Detroit Lions: The Most Underrated Players In Team History
Silver Rush: Al “Bubba” Baker, Doug English, William Gay, Dave Pureifory
The Silver Rush was a dominant force in the NFL and one of the premier pass rushing groups in league history. From 1978-1982, Al Baker, Doug English, William Gay and Dave Pureifory reached unparalleled levels of efficiency at getting to the quarterback, setting every franchise record for sacks and combining for eight Pro Bowl appearances.
And some of them performed a cover of Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” with teammate Jimmy “Spiderman” Allen during the 1980 season. Doug English apparently hated the cover, which was played at the Silverdome on gamedays and was popular with the fans.
English was the first of the four to arrive in Detroit after being drafted by the team in the second round in 1975. He played in 131 games over ten seasons at defensive tackle for the Lions. He was named to four Pro Bowls during his career in Detroit, is tied for the NFL career record for safeties with four and is the unofficial franchise leader in sacks by an interior defensive lineman with 59. His career ended in 1985 after he suffered a neck injury.
Al “Bubba” Baker was drafted by the Lions in the second round in 1978 and made an immediate mark at defensive end, winning Defensive Rookie Of The Year after unofficially recording 23 sacks during the season (the NFL did not start officially keeping track of individual sacks until 1982). He continued to dominate, recording 75.5 sacks over five seasons in Detroit and being named to three Pro Bowls. After leaving Detroit, Baker played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns before retiring after the 1990 season. Baker is now a successful restauranteur in the Cleveland area.
William Gay was drafted by the Denver Broncos as a tight end in the second round in 1978 but was cut before the season began. He signed with Detroit and appeared in all 16 games his rookie season, playing on the defensive line. He was a rotational player until he got the start at defensive tackle in 1980. When Baker and Pureifory left after the 1982 season, Gay was moved to defensive end, where he racked up double-digit sacks in 1983 and 1984, including a team-record 5.5 sack effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1983, and led the NFL with six fumble recoveries in 1986. He also appeared in the 1984 Pro Bowl as an alternate. After leaving Detroit after the 1987 season, Gay played for the Minnesota Vikings for one season before retiring.
After graduating from Eastern Michigan, Dave Pureifory began his NFL career in Green Bay, where he played for six years before joining the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals released him in the middle of the 1978 season. The Lions signed him and immediately plugged him into the starting lineup, where he would stay for the next four seasons. Pureifory was undersized for a defensive end but used his quickness and tenacity to get into the backfield, and he was named the Lions defensive MVP in 1980. After injuries caused him to leave Detroit after the 1982 season, he would play for the Michigan Panthers and Birmingham Stallions of the USFL from 1984-1985.
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