Jerry Sherk Jerry Martin Sherk ( born July 7 , 1948 ) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League for 12 seasons between 1970 until 1981 . He made the Pro Bowl lineup for four straight years from 1973 through 1976 , and is widely considered to be among the best defensive players in Cleveland Browns history . College . Jerry Sherk was born July 7 , 1948 in Grants Pass , Oregon . He attended Grants Pass High , where he joined the school ' s wrestling and football teams . Sherk attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater , Oklahoma . As during high school , he played on both the football and wrestling teams in both his junior and senior years . He was an All - Big Eight selection on the gridiron in 1969 and an All - American as a Cowboy grappler in 1969 . He was inducted to the Oklahoma State Hall of Honor in 2000 . NFL career . Sherk was selected in the second round ( 47th overall ) of the 1970 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns . His first game was on September 21 , 1970 , and was coincidentally the first regular edition of Monday Night Football . He became a starting player immediately , and soon became noted as having a knack for getting to the quarterback . Sherk was part of an AFC Central Division in which each team boasted All - Pro quality defensive tackles : the Pittsburgh Steelers ' Joe Greene , the Cincinnati Bengals ' Mike Reid , and the Houston Oilers ' Curley Culp . He was part of a 1972 Browns team that went 10 - 4 and advanced to the playoffs , losing to the undefeated Miami Dolphins . Sherk led the Browns in sacks with 10½ sacks and led teams ' defensive linemen in tackles with 91 , after totaling three sacks and 83 tackles in 1970 and 84 tackles with four 1 / 2 sacks in 1971 . The following year Sherk played in his first Pro Bowl after sacking opposing quarterbacks 5½ times and making 100 tackles , most by any Brown defensive lineman that season . In 1974 Sherk made his second Pro Bowl and led the Browns with 10 sacks to go with his 94 tackles . In 1975 Sherk made his third consecutive Pro Bowl and was named All - AFC . He matched his own career - high of 100 tackles and recorded six sacks . In 1976 Sherk recorded 12 sacks and 92 tackles and was voted the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Newspaper Enterprise Association ( NEA ) . Sherk was a consensus All - Pro , making the AP , PFWA , NEA teams as well as being consensus All - AFC for the second consecutive year . November 14 , 1976 he set club record with four sacks in one game . He capped the season off by playing in his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl . At a September 1977 preseason match against the Green Bay Packers , Sherk seriously injured his knee . Consequently , he was only able to play in seven games during the 1977 season . He came back in 1978 recording a new career - high in tackles with 105 but only dropped opposing quarterbacks 3 times . During a November 4 , 1979 game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia , an infected boil on Sherk ' s arm was scraped off ; a staph infection from the field ' s astroturf entered his body through the wound and traveled to his knee . He was nearly killed by the infection . Sherk missed the last six games of the 1979 season . His substitute on the field was Henry Bradley . The injury eventually proved to be more problematic than first imagined , and prevented Sherk from recovering for a healthy 1980 season : he played in only one game and recorded only one tackle . He spent his final season , 1981 , as a designated pass rusher , coming in to play defensive tackle when the Browns switched from a 3 - 4 defense to a four down lineman nickel defense . In that limited role he recorded 12 tackles and three sacks . In all , Sherk totaled 864 career tackles and 69½ sacks . Along the way , blocked 6 kicks , intercepted three passes , and recovered ten fumbles . Post NFL career . Photography . After leaving football , Sherk worked as a sports photographer for roughly ten years . His work was featured in " Sports Illustrated " , " Pro ! Magazine " , and many newspapers . His photographs from this time period were featured in an exhibition titled " Through the Eyes of a Defensive Lineman : The Cleveland Browns as Photographed by Jerry Sherk " . The photo show was held December 14 , 2010 at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea , Ohio , and was sponsored by the Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities . Mentoring . In 1991 Sherk returned to college , earning a master ’ s degree in counseling psychology . He began counseling various vulnerable populations , becoming especially interested in working with at - risk children . Along the way he created a school - based group mentoring program that uses sports to teach young people how to reach goals in academics and life . Personal life . Sherk resides in Encinitas , California in San Diego county , with his wife Ann .