Football
Football
This is very tricky, or maybe it isn’t. It just depends on what type of football historian you are. A three-time All-American at Yale (1889-91), William Heffelfinger’s college squad only ever lost two games. Heffelfinger was considered the star of that team, but in the 1890s, and for many decades after that, you went on with your life and stopped…
Frankie Albert was the 10th overall pick in 1942 by the Chicago Bears, but remember, the year in question was 1942. The Stanford graduate would serve in the Navy for World War II, and upon his return, he would opt to play for his home state for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast League, before joining the San…
In an earlier entry, we looked at the candidacy of William Heffelfinger, who predated the NFL by decades and was the first paid Pro Football player. Charles Follis would make similar history as the first African-American Pro Football player.
Ray Wietecha played his entire 10-year NFL career with the New York Giants, where he was the literal centerpiece (he played Center) of a robust Offensive Line. Helping the G-Men to an NFL Championship in 1956, Wietecha would have better individual seasons after going to four Pro Bowls and earning a First Team All-Pro nod. In his last season (1962),…
Bill Lee was a champion in college in 1934 at the University of Alabama, and five years later, he was a champion in the NFL in 1939 with the Green Bay Packers. Lee was named to the Pro Bowl that year and the 1930’s All-Decade Team as a Tackle. Prior to his stint with Green Bay, where he played for…
In terms of notoriety, there are few on the defensive side of the ball that can match Lyle Alzado. Known for his anger and ferocious play on the gridiron, Alzado debuted in 1971 with the Denver Broncos and in the season after he would lead all players in Fumble Recoveries. Alzado played predominantly at Defensive End, and after missing most…
Abe Woodson’s regular role was at Cornerback where he would accumulate 19 Interceptions over his career, but it was returning ability that would see him gain five straight Pro Bowls Selections (1959-63)
Before the Washington Redskins had the famed “Hogs” Offensive Line of the 80s and 90s, they had a Georgian named Len Hauss, who was their starting Center from 1964 until he retired in 1977.
Clem Daniels was signed as an undrafted (by both the NFL and AFL) by the Dallas Texans, but playing behind Abner Haynes in 1960 meant that you weren't going to see much playing time if you were a Halfback. Daniels was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he worked his way into the starting rotation, and from 1962 to 1966,…
Only Mike Kenn played more Games (251) than Jeff Van Note (246) did with the Atlanta Falcons, and for nine years, they would play on the Offensive Line together. Van Note played at Center after being drafted in the 11th Round of the 1969 Draft, and over his 18-year career (all with Atlanta), he would only miss four games due…
Mike Stratton was the leader of one of the best linebacking crews in the American Football League, though his accomplishments seem to have been forgotten in the game’s folklore. A 13th Round Pick from Tennessee in 1962, Stratton fit in immediately with the Buffalo Bills, settling in at Right Linebacker, and from 1963 to 1968, he was a perennial AFL…
One can argue that Jim Ray Smith missed his window to be known on a higher level as he arrived in Cleveland one year too late and left two years too early, as the Browns would win NFL Championships before and after his arrival, but this was no reflection on the playing ability of Jim Ray Smith.
NaVorro Bowman would prove to be a tackling machine during his time with the San Francisco 49ers and once he became a starter would help usher in a new wave of strong defense for the team. Bowman would be a First Team All Pro in 2011 (despite not making the Pro Bowl) and he finished second overall in Solo Tackles. …
It is not a stretch by any means to state that Nick Mangold was the greatest New York Jet Center ever. We could easily go a step further and state that he is also the best Offensive Lineman in franchise history.
One of the most dominating Defensive Tackles of the AFL, Tom Sestak, joined the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League in 1962, where he quickly became the team's defensive anchor. Sestak was an AFL All-Star in his first four seasons, and in years two through four, he was a First Team All-Pro and was in the top ten in…
Born (and died) in the most football like city on this Planet Earth (Canton, Ohio), George Saimes would sign with the Buffalo Bills in 1963 after playing collegiately at Michigan State.
Ray Donaldson played seventeen seasons in the NFL, the first thirteen with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, where he was their starting Center for twelve of them.
One of the best Place Kickers of his day, David Akers, had to wait for a little to prove his worth in the NFL. Akers was undrafted out of Louisville in 1997, and after trying out for the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, he was signed by the Washington Redskins but played only one game and missed both Field Goals…
Jessie Armstead played for the University of Miami, where the Linebacker was a key force in the Hurricanes NCAA Championship in 1989 and 1991. A torn ACL saw Armstead tumble in the 1993 Draft, but the New York Giants took him in the 8th Round, and a couple of years later, he was a starter for the G-Men.