Fulton Kuykendall, who played linebacker for eleven seasons in the NFL, passed away on February 15. He was 70. Kuykendall played for the Atlanta Falcons from 1975 to 1984, and for the San Francisco 49ers in 1985. Nicknamed “Kaptain Krazy,” Kuykendall was a member of the Falcons’ vaunted “Grits Blitz” defense. In 1977, the Grits Blitz allowed an average of just 9.2 points per game, an NFL low for the Super Bowl era. Bleacher Report argues that it was the best NFL defense of all time.
Today’s card of the day is Kuykendall’s 1980 Falcons Police card, which I added to the Gallery just last week. This is Kuykendall’s first card; he appeared on a few more later in the decade. You can see the full set of 1980 Falcons Police cards in the Gallery.