Position | Defensive Tackle
Born | Pascagoula, Mississippi
Date-of-Birth | July 1, 1944
Height | 6’5″
Weight | 255 lbs
College | Texas
NFL Career | 14 seasons Teams | Los Angeles Rams 1967-1970, Washington Redskins 1971-1980
Career Highlights
- Fifth-round pick (66th overall) of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1966 NFL Draft
- Traded to Washington in 1971 as a cornerstone of the “Over the Hill Gang”
- Started 97 of 98 possible games at right tackle from 1971 to 1977
- Recorded 10 or more sacks in three separate seasons, peaking at 12.5 in 1976
- Set a single-game franchise record with 4 sacks against the Giants in 1975
- Super Bowl VII participant (1972 season)
- Co-defensive captain for nine seasons
- 70 Greatest Redskins
- 80 Greatest Redskins
Awards
- Pro Bowl (1974 season)
- Second-team All-Conference, UPI (1973)
- National Champion at Texas (1963)
- First-team All-Southwest Conference (1965)
- University of Texas Longhorn Hall of Fame (2005)
Diron Talbert Anchored the Over the Hill Gang, Then Made Roger Staubach His Personal Rival
Diron Talbert built a 14-year career on toughness and durability. He built his legend on hating the Dallas Cowboys, one Roger Staubach jab at a time.
Two Talbert Brothers, One Texas Team
Talbert grew up in Pascagoula, Mississippi, before his family moved to Texas. He starred at Texas City High School, then followed his older brothers Don and Charlie to the University of Texas. He won a national championship as a freshman in 1963. He earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1965. Diron, Don and Charlie are all in the Longhorn’s Hall of Honor.
The Rams drafted Diron in the fifth round – 66th overall – in the 1966 Draft. However, he returned to Texas for a fifth season. He was also drafted in the 2nd round (17th overall) of the 1966 AFL Redshirt draft.
Finding a Home in Los Angeles, Then Washington
Talbert lost most of his rookie season to a knee injury. He recovered and found his footing playing alongside Hall of Famers Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones. Jones taught him the head-slap move that defined the era. By 1971, Talbert was a full-time starter.
He was with the Rams from 1967 to 1970, under coach George Allen.
In 1971, new Redskins head coach George Allen orchestrated a blockbuster trade. Washington sent players and EIGHT picks to Los Angeles. In return, they landed Talbert, linebackers Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, and Maxie Baughan, and guard John Wilbur. The deal became the backbone of Allen’s “Over the Hill Gang.”
The Anchor of the Over the Hill Gang
Talbert started almost every game Washington played for seven straight seasons. From 1971 through 1977, he missed just one start out of 98 possible games. Warrior mentality.
He topped 10 sacks three separate times, including a career-high 12.5 in 1976. In 1975, he sacked Giants quarterback Craig Morton four times in a single game, still a franchise record. He helped anchor Washington’s defense through its first Super Bowl trip, a loss to Miami in Super Bowl VII following the 1972 season.
The Staubach Feud
No single storyline defined Talbert more than his rivalry with Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach. It began after Washington’s 26-3 win over Dallas in the 1972 NFC Championship Game. Talbert needled Staubach in the press afterward.
“They just had the wrong guy in there,” he said, suggesting backup Craig Morton gave Washington a tougher fight.
Zing!
The feud never cooled. “We wouldn’t even talk to them in the off-season,” Talbert said of the Cowboys years later. Before one game, he shook every captain’s hand at the coin toss except Staubach’s, just to needle him further. Talbert later brushed it off as showmanship.
“It was just game hype,” he said.
Staubach didn’t always see it that way. Years later, at a postseason banquet, he reportedly asked Talbert directly why he seemed to hate him so much.
By 1978, Talbert was still throwing jabs. “I don’t have a lot of love for Dallas,” he told the Washington Post that year, “and I’m sure they don’t have a lot of love for me.” Even decades later, the two men reportedly still won’t shake hands.
That’s the way it should be. All Redskins fans worth their salt, should NOT talk with Cowboys fans – at least on Gameday. Dexter Manley took up the mantle a few years later, and always found a way to inject extra spite into each match-up. Undoubtedly spurned on by the fantastic gamesmanship of Talbert.
Life After Football
Talbert retired in 1980 and returned to Texas, where he built a second career running oil and hotel businesses. He eventually became close friends with Walt Garrison, one of the same Cowboys players he’d spent a decade needling.
Talbert has remained an active, outspoken member of the NFL Alumni Association ever since.
He is remembered as one of the toughest, most durable players in franchise history.
And as the man who made hating the Cowboys personal for an entire era of Redskins football.
Career Statistics
| Team | Year | G | GS | Int | FR | Sk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1967 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Los Angeles | 1968 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Los Angeles | 1969 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Los Angeles | 1970 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 |
| Washington | 1971 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 |
| Washington | 1972 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Washington | 1973 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 |
| Washington | 1974 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 |
| Washington | 1975 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 |
| Washington | 1976 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 |
| Washington | 1977 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 |
| Washington | 1978 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Washington | 1979 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 |
| Washington | 1980 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Career Total | 14 seasons | 186 | 157 | 0 | 10 | 84.5 |
G = Games played, GS = Games started, Int = Interceptions, FR = Fumble recoveries, Sk = Sacks. Talbert recorded no career interceptions, typical for a defensive tackle. Note: the NFL did not officially track sacks league-wide until 1982 — season-by-season sack totals here reflect Pro Football Reference’s historical research rather than official in-season league records. Individual tackle totals are not reliably documented for this era and are omitted rather than estimated. Stats via Pro Football Reference.
