LA Rams: 15 greatest wide receivers of All Time

Perhaps one of the most famous, or infamous, facts about wide receiver Harold Jackson is that he was the key player traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the LA Rams for then veteran quarterback Roman Gabriel.  Gabriel demanded to be traded after the Rams acquired QB John Hadl, and so the Rams got Jackson, Tony Baker, and three draft picks.

Jackson would play five seasons for the Rams, never quite breaking the 1000 yard barrier for the run-centric offense. But he did offer the team a wonderful alternative to a 3-runs-and-punt offensive scheme. And he would be a favorite target of quarterback Ron Jaworski, who ironically would later be a quarterback for the Eagles later in his career as well.

I found it curious that the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Jackson was actually drafted by the LA Rams in the 12th round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the LA Rams as the 323rd overall selection that year. He played in two games for the Rams before being traded away to the Eagles.

After returning to the Rams organization, he would play five more years, putting up 200 receptions, 3,591 yards, and 36 yards. Overall, his NFL career would last an incredible 16 seasons, which is incredible for the far more physical type of play from 1968 through 1983.

Did you know that Harold Jackson put up 238 receiving yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas on October 14, 1973? That total holds the 42nd best NFL All-Time single-game performance by a receiver. Now you know.

He would help the LA Rams to earn a playoff berth in five consecutive seasons. Unfortunately, he would never win a Super Bowl ring as a player. While he would amass three NFL seasons with 1000 yards, he did not do so playing for the Rams. Of course, playing for HC ‘Ground Chuck’ Chuck Knox had that effect on many excellent NFL receivers.