For whatever reason the Patriots changed their plans during the 1980 NFL Draft, it led to the Rams choosing Penn State’s Irv Pankey in the second round, 50th overall, and having a durable and consistent offensive tackle for the next 11 seasons.
“New England had told me that they were going to pick me with their second pick in the first round,” Pankey said. “I never worked out for the Rams, or spoke to anybody from the Rams. And they called me and said, ‘Hello, my name is (Director of Player Personnel) John Math, and we just drafted you. Do you have a problem coming out to California? And I said, ‘Do you know where I am? Hell, no.’
“But because I had never talked to the Rams, it was kind of a shock.”
And the Rams were kind of getting a diamond in the rough. Even though Pankey was named as a second-team All-American as a senior, that was the first year he had played the position for the Nittany Lions.
He began his collegiate career as a linebacker and was switched to tight end as a junior and caught 10 passes for 105 yards. He made the move to tackle his senior season.
And so without much experience on the O-line, Pankey not only relied on Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator, Lionel Taylor, and his position coach, Dan Radakovich, for a quick education, but also on his new veteran teammates who played on both sides of the ball.
“A lot of old defensive guys like Larry Brooks and Freddy Dryer. those guys would be like, ‘You’re leaning. Rook.’ Things like that,” Pankey said. “But Doug France helped me out a lot, he was the starting left tackle on offense when I got there, and Rich Saul, the center, they would sit me down and tell me things.
“They’d say something like, ‘Hey, Rook, you might want to blah, blah, blah.’ And you’d say, ‘Okay, show me what you’re talking about.’ And they’d work with you.”
After playing mostly on special teams during his first season, Pankey practically became an insurance policy, stepping in and making starts at both tackle positions and at right guard, before becoming a full-time starter at left tackle.
Aside from missing the 1983 season after tearing his Achilles tendon during the preseason, after his rookie year, Pankey started in 116 of 128 games, including the Rams’ two NFC Championship Game appearances – in 1985 against Chicago and 1989 against San Francisco.
“When we played the Bears that year, we were so one dimensional… It was just their year. I mean, they went 15-1 or something like that,” Pankey said. “And in ’89 when we played San Francisco, I thought that was the game where we had a true shot to get to the Super Bowl. We had played them twice already and we split, 1-1. And I don’t know, in my mind, I had a good feeling.”