Video: Deacon Jones Made Jock Beer Commercials Fun

I grew up during what you could now call the golden age of TV ads starring sports stars. It happened to be a great time to watch football too, back in the late '70s and '80s, with the tough Steelers and elegant Cowboys establishing themselves as elite franchises. But for a media-obsessed kid, the real action was the commercials, and one of the breakout stars was Deacon Jones, who died yesterday at 74. His prime career days as one of the Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome defensive line pre-dated me, but when the beer ads came on after a Franco Harris TD, you could often see Jones mugging for the camera, selling Miller Lite. He once told the LA Times of his showmanship, "When I first came up [in the mid-1960s], defensive linemen were dull as hell. I set out to change that" [check out the full Times obituary]. Watch the vintage ad below, and RIP, Deacon.