless Rich Saul & his family. He was not only one of the greatest players in MSU history, but one of the greatest Centers in NFL history...making 6 straight Pro Bowls. He was a family friend, and I've known him and his family for decades...a real fighter...he was diagnosed with cancer in the late 90s, and given a short time to live...and he really fought it and outlived the expectations. Typical Saul man --- tough as nails! Just like his brothers and his father. God bless the Saul family...his wife and their children Jamie and Josh.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    PassTheRock

  • PABuck24 said...

    God bless Rich Saul & his family.
    He was not only one of the greatest players in MSU history, but one of the greatest Centers in NFL history...making 6 straight Pro Bowls.
    He was a family friend, and I've known him and his family for decades...a real fighter...he was diagnosed with cancer in the late 90s, and given a short time to live...and he really fought it and outlived the expectations. Typical Saul man --- tough as nails! Just like his brothers and his father.
    God bless the Saul family...his wife and their children Jamie and Josh.

    I was never lucky enough to see him play but, my Grandfather told me he was "one tough SOB". He was one of his favorite spartans of all time.

    This post was edited by Spartan8Ball on 4/17/2012 at 1:24 AM

    signature image

    Spartan8Ball

  • Spartan8Ball said...

    I was never lucky enough to see him play but, my Grandfather told me he was "one tough SOB". He was one of his favorite spartans of all time.

    for sure...you're welcome. I think it was '98 when he was originally diagnosed with colon cancer - which is maybe the scariest of the cancers to be diagnosed with. He had 4 lymph nodes removed and about a 1/2 a year of intense chemo. He said he was determined to beat it...and you'd get inspired just listening to him talk about it. He fought that and outlived whatever the doctors' timeframe for his life was. He continued to battle different kinds of cancers that spread throughout his body. He had lukemia at the end. Nobody thought he'd live that 13-14 years after that colon cancer diagnosis.
    Other interesting stuff about the Saul boys: Rich's twin brother Ronny played at MSU, too, as I'm sure everybody knows---and he played for the Oilers and the Redkins. Rich's oldest brother Bill played for the Steelers in the 60s...big & tough as nails like all the Sauls were, too. He played at Penn State before going to the NFL
    Bill Saul was the 1st player to ever wear a microphone during a game for NFL Films & Ed Sabol.
    Rich's son Josh was a starting heavyweight wrestler at Northwestern in the late 90's/early 00's.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by PABuck24 on 4/17/2012 at 7:54 AM

    PABuck24 ●

  • PABuck24 said...

    God bless Rich Saul & his family. He was not only one of the greatest players in MSU history, but one of the greatest Centers in NFL history...making 6 straight Pro Bowls. He was a family friend, and I've known him and his family for decades...a real fighter...he was diagnosed with cancer in the late 90s, and given a short time to live...and he really fought it and outlived the expectations. Typical Saul man --- tough as nails! Just like his brothers and his father. God bless the Saul family...his wife and their children Jamie and Josh.

    Thanks for sharing. Im sorry for the loss for your families. The Sauls are great Spartans, and represented our school very well over the years.

    I remember when I was younger, the TV Guide used to give the rosters for the NFL teams, and they had the players college listed next to his name. I loved going through the lists and seeing how many MSU players were there. I used to compare the MSU to UF players on the rosters and try to pick a winner that way. I was not a Rams fan in any way, but I always cheered for Rich Saul.

    Tough loss

    If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. Jimmy Valvano

    GatorBill ●

  • GatorBill said...

    Thanks for sharing. Im sorry for the loss for your families. The Sauls are great Spartans, and represented our school very well over the years.

    I remember when I was younger, the TV Guide used to give the rosters for the NFL teams, and they had the players college listed next to his name. I loved going through the lists and seeing how many MSU players were there. I used to compare the MSU to UF players on the rosters and try to pick a winner that way. I was not a Rams fan in any way, but I always cheered for Rich Saul.

    Tough loss

    Bill - thank you. Yes, I know what you mean --- I was always a Steelers fan, being from the area - but was pulling for Rich in that Super Bowl.

    This post was edited by PABuck24 on 4/17/2012 at 12:00 PM

    PABuck24 ●

  • This is a sad day for me.
    Rich was a teammate of mine on the "69 team. He was the toughest football player I ever played with. He was a great guy and a true Spartan warrior.
    Even though he was an All-Pro Center he would have been an all time great LB in the NFL if he hadn't suffered a knee injury prior to his Jr. season at MSU. The knee injury robbed him of his lateral quickness but he showed his toughness by overcoming that injury to become an All-Pro Center.
    We've lost 2 Spartans this year that I knew, Al Brenner and now Rich Saul.
    Life goes by so quickly. Live every day is if it were your last

    CoachedByDuffy

  • CoachedByDuffy said...

    This is a sad day for me. Rich was a teammate of mine on the "69 team. He was the toughest football player I ever played with. He was a great guy and a true Spartan warrior. Even though he was an All-Pro Center he would have been an all time great LB in the NFL if he hadn't suffered a knee injury prior to his Jr. season at MSU. The knee injury robbed him of his lateral quickness but he showed his toughness by overcoming that injury to become an All-Pro Center. We've lost 2 Spartans this year that I knew, Al Brenner and now Rich Saul. Life goes by so quickly. Live every day is if it were your last

    Yeah, the past few years have been kind of tough on the fellas from your era, and a little earlier. Sorry about your loss, I know from experience how bad days like this suck.

    Go Green

    If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. Jimmy Valvano

    GatorBill ●

  • Yes, these kind of days suck.
    It's difficult when you lose guys you knew thru all those years; Coach Daugherty (I broke down and cried the day he died, he was like a father to all of us), Bubba, George Webster, Al Brenner, Brad Van Pelt, Rich Saul.
    I'm still here but some day I'll be with them all again in that great Spartan Valhalla and renew our friendship and tell each other our old war stories,
    Guess I'm getting a little emotional here. It's that kind of day.

    CoachedByDuffy

  • CoachedByDuffy said...

    Yes, these kind of days suck. It's difficult when you lose guys you knew thru all those years; Coach Daugherty (I broke down and cried the day he died, he was like a father to all of us), Bubba, George Webster, Al Brenner, Brad Van Pelt, Rich Saul. I'm still here but some day I'll be with them all again in that great Spartan Valhalla and renew our friendship and tell each other our old war stories, Guess I'm getting a little emotional here. It's that kind of day.

    Just want to say that I feel for you and for all the Spartan faithful regarding the loss of Rich Saul. Duffy and the players you mentioned, along with many others including yourself, were my heroes growing up, and when we lose any of them it's a very
    emotional experience. You guys epitomized what it is to be a Spartan...something that far transcends the wins and losses on the field.

    Sincerest condolences to the Saul family and RIP Rich.

    "I'm going to be a coach here for a long time. It's not over. It'll never be over. It's just starting." - Mark Dantonio

    SpartyHardy

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