CARDS: Score 1990, Fleer 1990 Update, Pro Set 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2023, C/o Home
SENT: 3/23 RECEIVED: 4/5 (13 days)

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

• Big LB Fred Strickland played 3 years at Purdue where he had a motor for the ball, leading the team in tackles for 3 straight years (1985-’87).
• A second round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1988.
• It took him a season but by ’89, Strickland was a starter for the team at Middle Linebacker.
• Loving his skillset and versatility, the Rams created a new defensive hybrid position for Strickland that was a combination between nosetackle and middle linebacker.
• Injuries quickly caught up with Fred, and that combined with a coaching change in ’92 and being passed up by Larry Kelm on the depth chart, led to his departure in 1993.
• Fred’s career was rejuvenated with the Minnesota Vikings, where at weakside LB he posted 137 tackles and 4 fumble recoveries.
• Taking advantage of his bargaining position, and the Packers need at LB, Fred joined Green Bay that season.
• He spent the 1994 and 1995 season with the team providing solid play.
• With the loss of LBs Dixon Edwards and Robert Jones, the Dallas Cowboys signed Fred in 1996.
• A force in the middle, Fred posted 103 combined tackles in ’96, 95 in ’97, and 81 in 1998.
• Strickland entered the twilight of his career in 1999 playing for the Redskins.
• He’d be a backup for the team that season, and retire before the start of the 2000 season.

NOTES:

Fred had a somewhat rocky start, but after leaving the Rams and finding his sea legs, he really showed the versatility that defensive coaches prized. In addition his ability to come in and start in a pinch and then pull down 90 plus tackles on stacked defenses really can not be understated. His Fleer 1990 card you can really see his showcased size that allowed him to hybridize out from linebacker to nose.