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Who are the top NFL players of the 1970s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Ken Houston: a Pro Bowler every year of the decade at the safety position, Houston also made two All-Pro teams and racked up over 35 interceptions during the 1970s.
9. Jack Lambert: the tough middle linebacker for the “Steel Curtain” and the 1974 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Lambert played on four Super Bowl-winning teams for Pittsburgh and earned five Pro Bowl nods to go with a pair of All-Pro selections and 1976 Defensive Player of the Year honors during the decade.
8. Terry Bradshaw: one of the NFL’s greatest winners, Bradshaw was a 3x Pro Bowl and 1x All-Pro selection who guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl titles during the 1970s while also winning a regular season MVP award and two Super Bowl MVPs in the process.
7. Franco Harris: an 8x Pro Bowler and 1x All-Pro during the decade, Harris not only accumulated seven 1,000-yard seasons en route to 8,500+ rushing yards in the 1970s, but also set the record for most career rushing yards in the Super Bowl over four Steelers titles.
6. Walter Payton: the NFL’s career rushing leader upon retirement (16,726 yards), Payton racked up close to 7,000 rushing yards during the 1970s with four 1,000-yard campaigns, four Pro Bowl selections, and two All-Pro selections, including a league-best 1,852 rushing yards in his 1977 MVP season.
5. Jack Ham: a 7x Pro Bowl and 6x All-Pro selection (all consecutive) for the decade, Ham played on all four 1970s Steelers championship teams and paced all linebackers with 42 takeaways (28 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries).
4. Roger Staubach: though he only played for 10 NFL seasons, Staubach was a 6x Pro Bowler and 2x Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys who excelled with both his arm and his legs, passing for 22,700 yards and rushing for 2,264 yards during his Hall of Fame career.
3. Alan Page: the first defensive player in NFL history to win MVP (during his 1971 Defensive Player of the Year season), Page was also a 7x Pro Bowl and 5x All-Pro selection in the 1970s as the defensive line anchor of the Minnesota Vikings’ “Purple People Eaters” defense.
2. O.J. Simpson: before he was infamous for off-the-field news, Simpson was one of the dominant running backs of the 1970s with five straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards, including four rushing titles; moreover, he became the first player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season (2,003 in his MVP 1973 season).
1. Joe Greene: one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, Greene was an integral part of four Steelers championship teams in the 1970s – not only was he a 9x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro during the decade, but he was also twice named Defensive Player of the Year.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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Countdown 68: Top 10 NHL Players of the 1970s