Top 10 Best NFL Players of the 1920s

1. Jim Thorpe

   

   James Francis "Jim" Thorpe was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. He excelled in multiple sports, including football, baseball, and track and field.

   Jim Thorpe was the founding father of what we now know as the National Football League. He overcame adversity and being a Native American to become the first great runner in NFL history. Hall of Fame great Jimmy Conzelman once said in 1963, "Jim Thorpe could have made any team in any league. What's more, he would have been the best player on that team. He would have been the best player in the league. There wasn't anything he couldn't do better than anyone else." A true NFL pioneer.

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2. Ernie Nevers

   

   Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 - June 3, 1976), known by the nickname "Big Dog," was an American football and baseball player and coach. He played as a fullback in the NFL for the Duluth Eskimos and the Chicago Cardinals. Nevers was also a coach at both the collegiate and professional levels.

   Ernie Nevers was truly an all-around player, playing for both the Duluth Eskimos and the Chicago Cardinals. He once played 29 games in 1926 and participated in 1,711 of the possible 1,740 minutes. He played both ways, and on Thanksgiving Day in 1929 for the Cardinals, he became an NFL legend by scoring 40 points. No other teammate scored a point in the historic 40-6 win over the mighty Chicago Bears. Nevers also played baseball as a pitcher and gave up two home runs to Babe Ruth in his 60-home run 1927 season.

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3. Red Grange

   

   Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost," was a college and professional American football halfback. He played for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees football team. Grange is widely considered one of the greatest football players in... read more

   The NFL was still in its early years, and by 1925, it wasn't a sport people fell in love with. College football was the fan favorite. Then, during the 1925 NFL season, the Chicago Bears signed Red Grange after he completed his college career. He went on a 19-game barnstorming tour to promote the pro game, and he did so successfully. Grange was the same player who became a college all-star in Illinois. However, it took a toll on his knee, and by 1934, he retired. Despite this, he made a significant impact on pro football.

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4. George Halas

   

   George Stanley Halas Sr., nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything," was deeply involved in professional American football. He founded the Chicago Bears and served as the team's owner and head coach. Halas played a significant role in shaping the early history of the National Football League.

   Legend has it that George Halas played center field for the New York Yankees before being replaced by Babe Ruth. While this isn't true, Halas did become the founder of the Chicago Bears. He lived to see everything from the time Jim Thorpe first played in the NFL to the era of Walter Payton during his 63 years in the NFL. Sadly, he didn't live long enough to see his Bears win Super Bowl XX. However, he set up that 1986 win by hiring Mike Ditka as the team's head coach before the 1982 NFL season. A true Papa Bear.

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5. Mike Michalske

   

   August Mike Michalske was an American football player and coach. He was known for his role as a guard during the early years of the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

   Mike Michalske was the first great offensive player in NFL history. He played with football's New York Yankees before joining the Green Bay Packers in 1929, transforming the team into a dynasty. As a centerpiece for Curly Lambeau's championship Packers teams, Michalske became famous for his ability as a combination lineman-linebacker. He was a 60-minute man for 11 great seasons. As he said, "I just didn't get hurt. Don't ask me why. It got so the guys on the team began kidding me about getting paid by the minute."

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6. Cal Hubbard

   

   Robert Calvin Cal Hubbard was an American sports figure, notable for a pioneering career in football and baseball. Born October 31, 1900, and passing on October 17, 1977, Hubbard played in the NFL from 1927 to 1936 before becoming a Major League Baseball umpire. He is uniquely inducted into the College... read more

   Before he became a legendary baseball manager, Cal Hubbard was a pretty good player on the gridiron. He did well as a Giant, winning a 1927 NFL title there. But when he joined the Packers in 1929, along with Mike Michalske, they turned the Packers from just a team into a dynasty. Hubbard helped the running game and played defense very well. The result was the NFL's first dynasty (1929-31). His famed coach, Curly Lambeau, once said, "Cal Hubbard, going either way, was the greatest I ever saw."

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7. Ed Healey

   

   Edward Francis Healey Jr. was an American football player. He played professionally in the National Football League for the Rock Island Independents and the Chicago Bears. Healey was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

   Today, these players are million-dollar superstars, but in the first decade of the National Football League, that wasn't the case. Ed Healey lived through those struggling years and was still one of the best players of the 1920s. He described what it was like to be a player in that decade: "I got a hundred bucks a game from the Bears, which was nice, but the thing I appreciated most about being with them was the clubhouse. At Rock Island, the clubhouse had no showers and seldom a trainer. At Wrigley Field, we had a nice warm place to dress and nice hot showers."

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8. Walt Kiesling

   

   Walter Andrew Kiesling was an American football player and coach. He played in the National Football League from 1924 to 1936 with teams including the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

   Walt Kiesling was a blue-collar man who played for six different teams and was honored as a member of the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team. He had surprising speed that allowed him to clear defenders as one of the NFL's first pulling guards. Kiesling had his greatest game when, as an offensive lineman, he made big blocks to allow Ernie Nevers to make football history by scoring 40 points in a 1929 game. Dick McCann once said, "Walt didn't just watch pro football grow from the rocky sandlots, he shoved it along the way. He gave almost half a century to the game."

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9. Paddy Driscoll

   

   John Leo "Paddy" Driscoll (June 11, 1896 - June 11, 1967) was an American football player and coach. He played quarterback and halfback for teams such as the Chicago Cardinals and the Chicago Bears. Driscoll was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965 in recognition of his significant contributions... read more

   Paddy Driscoll was an offensive tour de force, playing alongside Red Grange. In 1925, he led the Chicago Cardinals to the NFL Championship. In 1922, he once beat the Bears twice with his kicking, scoring five field goals. Bill Whalen, a teammate of Driscoll, said, "Paddy was the guy who actually started to put pro football in the big league bracket. His debut preceded George Halas' by about two years, and Paddy was a big gate attraction before Red Grange finished his career at Illinois in 1925."

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10. Curly Lambeau

    

    Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (May 15, 1898 - June 1, 1965) was a professional American football player, coach, and founder of the Green Bay Packers. He played halfback and served as the team's first head coach, leading the Packers to multiple NFL championships in the 1920s and 1930s. Lambeau was inducted... read more

    Curly Lambeau was the man without whom the Green Bay Packers would not exist today. As a player, he did very well, excelling as a runner, passer, and pass catcher during a time when the NFL was struggling to become a major player. He scored a combined 35 touchdowns in passing, pass catching, and running. Today, Lambeau Field stands as a monument to his devotion to the Packers, and he is also a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.

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The Newcomers
11. ?

    Wildcat Wilson

12. ?

    Hunk Anderson

The Contenders

13. Jimmy Conzelman

14. George Trafton

    One of the early greats of the game, George Trafton was one of the first outstanding players to play on teams that won world championships. He played with the Decatur Staleys, winning a championship in 1921, and later with the Chicago Bears, winning another in 1932. Trafton opened up big runs for Red Grange and was also known as a brawler who made late hits, dirty tricks, and cheap shots. In today's NFL, he could've been fined or suspended many games. Jimmy Conzelman said, "Trafton was the only guy who claimed he was the world's greatest at his position - and actually was."

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15. Guy Chamberlin

16. Joe Guyon

17. Steve Owen

18. Lavern Dilweg

19. Fritz Pollard

20. Link Lyman

21. Johnny "Blood" McNally

22. Pete Henry