Orlando Pace
Pace in 2018 | |||||||||
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| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | November 4, 1975 Sandusky, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Sandusky | ||||||||
| College | Ohio State (1994–1996) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1997: 1st round, 1st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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Orlando Lamar Pace (born November 4, 1975) is an American former professional football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the St. Louis Rams. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning the Lombardi Award in 1995 after blocking for Eddie George during his Heisman campaign. The following season, Pace won the Outland Trophy, his second Lombardi Award, the Jim Parker Trophy, and UPI Lineman of the Year. Pace was selected first overall in the 1997 NFL draft by the Rams, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. This included being a member of the Greatest Show on Turf. In his final season, he was a member of the Chicago Bears.
With the Rams, Pace was recognized as the cornerstone of an offensive line that blocked for an offense with the most gross yardage, second-highest completion percentage, and fifth-most touchdown passes during his 12 years with the team. Under Pace's protection, the Rams passing offense compiled more than 3,000 yards per season in each of the years he played, seven different quarterbacks eclipsed 3,000 yards in a season, and seven players rushed for 1,000 yards. Pace also protected the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) recipient for three consecutive seasons, blocking for 1999 and 2001 MVP Kurt Warner and 2000 MVP Marshall Faulk.
Retiring as a seven-time Pro Bowl and three-time first-team All-Pro selection, Pace was a core contributor of the Rams Greatest Show on Turf offense that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIV. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.