RIP Chuck Bednarik

Temple played on the "magic grass" at Franklin Field and sucked. Concrete Charlie used up all the magic?

 

Yep, the clothesline/ tomahawk hit was very common up until the early-mid Seventies, then pretty much eradicated.

 

Conflicted. My dad was a giants fan, but we grew up near Philly. So we heard equal parts love and hate about bednarik in the house. Though will add the legend of bednarik as the last two way player is overrated. He wasnt playing 60 minutes a game. He was only playing two ways because of injuries

 

Bednarik was great. He also was his own biggest fan.
Didn't always go over well. A little Chuck went a long way.

 

Dementia, no doubt caused by the football the 89-year-old guy played 50 years ago.
Another football player taken in the prime of his life.

 

It's kind-of nitpicking, but I believe he did play 60, or very close to it, in the 1960 title game.

Roster limits were 33-38 for most of Bednarik's career, so by sheer mathematics two-way players were not unheard-of. Also, college did not go to full-fledged free substitution until 1963 or so, so rookies coming in to the NFL were often tried out on both O and D their first couple of years.

 

I was a colleague of Bednarik's niece, she was a big Steelers fan because, she said, she got sick of hearing about the Iggles every time she saw her Uncle Charlie at family get-togethers.

 

"And then I nailed Gifford with a clothesline and he fumbled and we won."

"That's fascinating, Uncle Charlie. Go Steelers!"

 

Is Tony Bill the kid on the left?

 

Played every down of the 1960 title game at center and linebacker? And managed to fight the war without being shot by his own men? He would have been enshrined on the spot today.

What about Davis and Blanchard?