Former NFL defensive tackle Walt Rock, a two-time Pro Bowler who helped lead Washington’s famed “Over-the-Hill Gang” to the Super Bowl, has died. He was 84.
Rock died on May 19, according to reports, leaving behind a football legacy that stretched from small-town Ohio to the biggest stage in the NFL.
Before he became a bruising force in the pros, Rock was already making noise at the University of Maryland. In 1962, he earned honorable mention All-American honors and was named an all-Atlantic Coast Conference guard and tackle.
His college success quickly caught the attention of the pros.
In 1963, the San Francisco 49ers selected Rock with the 21st overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft. He was also drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, then part of the AFL, but Rock chose the NFL instead.
That decision launched an 11-season career that saw him become one of the league’s most reliable linemen.
Rock played in 137 games from 1963 to 1973. For the final 10 seasons of his career, he started nearly every game at tackle, building a reputation as a tough, durable player in an era when football was far more punishing than it is today.
His best years came in San Francisco.
Rock was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1965 and 1966 while playing for the 49ers. In 1966, he was also named first team All-Pro by The Sporting News, cementing his place among the league’s top defensive tackles.
But his career took a dramatic turn in 1968, when the 49ers traded him to the Washington Redskins in exchange for a first-round draft pick.
In Washington, Rock became part of one of the most memorable teams in franchise history.
By 1972, the Redskins were known as the “Over-the-Hill Gang,” a nickname given to a veteran-heavy roster that many thought was too old to dominate. Instead, they stunned critics.
Rock helped Washington defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, punching the team’s ticket to Super Bowl VII.
The Redskins ultimately fell to the undefeated Miami Dolphins, but Rock still made history. By starting in the game, he became the second former University of Maryland player ever to appear in a Super Bowl.
His playing days came to an end in 1973 after a string of ankle sprains cut short his time on the field.
But Rock had already been preparing for life after football. During NFL offseasons, he worked as president and owner of Door Systems, Inc. in Virginia, a role he moved into full-time after retiring from the game.
Long before his NFL fame, Rock was a hometown sports hero in Elyria, Ohio.
At Elyria High School, he starred not only on the football field but also on the basketball court. He was the leading scorer and rebounder as a center, helping lead a team that lost only one regular-season game over his final two seasons.
In 1972, Rock was inducted into the inaugural class of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame.
Rock is survived by his wife, Alice; his sisters; his children, Douglas and Chelsea; and eight grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His death marks the loss of another old-school NFL warrior — a player from a bruising era who built his name through toughness, loyalty, and years of punishing work in the trenches.
Smith and Walt Rock for Rosenthal Chevrolet pic.twitter.com/vlkja69tsj
— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) July 19, 2025