The National Football League celebrated it’s 100th season in 2019. The Pro Football Hall of Fame tried to celebrate the league’s 100th Anniversary with a Centennial Class last year. COVID hacked up those plans. The Athletic is filling the days before the start of league’s 102nd season with a release of their Top 100 players in the history of the National Football League. The NFL 100. Here are the first ten players on the list. 100-91.
100. Derrick Brooks
99. Dermontti Dawson
98. Steve Van Buren
97. Jim Otto
96. Mike Ditka
95. Fran Tarkenton
94. Elroy Hirsch
93. Mike Singletary
92. Lenny Moore
91. Willie Davis
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It’s good to see pre-Super Bowl era players population at the start of The NFL 100. Seven of the above played much, if not all, of their career before the 1966 season.
Steve Van Buren
Jim Otto
Mike Ditka
Fran Tarkenton
Elroy Hirsch
Lenny Moore
Willie Davis
Too often, a look at the league’s past only includes players from the recent past. There were 46 seasons before the first Super Bowl. Here’s hoping that the remaining 90 players reflect that.
#95 feels a little low for the quarterback that held all of career passing records for nearly 20 years. Fran Tarkenton was the career passing leader longer than any other quarterback. Ever.
There are already two centers on the list.
Dermontti Dawson
Jim Otto
A few more should join them. Mel Hein, Bulldog Turner, Mike Webster, Dwight Stephenson come to mind.
Lenny Moore is one of my favorites from one of the my favorite decades (1950s). I would’ve had him higher.
My interest in learning more about Willie Davis increased when the Minnesota Vikings selected his grandson, Wyatt Davis, in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. I’m reading Willie Davis’ biography now. I’d had the book for a while. It became my next book to read on the second day of the draft.
Up Next: 90-81
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