Football
Football
Born in Italy and raised in the United States, Bruno Banducci played his college ball for Stanford but was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1944. Banducci was more at home in 1946 when the Guard joined the San Francisco 49ers of the upstart All-American Football Conference. Banducci stayed there for the remainder of his career, which included the migration…
While Goose Gonsoulin was a 17th Round Pick by the San Francisco 49ers, the Baylor Bear was a 2nd Rounder by the Denver Broncos of the AFL, the professional team he elected to play for.
Undrafted from Colgate, Eugene Robinson had one of the longest careers of any Defensive Back. Signing with the Seattle Seahawks, Robinson made the squad as a rookie and would become a starter at Free Safety, a position he held until the millennium. Robinson was a dominant ballhawk, recording 57 Interceptions, including a league-leading nine in 1993. He was also one…
One of Football’s great Nose Tackles, Fred Smerlas began his pro career with the Buffalo Bills after he was chosen in the Second Round of the 1979 Draft. The Boston College product was an instant defensive star for the Bills, and his blue-collar look and style fit perfectly with the rust belt fans of Western New York. Smerlas was a…
Ed White was a consensus All-American at the University of California and split his 17-year professional career in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers. White was a part of many successful Vikings teams that competed for their multiple Super Bowl attempts, and he was a large part of the protection of Fran Tarkenton and other offensive…
Drafted 3rd Overall in 1984 from Michigan State, the New York Giants would have a longtime fixture in their Linebacking corps in Carl Banks. Banks was an All-Rookie Selection, and he would later be named to the Pro Bowl and was a First Team All-Pro in 1987, the year after he was a large part of their Super Bowl XXI…
1936 was the first year of the NFL Draft, and with the 7th Overall Pick, the Green Bay Packers chose Russ Letlow out of the University of San Francisco. Historically speaking, this gives him the honor of being the first choice of the most storied teams in the National Football League. Letlow would be a two-time Pro Bowler and a…
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…
Coming to the NFL as the 6th Overall Pick in 1939, Bill Osmanski was a star at Holy Cross when that school was at its peak. The Fullback had one of the best starts of anyone at his position as the Chicago Bear would lead the NFL in Rushing Yards with 699, and in the 1940 NFL Championship, he rushed…
A star at the University of Indiana, Earl Faison elected to go to the San Diego Chargers in 1961, who drafted him in the 1st Round as opposed to the Detroit Lions of the NFL, who chose him in the 5th. Faison was an instant stud, using his sheer power by winning the AFL Rookie of the Year. The Defensive…
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.
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Although Derrick Mason produced strong career statistics and had multiple seasons tabulating over 1,000 Receiving Yards, it is hard to make the strong case for Mason to receive a Hall of Fame induction. Mason would be the star receiver for both Tennessee and Baltimore, though he played in an era where the game opened up and there were stars that…
Born in Russia but immigrating to Wisconsin at the age of four, Charles "Buckets" Goldenberg would play college football in his home state of Wisconsin and would remain in the “Badger State” as a professional by signing with the Green Bay Packers in 1933. The Packers would be the only team he would play for and would stay with until…
Dennis Harrah would play his entire 13-year career with the Los Angeles Rams, where the former Miami Hurricane would be named to six Pro Bowls. That accolade would happen in two separate three-year increments (1978-80 & 1985-87), and the Offensive Guard would be named a First Team All-Pro in 1986, and was a huge part of Eric DIckerson's single-season rushing…
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…
Playing his college ball at USC, Casey arrived in the NFL to Tennessee as a Third Round Pick in 2011. Casey became an immediate starter at Right Defensive Tackle, and was arguably robbed of a Pro Bowl in 2013, a year he had a career-high 10.5 Sacks. He would finally get that first Pro Bowl in 2015, which would lead to four…
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.
At first, this might seem like a person who may not deserve a rank, but the more we look at it, the more we think he deserves a spot on this list.
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.