Les Richter never played for the team that drafted him. The New York Yanks took the California All-American second overall in 1952, but the franchise folded almost immediately. His rights moved to the new Dallas Texans, who then traded him to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. It looked like a steep price, but the Rams got the better end of the deal. After two years in the military, Richter joined the Rams in 1954 and quickly became a fixture.

He was unusually versatile from the start. Richter played primarily at linebacker, but he also lined up at guard early on and handled placekicking duties in his first few seasons. He led the team in scoring in 1955 and 1956 while converting field goals and extra points. On defense, he was a hard-hitting middle linebacker who excelled against the run and could also cover well enough to pick off 16 passes over his career. In one game, he broke his cheekbone and kept playing, showing the toughness that defined him.

Richter earned Pro Bowl selections in eight of his nine NFL seasons, missing the honor only in his final year. He earned first- or second-team All-Pro honors multiple times and became one of the era’s better linebackers. The Rams reached the championship game in 1955, and Richter’s physical play and reliability were a big part of the defense. He never missed a game across 112 appearances with the club.

In his last season, the Rams needed a center after Art Hunter went down, so Richter shifted over and handled the job. It was the kind of move only a player with his background could make. He retired after 1962, having spent his entire professional career in Los Angeles.

With the Rams, he recorded 16 interceptions and 193 points while making eight Pro Bowls. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him posthumously in 2011 as a senior candidate, recognition for the tough, versatile linebacker who anchored the Rams defense through the 1950s and early 1960s.