Nolan Cromwell spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams after they drafted him in the second round out of Kansas in 1977. He began as a backup and special-teams contributor, then moved into the starting free safety role in his third season. Cromwell quickly showed the range and anticipation that would define his game, and he helped the Rams reach Super Bowl XIV in his first year as a full-time starter.

He peaked in the early 1980s. From 1980 to 1982, Cromwell earned First-Team All-Pro honors each season, and he added a fourth consecutive Pro Bowl selection in 1983. In 1980, he intercepted eight passes, led the team in that category, and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Cromwell was a classic free safety of that era, reading routes early and closing on the ball with enough speed to turn potential completions into turnovers. He also returned four of his interceptions for touchdowns during his career.

Cromwell remained a starter for most of his remaining time in Los Angeles, even as the defensive scheme shifted and he sometimes moved between free and strong safety. The Rams continued to reach the playoffs in several of his later seasons, and he stayed productive as a ball hawk who could still make plays in coverage. Injuries limited him at times in the mid-1980s, but he kept his place on the field through 1987.

He retired after the 1987 season. As a Ram, he finished with 37 interceptions and 671 interception-return yards, the franchise record for return yardage at the time. Those numbers, along with his four Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro nods, marked him as one of the better safeties of his generation.

After his playing days concluded, Cromwell moved into coaching and later won a Super Bowl as the special-teams coach for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. He was also named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team, a fitting recognition for the range and playmaking he brought to the Rams secondary for more than a decade.