STILLWATER — Matt Monger was teammates with some of the greatest defensive ends in football during his college and professional career that spanned from 1980-90.
At Oklahoma State, he teamed with Dexter Manley, who Monger describes as a “genetic freak,” because of his incomparable athletic ability.
With the New York Jets, Monger shared the field with Mark Gastineau, who held the NFL’s single-season sacks record for more than a decade and “may have been the greatest outside speed rusher of all time,” Monger said.
Then with the Buffalo Bills, Monger was teammates with Bruce Smith, who is still the league’s all-time sacks leader.
And then there’s Leslie O’Neal, who was Monger’s teammate at Oklahoma State from 1982-85.
Monger puts O’Neal in a different category — not because of the statistics, which were incredible, or the athletic gifts, which were many.
“He was moldable, he was always trying to improve, and he was always a team player,” Monger said. “That stuff speaks to a guy’s character and integrity. The world sees his 16 sacks in a year, his 34 in a career, three-time All-Big Eight, 14 seasons in the NFL, six Pro Bowls.
“But a man of character, of integrity is one who continues to improve regardless of the level of competition, the surroundings or the situation. A humble man who stayed true to who he was, regardless of the accolades that the world bestowed upon him.”
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With O’Neal going into OSU’s Ring of Honor on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium, his former Cowboy teammates — particularly those on the defensive side of the ball — rejoiced with him. And for him.
O’Neal joins a Ring of Honor that saw only offensive players inducted in the first four years of its existence. And all…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/leslie-oneals-character-integrity-led-111548903.html
Author : The Oklahoman
Publish date : 2024-09-05 11:15:48
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