Lineman embraced label as dirty player
Oct. 1, 1950 - Feb. 13, 2023
TEMPE, Ariz. — Conrad Dobler, one of the NFL’s top offensive linemen and fiercest players in the 1970s, died Monday. He was 72.
The Arizona Cardinals announced Mr. Dobler died Monday in Pueblo, Colo. No cause of death was given.
Mr. Dobler played left guard on an offensive line that included Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf for a St. Louis team that became known as the “Cardiac Cardinals.”
Mr. Dobler also was known for his dirty play and even titled his autobiography “They Call Me Dirty” after 10 years of eyegouging, leg-whipping and finger- biting in the trenches of the 1970s NFL. Mr. Dobler also embraced his troublemaking persona in a 1987 Miller Lite commercial by riling up by getting them to argue the beer’s “Tastes great/Less filling” tag line.
“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and former teammates of Conrad Dobler,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “He was the kind of tough, physical and fierce player that you love to line up with as a teammate and hate to line up against as an opponent. On the field, Conrad was a big reason for the success of the Cardiac Cards of the 1970s. Away from it, he brought authentic joy and caring to everyone who had the privilege of being his friend and that is what I will remember most.”
Mr. Dobler once punched Steelers Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene in a game.
A punch to the gut is “the best way to get the guy’s hands down,” Mr. Dobler said about striking Mr. Greene and others, including Rams Hall of Fame lineman Merlin Olsen. “When they jump up to knock down a pass, the solar plexus is just so inviting.”
Mr. Dobler earned three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 1975- 77 while playing under Hall of Fame coach Don Coryell. The 1975 offensive line set what was then an NFL record by allowing eight sacks. He played for the Cardinals from 1972-77 before moving on to play two seasons each with New Orleans and Buffalo.