Lamar Lundy

Lamar J. Lundy Jr. (April 17, 1935 – February 24, 2007) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 to 1969. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 1957 NFL draft.

Along with Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, and Rosey Grier, Lundy was a member of the Fearsome Foursome, often considered one of the best defensive lines in NFL history. All four also did some acting; Lundy portrayed the boulder-hurling cyclops in the unaired pilot of Lost in Space (this pilot was later made into episode 4 of the series, entitled "There Were Giants in the Earth").

Early life

Lundy was born in Richmond, Indiana, on April 17, 1935, the first child of Lamar Lundy Sr. and Sarah Corine (Ferguson) Lundy. He attended Nicholson Elementary School and Test Junior High School in Richmond, and graduated from Richmond High School where he was a two-sport star in basketball and football, and was an All-American in both sports. Lundy led the Red Devils to the State Finals in basketball, playing for Hall of Fame Coach, Art Beckner. He was selected to the Indiana Basketball All-Star team that defeated the Kentucky All-Stars in 1953. He was also an All-State player in football. He was named a distinguished alumnus in 1998.

As a collegiate basketball player at center, Lamar scored 678 points (73rd all-time for the Boilermakers) and collected 533 rebounds (29th all-time for the Boilermakers). catching 35 passes for 584 yards, a 16.7 yards per catch average, and 6 touchdowns. Twenty-five of those receptions were in 1958. considered Lundy his mentor in Jones' difficult early years with the Rams. When he retired as a player, Lundy became an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers under Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman, but was forced by illness to cease coaching. Inducted into the Purdue University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 The National Rd. West Bridge, in his hometown of Richmond, Indiana, was renamed "Lamar Lundy Memorial Bridge" in honor of him.