Brad Oremland is a sportswriter and football historian. What follows is Brad’s latest work, a multi-part series on the greatest players in pro football history.
Those of you who’ve been following me on Twitter (@bradoremland) may have seen the extension to this series that I began in response to reader feedback. I asked followers what they were most interested in beyond the Greatest Players of All Time series itself, and the response was a Just-Missed List, players 126-160, the 35 players I’m most apprehensive about leaving off the top 125 greatest players of all time.
As we approach the conclusion of the main series next week, the All-Time Top 10, here’s that list. It’s presented in no particular order, and since it’s adapted from Twitter, each entry is 280 characters or fewer.
Dave Casper
OAK 1974-80; HOU 1980-83; MIN 1983; RAID 1984
378 rec, 5216 yds, 52 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 5 PB, All-1970s, All-Century
Maybe the best blocking TE ever, great hands, lots of TDs. Ghost in Ghost to the Post, recovered the Holy Roller.
Kellen Winslow Sr
SD 1979-87
541 rec, 6741 yds, 45 TD
3 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 5 PB, All-1980s, 1994 All-Time Team
Two-time league-leading receiver who lined up everywhere and helped redefine TE. Epic in Miami solidified his legend.
Bill George
CHB 1952-65, LAR 1966
5 consensus All-Pro, 8 AP, 8 PB, All-1950s
One of, if not the, first middle linebackers, a perennial All-Pro and captain of arguably the greatest defense in history, the 1963 Bears.
Ben Roethlisberger
PIT 2004-18
56,194 yds, 363 TD, 190 INT, 94.2 rating
6 PB, OROY
Consistent QB spent much of career on run-oriented offense, stats exploded to match talent when offense changed. 2 x SB champ
Yale Lary
DET 1952-53, 56-64
50 INT, 787 yds, 2 TD
2 consensus All-Pro, 6 AP, 9 PB, All-1950s
Smart, quick safety, could play CB but also hit. Had 3 PR TDs and 3-time league-leading punter whose 44.3 gross avg still among best ever. Missed 2 yrs in military.
Earl Campbell
HOU 1978-84; NO 1984-85
9407 yds, 4.30 avg, 74 TD; 121 rec, 806 yds
3 MVP, 3 OPOY, 3 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 5 PB, All-1970s, All-Century
Ultimate power back. All-70s after just 2 seasons, then best season in 1980 set records for 200-yd and 150-yd rushing games.
Ron Mix
LAC/SD 1960-69; OAK 1971
7 consensus All-Pro, 9 AP, 8 PB, AFL All-Time, All-Century
The Intellectual Assassin. Quick, nimble, renowned for avoidance of penalties. Mostly played tackle but consensus All-League guard in 1962. Appeared in five AFL Championship Games.
Gale Sayers
CHI 1965-71
4956 yds, 5.00 avg, 39 TD; 112 rec, 1307 yds, 9 TD
5 consensus All-Pro, 5 AP, 4 PB, ROY, All-1960s, 1969 All-Time Team, 1994 All-Time Team, All-Century
Brilliant career cut short by knee injuries. Named to 75th Anniv and All-Century Teams as kickoff returner (30.6 avg, 6 TD).
Howie Long
RAID 1981-93
2 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 8 PB, All-1980s
3-4 DE for most of career. Great inside and outside pass rusher, also stout run defender. Intelligent, fast, strong, good teammate.
Lee Roy Selmon
TB 1976-84
1 DPOY, 1 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 6 PB
1st overall draft pick in 1976. Sensational DE but short career, 121 gms. Great kick blocker. Associated Press award totals not representative of great career.
James Lofton
GB 1978-86; RAID 1987-88; BUF 1989-92; RAM 1993; PHI 1993
764 rec, 14,004 yds, 75 TD
1 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 8 PB, All-1980s
NCAA long jump champion, explosive downfield receiver. 43 100-yd gms, most btwn Maynard and Rice. Retired as all-time leader in rec yds.
