Football
Football
Bill Lee was a college champion in 1934 at the University of Alabama, and five years later, he became an NFL champion 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. Before his stint with Green Bay, he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1935…
It took a long time before Rich Gannon really had his chance in the NFL and/or found his groove, but once he did, he had a stretch where he was amongst the best Quarterbacks in the National Football League. From the University of Delaware, the New England Patriots drafted Gannon in 1987 and wanted to convert him to a Running…
Playing his college ball at the University of Tennessee, Beattie Feathers would have an incredible rookie season with the Chicago Bears, where in 1934 he would become the first 1,000 Yard rusher (though there are some football historians who dispute the accuracy) and he would also lead the league in All-Purpose Yards and Yards from Scrimmage and was a First…
Drafted in 1943 in the 14th Round from William & Mary, Buster Ramsey would not join the NFL until 1946 (due to World War II). He played all six seasons in the league with the Chicago Cardinals (the team that drafted him), and in 1947 he helped them win the NFL Championship. He was named an All-Pro from 1947 to…
Like many in the early '60s, Fred Arbanas was drafted by both the NFL and the AFL, but usually, those who chose the AFL were drafted higher by the new organization. This wasn't the case with Arbanas, who was a 7th Round Selection by the Dallas Texans, where the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd Round. No matter, as Arbanas…
It is hard to consider someone underrated when you were a member of the only undefeated team in NFL history and were in your prime when you earned your two Super Bowl Rings, but this is what we have in Bill Stanfill. A star at the University of Georgia, the Miami Dolphins chose him in 1969 with their 11th Overall…
A 2nd Round Pick from Clemson, Levon Kirkland became a starter in his second season in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1993). Kirkland worked as an Inside Linebacker and had seven seasons (six with Pittsburgh and one with Seattle), during which he had over 100 Combined Tackles. He later made the Pro Bowl in both 1996 and 1997, earned…
Mel Gray began his career in the USFL for two seasons, and after that league folded, he joined the New Orleans Saints, who had chosen him earlier in a supplemental draft of USFL players. Gray later joined the Detroit Lions, where he became a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and was regarded as one of the NFL’s best return specialists. Gray…
Hanford Dixon played all nine of his NFL years with the Cleveland Browns, and in the second half of the 1980s, he was one of the best shutdown Cornerbacks in football. From Southern Miss, Dixon was the 22nd Overall Pick in 1981, and the Cornerback won the starting job on the right side. The Browns were not a good team…
A member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame, Keith Lincoln, was drafted in the 2nd Round by San Diego in 1961 (he was also a 5th Round Pick by the Chicago Bears of the NFL). It was an excellent choice for both parties, as it did not take long for Keith Lincoln to establish himself as one of…
Frank Cope was a member of the 1930's All-Decade Team, although most of his career took place in the 1940s.
Carson Palmer was the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner, and the USC Quarterback was considered a can’t-miss prospect in the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Palmer first overall and took their time with the pivot, not playing him in his rookie season and starting him in 2004. In 2005, he was a Pro Bowl selection and ranked second in the NFL…
Jerry Norton began his professional football career in 1954 with the Philadelphia Eagles, starting as a Safety, then playing halfback before returning to safety. Norton was also an excellent Punter, and in 1957 he would lead the league in Punts and Punting Yards. He was traded to the Chicago Cardinals (which would become the St. Louis Cardinals) before 1959, where…
While playing college ball at TCU, Sherrill Headrick was not drafted by either the National Football League or the American Football League in 1960, when the American Football League was beginning operations. Headrick was eventually signed by the Dallas Texans, where he was a First Team All-Pro in his first three seasons and a significant force on the Texans' 1962…
A first-round pick out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Roddy White lived up to expectations in a career that was spent only with the Atlanta Falcons. The go-to option for Atlanta for years, White had a six-year run (2007-12) where he never fell below 1,100 Receiving Yards per season and had a pair of 1,300-yard seasons, peaking at 1,389, enough…
E.J. Holub was an All-American at Texas Tech, where he was such a great player that the Red Raiders would later retire his number. Drafted 6th overall by the Dallas Texans in 1961, Holub played linebacker, and in the first five of his six years, he was an AFL All-Star and was named a First Team All-Pro in both 1962…
Ryan Kalil spent the first 12 seasons in the National Football League with the Carolina Panthers, where he established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history. The former USC Trojan was chosen for five Pro Bowls and was named to two First Team All-Pro rosters. While Kalil was well respected in Carolina and helped them win…
Michael Vick may be best known in some circles for his dogfighting ring that cost him two years in the NFL, but prior to that, the first overall pick from Virginia Tech was one of the most exciting players in Football; in fact, some would argue that, for a time, he was the most exciting player in the game. Vick…
Paul Brown called Lou Rymkus the best pass protector that he ever saw, which is high praise considering how many people he saw do that task. Brown did not see much of Rymkus as a rookie, as he played for the Washington Redskins after being drafted there in 1943 after a great career at Notre Dame. Rymkus enlisted in the…
