tackle in the country" with "good quickness, wonderful strength, smartness, and competitiveness, and he's a great leader." Asking if Dierdorf had any faults, Schembechler paused, then answered his own question: "Faults? Hummmm. He's got big feet and it's hard to fit him into shoes. That's all I can think of." Dierdorf was a consensus first-team pick on the 1970 College Football All-America Team, receiving first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association, the AP, the Football Writers Association of America, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the UPI. He was also picked by both the AP and UPI as a first-team All-Big Ten player, and was picked to play in three post-season all-star games: the East–West Shrine Game, Hula Bowl, and College All-Star Game. St. Louis Cardinals 1971–1973 Dierdorf was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round (43rd overall pick) of the 1971 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 1971, he appeared in 12 games, six as a starter. During the 1972 and 1973 seasons, Dierdorf became a fixture in the Cardinals' offensive line, starting all 14 games both years. However, the Cardinals continued to struggle, compiling identical 4–9–1 records all three years. Dierdorf played at the offensive guard and offensive tackle positions in 1971 and 1972 before settling in at the offensive tackle in 1973. 1974–1978 From 1974 to 1976, Dierdorf started every game at right tackle for the Cardinals during a three-year span in which the team compiled records of 10–4, 11–3, and 10–4 under head coach Don Coryell. In 1977, Dierdorf sustained a broken jaw and missed two games to injury as the Cardinals fell to 7–7. In 1978, Dierdorf started all 16 games at right tackle for the Cardinals. During his peak years from 1974 to 1978, Dierdorf was regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. He was selected by the National Football League Players Association as the Offensive Lineman of the Year for three consecutive years from 1976 to 1978. The Cardinals' offensive line, led by Dierdorf, Conrad Dobler, and Tom Banks, led the NFL with the fewest sacks allowed for three years (and the National Football Conference for five years) in the mid-1970s. In 1975, the group set an NFL record, allowing only eight sacks in 14 games. Dierdorf did not allow a sack during the entire 1976 and 1977 seasons. His streak ended in the first game