Bulldog Turner
CHB 1940-52
17 INT, 298 yds, 2 TD
6 consensus All-Pro, 7 AP, 4 PB, All-1940s
Best center of 1940s, best linebacker of 1940s. Played on 4 championship-winning teams. Bears went 3-7 w/o him in 1945, their only losing season of decade.
Nick Mangold
NYJ 2006-16
2 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 7 PB
Textbook run blocker, very quick, got less double-team help than most centers. Easy selection as starting center on my 2005-14 NFL All-Decade Team.
Joe Perry
SF 1948-60, 1963; BAL 1961-62
9723 yds, 5.04 avg, 71 TD; 260 rec, 2021 yds, 12 TD
1 MVP, 2 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 3 PB, All-1950s
1st back-to-back 1,000-yard rush seasons, set career rushing record. Led in rushing over 5-year period 7 x in a row (1948-52–1954-58).
Mike Haynes
NE 1976-82; RAID 1983-89
46 INT, 688 yds, 2 TD
1 DPOY, 2 consensus All-Pro, 8 AP, 9 PB, DROY, All-1980s
Classic man-to-man cover CB. Aggressive, played very close to receiver. Immediate splash with 8 INT and 2 PR TD as rookie, still great in mid-80s with Raiders.
Tom Mack
LA 1966-78
4 AP, 11 PB
Fastest guard of his era, excellent run blocker. Teams went 129-48-7 (.728) and won 8 NFC West titles during his career, with few big-name stars. Associated Press hated him, made 7 PFW and 6 NEA All-Pro teams.
Philip Rivers
SD/LAC 2004-18
54,656 yds, 374 TD, 178 INT, 95.6 rating
8 PB
1st down machine, 5th all-time in TD/INT +/-. More TDs and fewer INTs than Ben or Eli, w/ better rating and NY/A. More PBs, only one of trio to get AP All-Pro votes, in ’08 and ’09.
Curley Culp
KC 1968-74, HOU 1974-80
1 DPOY, 1 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 6 PB
One of the first, and maybe the best, NT of all time. Not huge (6-1, 265) but an NCAA champion wrestler with muscles on his muscles. Overshadowed early in career by teammate and fellow HOF DT Buck Buchanan.
Buck Buchanan
KC 1963-75
3 consensus All-AFL, 6 AP, 8 PB, AFL All-Time
A giant: 6-7, 274, but fast (4.9). Great pass deflecter, knocked down 16 passes in 1967. First player from a black college drafted in 1st round. Died of lung cancer at just 51.
Marcus Allen
RAID 1982-92; KC 1993-97
12,243 yds, 4.05 avg, 123 TD; 587 rec, 5,411 yds, 21 TD
1 MVP, 1 OPOY, 2 consensus All-Pro, 3 AP, 6 PB, ROY
Best goal-line rusher, great receiver, good blocker. 1 of 3 RBs to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. 1 of 4 players w/ 5,000 yds rushing + receiving.
Paddy Driscoll
CHC 1920-25; CHB 1926-29
16 pass TD, 25 rush TD
5 consensus All-Pro, 8 AP, All-1920s
All-around player in an era when they had to be. Undersized even for the ’20s (5-11, 160). Led the NFL in field goals four times, dropkicked 50-yarder. 118 league games most of ’20s.
Dave Wilcox
SF 1964-74
14 INT, 149 yds, TD
2 consensus All-AFL, 4 AP, 7 PB, All-Century
Most unblockable LB in history. Division rival Roman Gabriel said that Wilcox “plays outside linebacker like Dick Butkus plays middle linebacker.”
Dan Fouts
SD 1973-87
43,040 yds, 254 TD, 242 INT, 80.2 rating
1 MVP, 1 OPOY, 2 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 6 PB, All-1980s
Re-wrote record books, broke single-season passing record more than once. Smart, accurate, good arm. 6.88 NY/A best of his era.
Calais Campbell
ARI 2008-16; JAX 2017-18
81.5 sack; 12 FF, 10 FR; 3 INT; 2 TD
3 AP, 4 PB
Pro Bowler and All-Pro at both DE and DT, great inside and outside pass rusher, big-play contributor. Underrated due to scheme in AZ.
