Antonio Gates was a dual-sport athlete in high school, playing football and basketball. He continued playing basketball at Eastern Michigan, The College of the Sequoias, and Kent State. Despite not being drafted in the NBA, Gates' agent arranged a tryout with the San Diego Chargers for football. Although he did not play football in college, he was signed as an…

Luke Kuechly was the best Linebacker in the NCAA in 2011, where the Boston College player would win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and Lott Trophy. He was drafted Ninth Overall in that year's draft by the Carolina Panthers, and he would immediately establish himself as one of the best interior…

The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970s won four Super Bowls and have ten members in the Football Hall of Fame, which would suggest that they are well-represented in Canton. However, many in Western Pennsylvania feel that there is a huge omission left in the black and yellow with L.C. Greenwood. From the HBCU school of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Greenwood proved to…

Lavvie Dilweg was a celebrated athlete who played for Marquette before signing with the Milwaukee Badgers in 1926. Unfortunately, the team folded that year. However, Dilweg's career continued as he joined the Green Bay Packers in 1927 and played for them until 1934. Dilweg was considered to be one of the most versatile players of his time, and his peers…

We are not going to lie. The ranking of Torry Holt was not easy, and as such to the point that we could easily see where Holt could be ranked much higher or lower; as always, we want to hear what you think. With that said, Holt may not have accumulated did better than his peers at the Wide Receiver…

Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense is very popular now, but despite the geographic name, it was actually executed first in Cincinnati by Ken Anderson. Ken Anderson was a lifetime Bengal who set passing records for the franchise.  He was incredibly accurate and mastered the short yardage pass.  On four occasions he led the league in Quarterback Rating and in 1982…

Considered a shocking early retirement by NFL standards, Patrick Willis would spend his entire eight-year professional career with the San Francisco 49ers and make seven Pro Bowls and five First Team All-Pros

Drafted late in the First Round out of the University of Miami, Reggie Wayne was brought in to compliment Marvin Harrison.  It is safe to say that he accomplished a lot more than that.

A member of the NFL 1960’s All-Decade Team, Del Shofner was an elite receiver for a six-year stretch (1958-63) and was named a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in all of those years except for 1960. 

It may seem a lifetime ago, but when Hall of Fame Quarterback Len Dawson was looking for a deep threat, it was Otis Taylor who was the target.  In fact, it was Taylor who caught half of the passes for the Kansas City Chiefs in their Super Bowl IV victory.Taylor was a star in the AFL, and a big reason…

If you have an eleven-year professional football career and you make the Pro Bowl for nine of them, it can be widely assumed that you had a very productive career.  Maxie Baughan did just that, but because he spread those accomplishments across three teams, he is not specifically associated with any franchise, which may have hampered his recognition factor.Baughan first…

Generally, if you are selected to eight Pro Bowls in a decade regardless of your position it stands to reason that you won’t be forgotten.  Somehow, Lemar Parrish managed to slip through the cracks of football consciousness as his legacy just doesn’t seem as big as it should be.You can’t be selected to eight Pro Bowls in eleven years without…

One of the most popular defensive players in recent Vikings history, Jared Allen would not just be a well liked player, he would become one of the elite Defensive Ends of his day.  Allen was mostly known for his work with the Minnesota Vikings, but he began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played the first four…

While the Houston Texans are still a young franchise, it shouldn’t be argued that the first major offensive star with Hall of Fame credentials would be Andre Johnson.