Jerry Ball is a former professional
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive lineman in the NFL who played primarily as a nose tackle. During his career he went to three Pro Bowls. In the NFL for 13 seasons, Ball recorded 32.5
sackIn American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s during his career, most of them coming as a nose tackle with the
Detroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. Despite this fact, he was known mostly as a run stuffer later in his career, anchoring the Minnesota Viking defense alongside
John RandleJohn Anthony Randle played defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. On February 6, 2010 he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Born in Mumford, Texas, Randle was raised poor, and worked odd jobs when he was young. His brother Ervin Randle played as...
, also a Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
Ball had one career touchdown scored - on September 15, 1996 a pass from
Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Mark BrunellMark Allen Brunell is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
was tipped and caught by Ball; the burly nose tackle rumbled 66 yards for the touchdown.
He graduated from West Brook High School in Beaumont, TX, where he played FB and LB for 1982 5A State Champions.
He played at and graduated from Southern Methodist University. Was a four year letter-winner and ranks 4th on the all time sack list at SMU.
Member of
Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternity.
He has three daughters; Faren, Lindsey, and Haley, and a wife named Michelle.