{{Short description|American football player (born 1951)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use American English|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Rolland Lawrence | image = | number = 22 | position = Cornerback | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|03|24}} | birth_place = Franklin, Pennsylvania, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 10 | weight_lbs = 179 | high_school = Franklin (PA) | college = Tabor (1969–1972) | undraftedyear = 1973 | pastteams = * Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1973|1980}}) | highlights = * First-team All-Pro (1977) * Pro Bowl (1977) | statlabel1 = Interceptions | statvalue1 = 39 | statlabel2 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue2 = 13 | statlabel3 = Defensive TDs | statvalue3 = 1 | pfr = LawrRo00 }}
'''Rolland Derenfro "Bay" Lawrence''' (born March 24, 1951) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as a cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 to 1980. He was a leader of the 1977 Grits Blitz defense, widely considered to be among the best in league history, and his 39 career interceptions are the most by a Falcons player.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100212174325/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LAWREROL01 Database Football]}} Rolland Lawrence statistics</ref>
==Biography== Lawrence was selected to his one and only Pro Bowl in 1977, when he accounted for 10 turnovers on seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pittsburghpassion.com/coaches/lawrence.shtml |title=Pittsburgh Passion |access-date=2009-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703165650/http://www.pittsburghpassion.com/coaches/lawrence.shtml |archive-date=2008-07-03 }}</ref> According to Pro-Football-Reference.com's "Approximate Value" statistic,<ref>{{cite web |title=Approximate Value |access-date=May 8, 2023 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/about/approximate_value.htm}}</ref> Lawrence recorded the most valuable season by a non-Hall of Famer in NFL history, recording an AV of 24 in 1977, tied for the fifth-highest single-season AV in NFL history as of 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=NFL Approximate Value Single-Season Leaders |access-date=May 8, 2023 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/av_single_season.htm}}</ref> That year marked Lawrence's only-ever selections to the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team.
Lawrence played college football for the Tabor Bluejays in Hillsboro, Kansas. He became a charter member of the Tabor College Hall of Fame in 1999 and was the first player to have his jersey number (3) retired by the school four years later.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Rolland}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:People from Franklin, Pennsylvania Category:Sportspeople from Venango County, Pennsylvania Category:Players of American football from Venango County, Pennsylvania Category:American football cornerbacks Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Tabor Bluejays football players Category:20th-century American sportsmen