Fred Dean Frederick Rudolph " Fred " Dean ( born February 24 , 1952 ) is a former American football player in the National Football League , and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . His career started with the San Diego Chargers in 1975 and ended with the San Francisco 49ers after the 1985 season . Dean was born in Arcadia , the seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana . His family moved twenty miles west to Ruston , where he graduated from Ruston High School . College career . Dean was a standout at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston , having spurned an opportunity to play for legendary coach Eddie Robinson at nearby Grambling State University , which at the time was sending African American players to the NFL on a yearly basis . Dean excelled as an All - Southland Conference defensive tackle during his collegiate football career at Louisiana Tech . NFL career . Dean was drafted by the Chargers in the 2nd round ( 33rd overall pick ) 1975 NFL Draft . Dean recorded 15½ sacks in 1978 . In 1979 , the Chargers won the AFC West division while leading the AFC in fewest points allowed ( 246 ) and Dean was named to the All - AFC team . The Chargers again won the AFC West in 1980 , with Dean teaming with fellow 1975 Charger draftees Gary " Big Hands " Johnson and Louie Kelcher as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks ( 60 ) . Dean and Johnson were named First - team All - Pro , with Kelcher being named Second - team All - Pro . The trio , along with Leroy Jones formed a defensive front that was locally nicknamed the Bruise Brothers , coined from a popular act at the time , The Blues Brothers . In 1981 , Dean , was traded to the San Francisco 49ers due to a contract dispute with Chargers ' ownership . Dean contends he was making the same amount of money as his brother - in - law who was a truck driver . The Chargers ' defense would not be the same afterwards , and Don " Air " Coryell ' s Chargers teams are now most remembered for its high - scoring , pass - oriented offense that did not have enough defense to make it to a Super Bowl . Dean was acquired mid - season by the 49ers and eventually helped them win two Super Bowl s in the 1980s . His first game as a 49er was a key match - up against the Dallas Cowboys . Dean played after only a couple of practices and was still able to apply pressure and repeatedly hurried Danny White when he was not recording one of his 6 sacks , in a game won by the 49ers , 45 - 14 . His first action of the season as a 49er was noted by author Tom Danyluk as " the greatest set of downs I have ever seen unleashed by a pass rusher " . In what had been a game of possum , Bill Walsh , the 49er head coach , said to John Madden , who covered the game , " Fred ( Dean ) just got here . . . If he plays , he won ' t play much " . His next home game for the 49ers was against the Los Angeles Rams . The game was won by the 49ers and the first win against the Rams in Candlestick Park , 20 - 17 , as Dean sacked Pat Haden 5 times . He ended the season with 13 sacks , 12 with the 49ers and 1 with the Chargers , prior to his trade . The 49ers would go on to win the Super Bowl that year , and Steve Sabol ( NFL Films ) is quoted in 2006 as saying that Dean ' s acquisition was the last meaningful in - season trade , in that it affected the destination of the Lombardi Trophy . Dean that year won UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year while playing in only 11 games for the 49ers . San Diego ' s defense collapsed when Dean departed , giving up 40 points in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular season , and 65 total points in playoff games vs . the Miami Dolphins and Bengals . " I can ' t say how much it affected us , because we did make it to the AFC championship game , " said Johnson of the Chargers without Dean . " But I could say if we had more pass rush from the corner , it might ' ve been different . " The Charger defense would not return to the top half of the NFL rankings again until the unit was rebuilt in the late 1980s , and the club did not have an effective pass rusher until Leslie O ' Neal was drafted in 1986 . In 1983 Dean recorded 17 sacks to lead the NFC and recorded a then - NFL record of 6 in one game , setting that mark during the 49ers ’ 27 - 0 shutout of the New Orleans Saints on November 13 , 1983 . The 17 sacks was a Dean career high , bettering his 1978 total of 15½ with the Chargers . He followed that 1978 season by adding nine sacks in 1979 and 10½ in 1980 . He had recorded 6½ sacks as a rookie in 1975 . Dean ' s career sack total , with his unofficial numbers included , is 93 . Dean was also a key player on the 49ers 1984 Super Bowl team , mostly used as a situational pass rusher . During the 1984 season , Dean was reunited with his Charger teammate , Johnson . Dean is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame . On August 2 , 2008 , Dean was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . He was inducted at the enshrinement ceremony where his bust , sculpted by Scott Myers , was unveiled . In 2009 Dean was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame .