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Former Michigan State All-American Ron Saul has passed away at the age of 73 (1948-2021). A three-year letterwinner under Coach Duffy Daugherty from 1967-69, Saul also earned first-team Academic All-America honors in 1969 and went on to play in the NFL for 12 seasons as an offensive guard.

A native of Butler, Pennsylvania, Saul was named the team MVP in 1969, the last Spartan offensive lineman to earn the Governor of Michigan Award. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors at guard and was a first-team choice on All-America teams by The Sporting News, Time, and the Newspaper Enterprise Association. The 6-foot-2, 239-pounder possessed exceptional strength and was named “Hercules” by his teammates.

A three-year starter who also picked up second-team All-Big Ten accolades in 1968, Ron and his twin brother, Rich, both earned first-team Academic All-America honors in 1969, the first brother combo to achieve that distinction in the same year. Rich, who was also a three-year letterwinner during the same years under Daugherty, was a captain on the 1969 Spartan team and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a defensive end and linebacker; he passed away in 2012 at the age of 64.

Ron Saul was selected in the fifth round (No. 110 overall) of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and went on to play six seasons in Houston (1970-75) and six with Washington (1976-81).