This is a list of all NFL players who had outstanding performances throughout the 1940s and have been compiled together into this fantasy group. The team was selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame retroactively in 1969 to mark the league's 50th anniversary.
Position | Player | Team(s) | Years | Hall of Fame class |
---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterback | Sammy Baugh | Washington Redskins | 1937–52 | 1963 |
Sid Luckman | Chicago Bears | 1939–50 | 1965 | |
Bob Waterfield | Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams | 1945–52 | 1965 | |
Halfback | Tony Canadeo | Green Bay Packers | 1941–44, 1946–52 | 1974 |
Bill Dudley | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1942, 1945–46 | 1966 | |
Detroit Lions | 1947–49 | |||
Washington Redskins | 1950–51, 1953 | |||
George McAfee | Chicago Bears | 1940–41, 1945–1950 | 1966 | |
Charley Trippi | Chicago Cardinals | 1947–55 | 1968 | |
Steve Van Buren | Philadelphia Eagles | 1944–51 | 1965 | |
Byron White | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1938 | Not Inducted | |
Detroit Lions | 1940–41 | |||
Fullback | Pat Harder | Chicago Cardinals | 1946–50 | Not Inducted |
Detroit Lions | 1951–53 | |||
Marion Motley | Cleveland Browns [1] | 1946–53 | 1968 | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 1955 | |||
Bill Osmanski | Chicago Bears | 1939–43, 1946–47 | Not Inducted | |
End | Jim Benton | Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams | 1938–40,1942, 1944–47 | Not Inducted |
Chicago Bears | 1943 | |||
Jack Ferrante | Philadelphia Eagles | 1941, 1944–50 | Not Inducted | |
Ken Kavanaugh | Chicago Bears | 1940–41, 1945–50 | Not Inducted | |
Dante Lavelli | Cleveland Browns [1] | 1946–56 | 1975 | |
Pete Pihos | Philadelphia Eagles | 1947–55 | 1970 | |
Mac Speedie | Cleveland Browns [1] | 1946–52 | 2020 | |
Ed Sprinkle | Chicago Bears | 1944–55 | 2020 | |
Tackle | Al Blozis | New York Giants | 1942–44 | Not Inducted |
George Connor | Chicago Bears | 1948–55 | 1975 | |
Bucko Kilroy | Phil-Pitt Steagles [2] | 1943 | Not Inducted | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 1945–55 | |||
Buford "Baby" Ray | Green Bay Packers | 1938–48 | Not Inducted | |
Vic Sears | Philadelphia Eagles | 1941–42, 1945–53 | Not Inducted | |
Phil-Pitt Steagles [2] | 1943 | |||
Al Wistert | Phil-Pitt Steagles [2] | 1943 | Not Inducted | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 1944–51 | |||
Guard | Bruno Banducci | Philadelphia Eagles | 1944–45 | Not Inducted |
San Francisco 49ers [1] | 1946–54 | |||
Bill Edwards | New York Giants | 1940–42 | Not Inducted | |
Garrard "Buster" Ramsey | Chicago Cardinals | 1946–51 | Not Inducted | |
Bill Willis | Cleveland Browns [1] | 1946–53 | 1977 | |
Len Younce | New York Giants | 1941, 1943–44, 1946–48 | Not Inducted | |
Center | Charley Brock | Green Bay Packers | 1939–47 | Not Inducted |
Clyde "Bulldog" Turner | Chicago Bears | 1940–52 | 1966 | |
Alex Wojciechowicz | Detroit Lions | 1938–46 | 1968 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 1946–50 | |||
Notes:
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, officials, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL).
Aeneas Demetrius Williams is an American former football cornerback and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He played college football for the Southern Jaguars and was selected in the third round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Cardinals, where he spent 10 seasons. During his final four seasons, he was a member of the St. Louis Rams. Williams received eight Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro honors, as well as being on the second NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Shannon Sharpe is an American former football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Denver Broncos. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks third in tight end receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was also the first NFL tight end to amass over 10,000 receiving yards. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Charles Louis Howley is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He spent his first two seasons with the Chicago Bears, who selected him seventh overall in the 1958 NFL draft, and played the remainder of his career for the Cowboys. Recognized as an original member of the Doomsday Defense, Howley received six Pro Bowl and five first-team All-Pro selections, while appearing in two consecutive Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl VI. Howley was also named the MVP of Super Bowl V and is the only player on a losing team to receive the award. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Derrick Dewan Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for his entire 14-year career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning consensus All-American honors twice. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro, Brooks was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 en route to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII. Following his retirement, Brooks served as co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2011 to 2017. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Clyde Douglas "Bulldog" Turner was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was elected, as a player, to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. He was also selected in 1969 to the NFL 1940s All-Decade Team.
Peter Louis Pihos was an American football player and coach.
Will Herthie Shields is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Outland Trophy. Shields played his entire professional career for the Kansas City Chiefs and never missed a single game in his entire 14-year career. Shields was slected to 12 Pro Bowls, was a 3× First-Team All-Pro, a 4x Second-Team All-Pro, and was selected to the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team. He won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in the 2003 season, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
L. C. Henderson Greenwood was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas AM&N Golden Lions.
Donnie Shell is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) between 1974 and 1987. Shell was a member of the Steelers famed Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s.
This is a list of all NFL players who had outstanding performances throughout the 1950s and have been compiled together into this fantasy group. The team was selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame retroactively in 1969 to mark the league's 50th anniversary.
Edward Alexander Sprinkle was an American football defensive end and end who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was known to many as "the Meanest Man in Pro Football" and was nicknamed "the Claw". He played for 12 seasons with the Bears and is credited with calling attention to the NFL's defensive players.
James Warren Benton was an American football player. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears between 1938 and 1947. Benton was the first NFL receiver to gain more than 300 yards in a game, a record that stood for 40 years. He was selected for the National Football League 1940s All-Decade Team.
The Purdue Boilermakers football team represents Purdue University in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. Purdue plays its home games at Ross–Ade Stadium on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The head coach of Purdue is Ryan Walters, the 37th head coach in Purdue history. The Boilermakers compete in the Big Ten Conference as a member of the West Division. Purdue had most recently been a part of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten, but moved to the West Division in 2014 due to conference expansion.
All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list that consists of at least 22 players, one for each offensive and defensive position, plus various special teams players depending on the press organization that compiles the list. All-Pro lists are exclusively limited to the major leagues, usually only the National Football League; in the past, other leagues recognized as major, such as the American Football League of the 1960s or the All-America Football Conference of the 1940s, have been included in All-Pro lists.
George Leo Connor was an American football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1948 to 1955. He played offensive tackle on offense, and on defense was recognized as one of the sport's first linebackers. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and of the College Football Hall of Fame. He attended both the College of the Holy Cross and the University of Notre Dame. He won the first Outland Trophy as the best college lineman in 1946. Sportswriter Grantland Rice once observed Connor was "the closest thing to a Greek God since Apollo".
Dave Hoffmann is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Washington Huskies, earning All-American honors in 1992. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1993 NFL Draft and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After his football career, he became a member of the United States Secret Service, protecting presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as well as vice presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney.
The National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team was voted on by a panel consisting of media members, former players and league personnel in 2019 to honor the greatest players of the first 100 years of the National Football League (NFL). Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, and Adam Vinatieri were the only active players when the team was revealed, while Bill Belichick was the only active head coach to be selected. Tom Brady was the last active player after his retirement following the 2022 NFL season. Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Don Hutson, Chuck Bednarik, Gino Marchetti, and Dick "Night Train" Lane are also part of the NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.