Lester Hayes

Who is Lester Hayes?

Lester Craig Hayes is a former professional American football player for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League.

Hayes was commonly referred to as "the Judge" and also as "Lester the Molester" because of his Bump and run coverage. A big Star Wars fan, during pregame interviews for Super Bowl XVIII he declared himself the "only true Jedi" in the NFL. He was also known for using Stickum before it was banned in 1981 in a rule bearing his name. He had a distinct stance, as exemplified on his photo on the Raiders' home page, crouching very low when facing the opposing wide receiver.

In college, he became an All-American Safety at Texas A&M. Hayes was converted to cornerback after being drafted by the Raiders in 1977. Hayes helped lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl wins, and was a five-time Pro Bowler.

He was known as one of the greatest shutdown cornerbacks in NFL history. His best performance was probably in Super Bowl XVIII. He had only one tackle, but that was because he so effectively covered Charlie Brown and Art Monk that Joe Theismann hardly threw to the left side of the field.