Grown men have been telling young men for centuries that war isn't glamourous. They never listen. The league's popularity would drop like mercury in Death Valley if someone got their neck broken by a head slap. Then you'd have trouble seeing any games at all. Your generation needs to remain concerned about player safety and be satisfied watching videos of the 60s and 70s NFL.
Lord did I love the Foursome. The Purple People Eaters were mush to me. In 1971, my favorite football players were O.J., then O.J, then some more O.J, then Deacon Jones, then Roman Gabriel. Merlin Olsen not far behind. Who names their kid Merlin?
It is-- or was, not sure I see it very often now-- common for Mormon couples to name one or more children with a name which combined parents names. Olsen was the first born son of Merle and Lynn Olsen. (Deacon Jones was not the child of Deanne and Cornelius Jones, however...)
I sorta kinda remember seeing him play, but nothing I can make an anecdote about. I've heard that combo a lot outside the Mormon church, too. Are you sure it's more prevalent among them than the general population? I see from Wiki that Olsen was from Utah and from a huge family. From the surname, I'd have guessed that he was a Lutheran from the upper Midwest with friends named Olaf and Sven
It was in my childhood hometown (Boise) anyway... prevalent to the point of exclusivity as far as I could tell...