Found this article on one of the greatest Rams of them all:
Eric The Great!
Eric Dickerson - On To The Next Stage :r
Mike Donnelly
NFLPLAYERS.COM
09/22/2006
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"The Rams were my first team and I enjoyed playing for the Rams probably more than any other team I played for," Dickerson said. "We were a close-knit group of guys."
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Even though Eric Dickerson retired from the NFL almost 13 years ago, football fanatics still can't resist peppering the Hall of Fame running back about the way he played the game.
"Everyone always talks about my running style," Dickerson said. "I hear that over and over. 'How did you run straight up or how do you run so fast,' I hear that all the time."
Dickerson was an incredibly thrilling running back and one of the best from his era. He earned six Pro Bowls, was named first-team All-Pro five times and gained 13,259 career-rushing yards, which was second all-time at his retirement. He also led the league in rushing three times, had seven straight 1,000-yard seasons and still holds the record for most rushing yards in a season with 2,105 yards.
"I feel like I had the talent," Dickerson said. "I was big, fast, had quick feet and really good peripheral vision. Even though I couldn't see well because I wore glasses, I could see well from side to side and my surroundings."
Dickerson broke into the league as a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1983 and produced immediately, establishing rookie records for most rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns. After four exceptional years running for the Rams, a contract dispute with the organization in 1987 led to a three-team, 10-player trade with Dickerson getting sent to the Indianapolis Colts. Dickerson's blazing speed and powerful legs afforded him a few successful seasons with the Colts, but he finally called it a career in 1993 after brief stints with the Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons.
"The Rams were my first team and I enjoyed playing for the Rams probably more than any other team I played for. We were a close-knit group of guys."
Long gone are Dickerson's sports goggles, shoulder pads and a legendary 11-year career. Lately, Dickerson spends his time residing in Calabasas, (Calif.), where he's kept a home since his playing days with the Rams. He's a proud father of three daughters and has become a successful businessman on the side, dabbling in various interests over the years.
"My kids are very important to me and that's my main focus," Dickerson said.
From running his own model agency that has since folded, to serving as a college football analyst, and then moving on to the big stage as the sideline reporter for Monday Night Football for three years, Dickerson has kept himself busy.
Nowadays Dickerson can be seen working as an analyst on the Sports Central team for KCBS television in Los Angeles, providing commentary for its NFL pregame and postgame shows. "I've been doing it for the last four years and absolutely love it," he said. "We have such a good time on the show."
Additionally, Dickerson has remained committed to a company he helped to develop called Original Mini's, Inc which sells a unique sports collectible product called the "Original Mini-Jersey." Set inside of a high-quality frame, the product features a miniature NFL jersey replica with the team name and logo, player's name, position and honors, and years played (
www.originalminijerseys.com).
Dickerson founded Original Mini's Inc. in late 2005 with Larry Westbrook and former NFL All-Pro defensive back and punt return specialist LeRoy Irvin. The product has been a hit since entering the market and has become increasingly more popular in recent months.
"We're not in a rush," Dickerson said. "We're trying to take it slow and I want to see us grow year by year and get bigger and bigger. We want to continue to improve the product as much as we can."
As for Dickerson's role, he's provided financing, valuable creative direction and overall business experience to the project, but isn't necessarily preoccupied with running the business on an everyday basis
"I'm just one piece of the puzzle," Dickerson said.
When Dickerson's not tending to business matters, he can usually be found out on a golf course. With a 7 handicap, the 46-year-old appears to be almost as gifted an athlete now as he was on the gridiron. It doesn't hurt that he attempts to play five days a week, but he finds it to be the best medicine for soothing his competitive nature.
"My game is up and down," he admitted. "The thing about golf is it's so frustrating. But I got into this game big-time and just love it."
As one of the best running backs the game has ever seen, it's difficult to fathom that Dickerson doesn't really miss playing in the NFL, but he certainly has his reasons. "I don't miss football at all," he said. "I don't miss those hits, the Monday mornings or that pressure to perform in front of 60,000 people or having a bad game and reading about it in the paper."
"I do miss the camaraderie and the guys I played with. That is the only thing I miss about football."
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