Bob Brown
PHI 1964-68; LA 1969-70; OAK 1971-73
3 consensus All-Pro, 8 AP, 6 PB, All-1960s
The Boomer. Aggressive right tackle, great strength, wore opponents down. Made Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro with Eagles, Rams, and Raiders.
Aeneas Williams
PHX/ARI 1991-2000; STL 2001-04
55 INT, 807 yds, 9 TD; 20 FF, 268 yds, 3 TD; 3 sacks
3 consensus All-Pro, 5 AP, 8 PB, All-1990s
DB who played the ball like a WR and scored 12 def TDs. 7 takeaways in 6 postseason games.
George Trafton
CHB 1920-32
6 AP, All-1920s
Best center of 1920s. Good snapper, athletic and hard-hitting defender. Distinguished by long tenure in an era when longevity was uncommon; retired as record-holder in games played.
Thurman Thomas
BUF 1988-99, MIA 2000
12,074 yds, 4.20 avg, 65 TD; 472 rec, 4,458 yds, 23 TD
MVP, OPOY, 2 consensus All-Pro, 5 AP, 5 PB, All-1990s
Over Barry Sanders‘ first 5 seasons, Thomas outgained him by 1,307 scrimmage yds. 1 of 3 players (J.Rice, E.Smith) w/ 20 postseason TD.
Leo Nomellini
SF 1950-63
3 consensus All-Pro, 7 AP, 10 PB, All-1950s, 1969 All-Time Team
Two years All-Pro as OT, five as DT. Never missed a game, played both ways in 1955.
Darrell Green
WAS 1983-2002
54 INT, 621 yds, 6 TD
1 consensus All-Pro, 4 AP, 7 PB, All-1990s
Fastest player of his generation, unparalleled longevity. 4.3 forty and 83-yd INT TD at age 37.
John Henry Johnson
SF 1954-56; DET 1957-59; PIT 1960-65; HOU 1966
6,803 yds, 4.33 avg, 48 TD; 186 rec, 1,478 yds, 7 TD
1 AP, 4 PB
Great ball-carrier, outstanding blocker. HOF QB Bobby Layne: “A quarterback hits the jackpot when he gets a combination runner-blocker like Johnson.”
Randall McDaniel
MIN 1988-99; TB 2000-01
5 consensus All-Pro, 9 AP, 12 PB, All-1990s
Incredible athlete. Extraordinarily fast guard, unfairly strong for a player w/ his speed. Exceptionally durable, ended career on streak of 203 consecutive games.
Zach Thomas
MIA 1996-2007; DAL 2008
20.5 sacks, 17 INT, 170 yds, 4 TD; 16 FF, 8 FR, 29 yds
7 AP, 7 PB, All-2000s
Superior cover LB and highly efficient tackler. Great instincts, quicker than he got credit for. Would have more honors if he hadn’t played at same time as Ray Lewis.
Willie Roaf
NO 1993-2001; KC 2002-05
2 consensus All-Pro, 9 AP, 11 PB, All-1990s, All-2000s
Huge but surprisingly athletic wall at tackle. Made Pro Bowl in 11 of 13 years, only exceptions as rookie (’93) and injury year (’01, only played 7 gms).
Troy Polamalu
PIT 2003-14
32 INT, 398 yds, 3 TD; 14 FF, 7 FR, 120 yds, 2 TD; 12 sacks
1 DPOY, 4 consensus All-Pro, 6 AP, 8 PB, All-2000s
Great ball instincts, also made a ton of plays at the line of scrimmage.
* * *
The Greatest Football Players series will conclude next Tuesday, with the top 10 players of all time. You can find the previous articles here:
Greatest Football Players: 111-125
Greatest Football Players: 101-110
Greatest Football Players: 91-100
Greatest Football Players: 81-90
Greatest Football Players: 71-80
Greatest Football Players: 61-70
Greatest Football Players: 51-60
Greatest Football Players: 41-50
Greatest Football Players: 31-40
Greatest Football Players: 21-30
Greatest Football Players: 11-20