March 28, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Herb Rich, a football star at Vanderbilt in the late 1940s before going on to enjoy careers as a defensive back in the National Football League and as an attorney in Nashville, died Friday morning at Vanderbilt Medical Center at the age of 79.
Rich was an All-Southeastern Conference performer at Vanderbilt, winner of a world championship ring in pro football and a successful lawyer for more than five decades. Rich was also, throughout his life, a loyal and dedicated follower of Commodore athletics.
“This is a terrible loss for the Vanderbilt community. Herb was an extremely kind person who always was supportive, not only of the Vanderbilt football team but of the entire athletic program,” Commodore football head Coach Bobby Johnson said. “During his time at Vanderbilt, Herb was a fantastic athlete who enjoyed a great NFL career. Herb also distinguished himself off the field in the way he lived his life.”
A native of Newark, N.J., who graduated from Miami Beach (Fla.) High School, Rich quickly became a success on the Vanderbilt campus. As a sophomore, he lettered in football, basketball and baseball while serving as president of his class. As a junior and senior, he focused on football, topping the Commodores in rushing in 1948 and 1949 and earning All-SEC honors at tailback. He rushed for 1,282 yards during the 1948-49 seasons.
As a junior in 1948, Rich and All-America teammate Lee Nalley also formed one of the greatest kickoff tandems in NCAA history, with Rich averaging 27.7 yards as a kickoff returner and Nalley averaging 18.4 yards on punt returns. The return tandem was a key factor in the Commodores’ No. 12 ranking by the final Associated Press poll.
Playing for legendary Vanderbilt football head coach Red Sanders for three years and Bill Edwards in his senior season, Rich helped the Commodores to a 24-15-1 overall record.
Rich went on to a successful seven-year career in the NFL, playing defensive back and returning punts for the Baltimore Colts, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. Selected in the sixth round of the 1950 draft, Rich set a NFL punt return record as a rookie, averaging 23 yards per attempt. The standard took for more than five decades. After being traded to Los Angeles, he helped the Rams to the 1951 world championship and became a two-time All-Pro defensive back. In his final pro season, Rich helped the Giants capture a world championship in 1956 while serving as the team’s defensive captain.
In 65 professional games, Rich posted 29 career interceptions, including three for touchdowns.
His accomplishments on the gridiron earned Rich widespread recognition. In 1992, he was elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Rich became Vanderbilt’s seventh “SEC Football Legend” was he was recognized at the 2000 SEC Championship Game.
Following his playing career, Rich turned his attention to law and the Nashville community. A 1954 graduate of the Vanderbilt Law School, Rich was a member of the Nashville Bar and Tennessee Bar Associations for nearly five decades. He maintained the same downtown office during his entire Nashville law career.
He proudly served more than 50 years on the Nashville Boys and Girls Club board of directors. He was served as president of the Nashville Jewish Community Center in 1971-72, and was a board member of the Temple Obahi Shalom.
Rich remained a loyal supporter of the Commodore athletic program, attending as many football, basketball and baseball games as possible.
Rich is survived by his wife, the former Carla Blocker, who he met and married while attending Vanderbilt. They are the parents of a son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Terry and Tracey.
