The San Diego Chargers announced Monday that Hall of Famer Earl Faison died at the age of 77.
Faison was remembered as "a consummate gentleman with a booming voice and laugh" by team owner Dean Spanos on the Chargers team website.
"His passion for the Chargers and the game of football was unwavering," Spanos said in a prepared statement.
Faison played for the Chargers from 1961-66 and earned the nickname "Tree" because when he got anchored on the defensive line he was awfully difficult to move. Faison was an All-American at Indiana University and was drafted by both the Chargers of the American Football League and the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. Since the Bolts took him in the first round and the Lions the fifth round, Faison landed in San Diego and had an immediate impact.
In 1961 Faison was named the American Football League Rookie of the Year and made the All-AFL Team. He was an AFL All-Star for the first five years of his career and as a member of a defensive line that became known as the Fearsome Foursome he was one of the main reasons the Chargers won the 1963 AFL Championship.
Back injuries ended what could have been a Pro Football Hall of Fame career after just six seasons. After retiring Faison stayed in Southern California, dabbling in acting where he landed small roles in a pair of hit TV shows: "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Six Million Dollar Man."
Tree, a native of Virginia, decided to make his home in San Diego where his next career led him to education. Faison was a teacher and the head football coach at Lincoln High School, where he coached future Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen. He eventually became Lincoln High's principal.
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Earl Faison was inducted to the Chargers Hall of Fame and named to the franchise's 50th Anniversary Team. He is, and will forever be, immortalized in the San Diego Ring of Honor.
