Lester Hayes
| No. 37 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 22, 1955 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Houston, Texas | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Houston (TX) Wheatley | ||||||||
| College: | Texas A&M | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1977 / Round: 5 / Pick: 126 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Interceptions: | 39 |
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| Interception yards: | 572 |
| Touchdowns: | 4 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Lester Craig Hayes (born January 22, 1955) is a former professional American football player for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL).
Hayes was commonly referred to as "the Judge" and also as "Lester the Molester" because of his bump and run coverage. He was also known for using Stickum before it was banned in 1981 in a rule bearing his name. He had a distinct stance, crouching very low when facing the opposing wide receiver.
In college, he was an All-American defensive back for Texas A&M.
Hayes was converted to cornerback after being chosen by the Raiders in the fifth round of the 1977 draft. Hayes helped lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl wins (1980, 1983), and was a five-time Pro Bowler (1980–1984).
He was known as one of the greatest shutdown cornerbacks in NFL history. In 1980, Hayes led the NFL with 13 interceptions, tied for second most with Dan Sandifer, who had set it in 1948, and behind Dick "Night Train" Lane with 14 in 1952, and was named AP Defensive Player of the Year and the NEA Defensive Player of the Year.
A big Star Wars fan, during pregame interviews for Super Bowl XVIII he declared himself the "only true Jedi" in the NFL. His best performance was probably in Super Bowl XVIII. He had only one tackle, but that was because he so effectively covered Charlie Brown and Art Monk that Joe Theismann hardly threw to the left side of the field. During his last four seasons, he formed a partnership with Mike Haynes that has been considered one of the best in league history. Hayes and Haynes gave the Raiders the luxury of having two shutdown corners. They are widely reckoned as being the prototypes for a generation of speedy and physical cornerbacks.
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