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Who are the top NFL players of the 1950s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Raymond Berry: one of Johnny Unitas’ favorite receiving targets, Berry earned back-to-back Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections to close out the decade, twice leading the league in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns in the 1950s while also winning consecutive NFL titles with the Baltimore Colts.
9. Joe Perry: the first African-American player to be named MVP, Perry was part of the San Francisco 49ers’ “Million Dollar Backfield in the mid-1950s and led the league in rushing in back-to-back years (1953 and 1954), in the process earning three Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections and retiring as the NFL’s all-time career rushing leader.
8. Night Train Lane: after bursting onto the scene as a rookie with a single-season record 14 interceptions, Lane eventually earned four Pro Bowl and one All-Pro nod during the decade en route to the All-Decade Team.
7. Johnny Unitas: the modern quarterback prototype, Unitas was a 3x Pro Bowler, 2x All-Pro, and 1959 MVP with the Colts during the 1950s; he led the league in touchdown passes for three straight years and set a then-record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass that stood for 52 years.
6. Bobby Layne: one of the greatest players in Detroit Lions history, Layne was a 6x Pro Bowl and 2x All-Pro selection in the 1950s who not only led the league in passing yards in consecutive seasons in 1950 and 1951, but also quarterbacked the Lions to three NFL titles (the most recent championships in the team’s history).
5. Emlen Tunnell: a 9x Pro Bowl and 4x All-Pro selection, Tunnell ranks second all-time in NFL history with 79 career interceptions and was the first African-American inducted into the Hall of Fame.
4. Gino Marchetti: while he has no official sack totals (sacks did not become an official NFL statistic util 1982), Marchetti was widely regarded as the best defensive end of his time, as evidenced by six Pro Bowl selections, three All-Pro selections, and two NFL championships with the Colts in the 1950s.
3. Chuck Bednarik: the NFL’s last full-time two-way player, Bednarik was both a center on offense and a linebacker on defense with the Philadelphia Eagles, racking up seven Pro Bowl nods and five All-Pro selections during the 1950s.
2. Jim Brown: a Pro Bowler, All-Pro, and league MVP while leading the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns during his 1957 rookie season, Brown paced the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns every year he played during the decade, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors each year and winning back-to-back MVP awards.
1. Otto Graham: the winningest quarterback in NFL history in terms of winning percentage, Graham was a 5x Pro Bowler, 4x All-Pro, and 3x NFL MVP in the 1950s who twice led the league in passing yards and guided the Cleveland Browns to three NFL championships for the decade.
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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