Chuck Bednarik, Hall-of-Fame Linebacker, Dies at 89

wsj ^

[Perdogg]

Chuck Bednarik, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the last great two-way NFL players, has died. He was 89.

A star linebacker and center, Bednarik helped the Philadelphia Eagles win the 1960 NFL championship, tackling Green Bay’s Jim Taylor on the final play to seal the victory. The top overall pick in the 1949 draft out of Penn, he spent 14 seasons as one of the toughest and most feared players in the game.

[Perdogg]

[Doogle]

RIP Mr Bednarik

[deweyfrank]

He was one tough Polack. May he rest in peace.

[Stentor]

The last of the real two way players. I think he was one of Chuck Norris’ teachers. Like the rest of Philly, he never saw his team win a Super Bowl.

[Perdogg]

He was Czech.

[nascarnation]

Slovak, not Polish (my wife would make the distinction, LOL)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I'll never forget this pic after Bednarik laid out Frank Gifford. What a hit. Today? Bednarik would have gotten a 15 yard penalty and tossed from the game then fined $25,000.

[ExNewsExSpook]

Bednarik also flew 30 combat missions over Europe as a B-24 waist gunner during World War II—before his 21st birthday. The odds of completing your combat tour (at the time) were about 30%.

After seeing a lot of his buddies blown apart by flak and German fighters, the NFL must have seen relatively tame.

One of the toughest guys who ever wore the uniform, in the Army Air Corps and the NFL.

[pepsi_junkie]

Like the rest of Philly, he never saw his team win a Super Bowl.

Before there was a super bowl, Concrete Charlie was on two NFL champion teams, 1948 and 1960 Eagles.

[Charles Henrickson]

Born May 1, 1925, in Bethlehem, Pa., Bednarik flew 30 combat missions over Germany as a gunner during World War II. He then played center for Penn from 1945 to 1948, and was selected first overall in the 1949 NFL draft by the Eagles.

[needmorePaine]

Yup. As tough as they come. Maybe if more men were made tougher these days, we wouldn’t be governed by pantywaists. RIP Concrete Charlie

[llevrok]

I'll never forget this pic after Bednarik laid out Frank Gifford.

Later, so did Kathie Lee. But I digress...

[denydenydeny]

The 1960 team was the only professional team ever to beat Vince Lombardi in a title game.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Well....15 yards and 25?...not seeing the play I don’t know if its true. BUT....either way, that’s not too bad considering it cost Gifford his career as a running back and two years in his prime over all.

[UB355]

Great competitor, How is it that he lived so long? Chris Borland says it is not possible.

[mware]

Now there was a football player.

RIP

[ken5050]

Thanks for that....remember the pic of YA Tittle bleeding all over his head..

[mware]

To be fair, they won the season before the Super Bowl began.

[driftless2]

The first pro football game I ever saw was the title game between the Eagles and the Packers. I still remember the last play of my idol Jim Taylor getting tackled close to the end zone. Can’t say as I hated Bednarik. He was from the old school of football...no quarter given or taken.