Abdul Salaam (American football)
| No. 74 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | August 12, 1953 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | New Brockton, Alabama | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Kent State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1976 / Round: 7 / Pick: 188 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Sacks: | 2.5 |
|---|---|
| Fumble recoveries: | 4 |
| Games played: | 97 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Abdul Salaam (born Larry Faulk; August 12, 1953) is a former American football player best remembered for his days as a defensive tackle with the New York Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange."
Salaam played baseball and basketball as well as football at Woodward High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He majored in business at Kent State University, while also playing both nose guard and Linebacker with Kent State's "Carat Gold" defense. He earned first team All-Mid-American Conference three straight seasons.
Known as "Larry Faulk" when drafted by the New York Jets in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft, he changed his name to "Abdul Salaam," which means "servant of peace," in 1977 because he wanted serenity in his life.
The Jets went just 3-11 each of Salaam's first two seasons in the National Football League, however, he was soon joined by Joe Klecko, Mark Gastineau and Marty Lyons on the Jets' defensive line to form one of the top defensive lines in the NFL, known as the "New York Sack Exchange." The four combined for 66 sacks in 1981 to lead the Jets to their first playoff game since 1969.
In November 1981, Salaam, Gastineau, Klecko and Lyons were invited to ring the ceremonial opening bell at the that served as the inspiration for their nickname.
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