Robert Yale Lary Sr. was an American professional football player, businessman, and politician. He played for 11 seasons as a safety, punter and return specialist for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and was also selected for the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.
Francis Marion Campbell was an American football defensive lineman and coach. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs from 1949 until 1951, where he was appropriately nicknamed "Swamp Fox" because of his first and middle names. During his National Football League (NFL) playing career, he played for the San Francisco 49ers (1954–1955) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1956–1961), winning Pro Bowl honors in 1959 and 1960 and also being named 1st team All-Pro in 1960 as part of the Eagles' championship team that year. He was one of the last of the NFL's "two-way" players who played all offensive and defensive snaps in a game.
The 1959 NFL season marked the 40th regular season of the National Football League. It was the 14th & final season overseen by commissioner Bert Bell as he died of a fatal heart attack on October 11.
Stanley Paul Jones was an American professional football guard and defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. Jones is credited as the first professional player to use weight training to improve his conditioning for football.
Richard Blair Modzelewski was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. He also served as interim head coach of the Browns in the final game of the 1977 season. Modzelewski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Robert Gain was an American football player who played 13 seasons for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL), and also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in five Pro Bowls in the space of seven years with the Browns and was a first-team All-Pro selection once and a second-team selection seven times.
James Herbert "Jimmy" Sears was an American professional football player who was a defensive back and halfback in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans.
Darris Paul McCord was an American football player. He played college football for the University of Tennessee where he was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as a first-team All-American tackle in 1954. He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL), principally as a defensive end for the Detroit Lions for 13 years from 1955 to 1967. He was a member of the 1957 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl that year. At the time of his retirement, his 168 games with the Lions was a franchise record.
Bobby Dan Dillon was an American professional football player spent his entire eight-year career as a safety with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American playing college football with the Texas Longhorns. Although he was a safety, he also returned kicks and played several games at halfback. Dillon finished his college career with 13 interceptions on defense, one touchdown as a halfback, and multiple kick returns for touchdowns. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 1952 NFL draft.
Carl N. "Gaucho" Taseff was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Taseff had an 11-year playing career, primarily with the Baltimore Colts, where he was a member of the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championship winning teams. Taseff then coached for 27 seasons, winning Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl VIII as part of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.
Stanley Hugh Campbell was an American football player. He played college football at Iowa State College from 1949 to 1951 and professional football as an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions in 1952 and from 1955 to 1958 and for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1959 to 1961 He concluded his football career with the American Football League (AFL)'s Oakland Raiders in 1962.
George Robert Preas Sr. was an American football lineman in the National Football League (NFL). A graduate of Virginia Tech, Preas went on to have an 11-year career playing exclusively for the Baltimore Colts.
Leonard Everett "Lenny" Lyles was a professional American football cornerback who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He started in Super Bowl III for the Baltimore Colts.
Andrew Vaughan Nelson is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. He owns and runs a small BBQ establishment, Andy Nelson's Barbecue.
Francis Xavier Reagan was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played professionally for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles during a seven-season National Football League (NFL) career that spanned from 1941 to 1951. Reagan served as the head football coach at Villanova University from 1954 to 1959, compiling a record of 16–36. He was also Villanova's athletic director from 1957 to 1961.
Carl Karilivacz was an American football defensive back who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants, and the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football at Syracuse.
Robert Joe Cross was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Chicago Cardinals. He also was a member of the Boston Patriots in the American Football League (AFL) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Stephen F. Austin State University.
John Jay "Big John" Kissell was an American football defensive tackle who played for the Buffalo Bills in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) in the 1940s and 1950s. He played college football at Boston College.
Joel Dale Collier was an American professional football coach who was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL) from 1966 through part of 1968, compiling a 13–16–1 record. He later coached in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats, earning first-team All-American honors in 1952 and 1953.
Edwin Donald Macon was an American football halfback and cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Chicago Bears, then played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for one season with the Calgary Stampeders and three years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and finally played in the American Football League (AFL) for a lone season with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was selected by the Bears in the second round of the 1952 NFL draft.
