IU Hall of Fame football player Earl Faison dies

Indiana University Hall of Fame football player Earl Faison passed away Monday. He was 77 years old.

Faison was a three-year letterwinner from 1958-60, earning third-team All-America and All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Faison played defensive end and also led the Hoosiers in receiving in 1958 and 1960.

Following his senior year, Faison played in the East-West Shrine Game, the All-American Bowl and the Hula Bowl.

He was the seventh overall selection by San Diego in the 1961 AFL draft.

A native of Newport News, Va., Faison played six seasons with the Chargers, earning Rookie of the Year and team MVP honors in his inaugural campaign.

He played in five straight AFL All-Star Games and won the game’s MVP award in 1963. Faison was a four-time all-AFL selection (1961, 1963-65) and a second-team pick in 1962.

“You put two blockers on him and it doesn’t seem to bother him. He can really put on a rush," George Blanda once said.

Sacks weren’t kept as a statistic in the 1960s, but it’s widely believed that Faison would’ve been one of the era’s top sack masters. He did finish with seven career interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

Faison was selected to the Chargers’ Hall of Fame in 1986 and named to the club’s 50th Anniversary Team.

He also played six games with the Dolphins in his final season.