Orlando Pace - Pro Football Hall of Fame

Orlando Pace - Pro Football Hall of Fame

Orlando Pace
Tackle Orlando Pace was highly touted coming out of Ohio State as the first
overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. The 6’7”, 320-pound Pace
lived up to the billing as he made an instant impact at the pro level and became one of
the finest offensive linemen of his era.
Pace was integral member of the Rams’ potent offense that transformed the
franchise into a perennial winner. By his third season, Pace and his teammates
entertained the NFL with its “greatest show on turf” offense that produced three straight
seasons of scoring more than 500 points and ranking as the NFL’s highest rated
offense (1999-2001). The ’99 Rams racked up a league-high 6,412 yards of offense en
route to a 13-3 record and NFC Western division title. St. Louis advanced through the
playoffs with wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before
capturing a thrilling 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. The
victory marked the franchise’s first NFL title since 1951.
The Rams’ explosive offense continued in 2000 as Pace helped protect
quarterback Kurt Warner and also opened holes for Hall of Fame runner Marshall Faulk
who was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player after scoring a league-record 26 TDs.
St. Louis became the first team in NFL history to rack up more than 7,000 yards of
offense, and scored 540 total points.
A year later, Pace and his teammates returned to the Super Bowl after posting a
14-2 mark in 2001 and recorded playoff wins over Green Bay and Philadelphia for the
right to play in Super Bowl XXXVI. Pace started at left tackle in the game that ended in
disappointment for the Rams when the New England Patriots kicked a game-winning
field goal as time expired.
Pace was the forefront of the Rams dominant seasons and was named All-Pro in
1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004. He was also selected to seven consecutive Pro
Bowls.
In all, Pace played in 169 career games that included 11 final contests with the
Chicago Bears in 2009.
He is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Orlando Pace
Tackle – 6-7, 320 – Ohio State
1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears (13 playing seasons)
Biographical Background
Full Name: Orlando Lamar Pace
Birthdate: November 4, 1975
Birthplace: Sandusky, Ohio
High School: Sandusky (OH)
Pro Career: 13 seasons, 169 games
Drafted: 1st round (1st player overall) in 1997 by St. Louis Rams
Career Statistics
Games Played:
1997 St. Louis .......................................... 13
1998 St. Louis .......................................... 16
1999 St. Louis .......................................... 16
2000 St. Louis .......................................... 16
2001 St. Louis .......................................... 16
2002 St. Louis .......................................... 10
2003 St. Louis .......................................... 16
2004 St. Louis ..........................................16
2005 St. Louis ..........................................16
2006 St. Louis ............................................8
2007 St. Louis ............................................1
2008 St. Louis ..........................................14
2009 Chicago ...........................................11
Career Total ............................................169
All-League Teams
All-Pro: 1999 (AP, PFWA, SN) • 2000 (SN) • 2001 (AP, PFWA, SN) • 2003 (AP, SN) •
2004 (SN)
All-Pro Second Team: 2000 (AP)
All-NFC: 1999 (PW) • 2000 (PW) • 2001 (PW) • 2003 (PW) • 2005 (PW)
Pro Bowls
(7) – 2000, 2001, 2002*, 2003*, 2004, 2005, 2006,
*Did not play
Awards and Honors
•
•
NFL All-Decade Team of 2000s
2008 Ed Block Courage Award
Orlando Pace, Page 2
Year-by-Year Team Records
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
St. Louis Rams ..................... 5-11-0 (5th)
St. Louis Rams ..................... 4-12-0 (5th)
St. Louis Rams ................... 13-3-0 (1st)
St. Louis Rams ................... 10-6-0 (2nd)
St. Louis Rams ................... 14-2-0 (1st)
St. Louis Rams ....................... 7-9-0 (2nd)
St. Louis Rams ................... 12-4-0 (1st)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
St. Louis Rams ...................... 8-8-0
St. Louis Rams ..................... 6-10-0
St. Louis Rams ....................... 8-8-0
St. Louis Rams ..................... 3-13-0
St. Louis Rams ..................... 2-14-0
Chicago Bears ........................ 7-9-0
(Division Finish in Parentheses)
Qualified for Postseason in Bold
Championship Games
1999 NFC – St. Louis Rams 11, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6
Pace started the game at left tackle.
2001 NFC – St. Louis Rams 29, Philadelphia Eagles 24
Pace started the game at left tackle.
Super Bowls
Super Bowl XXXIV – St. Louis Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 16
Pace started the game at left tackle.
Super Bowl XXXVI – New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
Pace started the game at left tackle.
(2nd)
(2nd)
(2nd)
(4th)
(4th)
(3rd)
Orlando Pace, Page 3
Media Guide Excerpts
2009 Chicago Bears Media Guide biography
DOES NOT INCLUDE PACE’S FINAL SEASON IN CHICAGO (2009)
2008 St. Louis Rams Media Guide biography
Orlando Pace, Page 4
Orlando Pace, Page 5
Orlando Pace
Offensive Rankings -- 1997-2009
Year
Team
Total
Offense Rushing Passing
1,000-yard rusher
3,000-yard passer
1997 St. Louis Rams
21
24
17
x
Tony Bank (3,254)
1998 St. Louis Rams
27
29
22
x
x
1999 St. Louis Rams
1
5
1
2000 St. Louis Rams
1
17
1
2001 St. Louis Rams
1
5
1
Marshall Faulk
(1,381)
Marshall Faulk
(1,359)
Marshall Faulk
(1,382)
Kurt Warner
(4,353)
Kurt Warner
(3,429)
Kurt Warner
(4,830)
2002 St. Louis Rams
13
30
2
x
x
2003 St. Louis Rams
9
30
3
x
2004 St. Louis Rams
6
25t
5
x
2005 St. Louis Rams
9
22
4
2006 St. Louis Rams
6
17
4
2007 St. Louis Rams
24
25
19
2008 St. Louis Rams
27
25
26
2009 Chicago Bears
23
29
17
Steven Jackson
(1,046)
Steven Jackson
(1,528)
Steven Jackson
(1,002)
Steven Jackson
(1,042)
x
Marc Bulger
(3,845)
Marc Bulger
(3,964)
x
Marc Bulger
(4,301)
x
x
Jay Cutler (3,666)