The History of Pro Football (1983), Part 5 (The Runners)

No copyright infringement is intended with this, or any other video I upload. The purpose of uploading this video is for the viewing pleasure for those that watch it. This is a must-see for those wanting to know and learn about the history of pro football.

This is the final of the eight features that make up the NFL Films Legacy Series, and it may be the ultimate lost treasuresof NFL Films, as it documented the entire history of pro football, as it existed in 1983. It is also, to my knowledge, the first feature-length movie ever made by NFL Films.

This part, the fifth of seven documenting the history of the sport, introduced by O.J. Simpson, focuses on the most elementary part of the game, running the football. Many running backs through the years are featured. First up are two runners with similar running stlyes, Hugh McElhenny and Gale Sayers. Both of themran all over the field in pusuit of the end zone, and their style put fans in the seats. While McElhenny and Sayers were elusive, Jim Taylor and Franco Harris were fullbacks on four championship teams each. Taylor, for Vince Lombardi's Packers of the 60s, and Harris for Chuck noll's 70s Steelers. But they were just braches on the running back tree that actually began decades earlier.

In the 1940's, Steve Van Buren and Marion Motley proved that fullbacks could be a primary weapon for offenses. Van Buren led the Philadelphia Eagles to two consecurive titles in 1948-'49, while Motley had speed not usual for a man his size. Speaking of speed, 49ers FB Joe Perry had plenty of that, as he lasted 13 years, playing from 1948-'60, and hardly losing any speed during that entire time. Ollie Matson, an Olympic medalist, was the same way with the Chicago Cardinals of the 1950s, despite playing on some of the worst teams in history. Attempting to deepen their roster, the Rams traded anywhere from 9-11 players to the Cardinals just to get Matson. [They had done exactly the same thing a few years earlier to get Les Richter.]

Following Sayers, the next superback was O.J. Simpson, who became the second RB to gain more than 10,000 yards [after Jim Brown], and in 1973, became the first man [and the only one to do it in 14 games] to run for more than 2,000 yards in one season in 1973. He was followed by three great backs, Walter Payton, Earl Campbell, and Tony Dorsett. Payton was the game's best all-around back, running, receiving, and blocking with equal effectiveness, and would break Brown's career record in 1984. Campbell's running style was as straight forward as it got. If you were in his way, he simply ran over you. In 1980, he joined Simpson as only the second man to gain more than 1,900 yards rushing in a season, while Tony Dorsett was a smaller, more shifty runner with great speed. On January 3, 1983, he set a record that can never be broken with a 99-yard TD run against the Vikings [not seen in this piece].

But the greatest runner [and in my mind, the greatest offensive player] of all-time was Jim Brown. Brown was the first [and for many years, the only] man to average more than 100 yards rushing per game for every game he played, average more then five yards per carry for his career, and he won the NFL rushing title in all but one of his nine years, playing against defenses trying just to stop him. Despite that, Brown, never once missed a game, proving his durability.

All credits go to NFL Films, APM Music, HBO, who first broadcast this feature, Heron Communications, and Fox Hills Video.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• NFL
• Films
• pro
• football
• history
• running
• backs
• Hugh
• McElhenny
• Gale
• Sayers
• Jim
• Taylor
• Franco
• Harris
• Steve
• Van
• Buren
• Marion
• Motley
• Joe
• Perry
• Ollie
• Matson
• O.J.
• Simpson
• Walter
• Payton
• Earl
• Campbell
• Tony
• Dorsett
• Brown

[plntntvzn]

OK, now I am reading the caption, I'm sorry I missed it. It's perfect.

[cjs3872]

@plntntvzn

That's okay. I wasn't criticizing you for not doing so. I was just saying that anyone that views my videos, except for one part of my 1973 Indianapolis 500 collection, will see a lengthy captions in the info box, so that, if the viewers want to see a preview of what they'll be seeing in the video, they'll see the info on exactly what's in the video they're about to see. And I always try to be as accurate as I can possibly be, to inform those watching what it is they'll be seeing.

[plntntvzn]

I can't believe it. It IS him @ 1:41-42 making a key downfield block. Leo Nomellini #73 of 49ers, a great DT! Leo the Lion was WAY better two-way player than Chuck Bednarik(who was great LB but a terrible blocking Center). Leo the Lion was the last of great two-ways (maybe Troy Brown). @4:37-39,effective downfield block by the King.@4:58, great concentration by Ollie Matson in traffic of Great NY Giants defense. Walter was half-rhino,half-deer,Big Earl was bowling ball off Empire State Building.

[cjs3872]

@plntntvzn

How on Earth can you compare a guy like Troy Brown, or even Deion Sanders, with the great two-way players like Nomellini and Bednarik. Nomellini was as great as he was, in no small part, due to his off-season job as a professional wrestler. In fact, that's how he got his nickname, "Leo the Lion", because that was his wrestling name. And I'm not sure you did, but if you read the entire info box on my videos, you'll see a caption of what you'll be seeing in the videos that I upload.

[plntntvzn]

@cjs3872 Well, I didn't compare...I said Maybe Troy Brown (who I believe was a real sneaky player) and I never mentioned Deion (who was No WR). I am not sure about this caption subject, but I AM sure Chuck Bednarik was a great LB, but a garbage blocker at Center. Leo the Lion was the last of the great two-ways like I said before. Love the shot @ 1:41-42, and blocking on the move was something the Lion could do often.

[cjs3872]

@plntntvzn

My greater point was that you can't really compare, whether you were trying to or not, someone playing both ways as a WR/DB, which are not really physical positions and don't generally see a lot of action, with guys playing both way at physical positions like linebacker or in the interior line, and see action on virtually every play, in one way or another.

[plntntvzn]

@andrewr62 Another non-Colt Donovan complemented,"Best LB I've ever seen MAY have been Bear's Bill George.He was wild,psyche himself up into frenzy when he played & line up anywhere on the field (ala Karl McKlenberg).So,in 1990,NFL Films did segment on 1960 Eagles team."They didn't have a good offensive line,they were terrible.They couldn't run on you,yet they beat everybody"said Sam Huff.Take his word? Wrong to think that every starter on every championship team was a good player.

[plntntvzn]

@andrewr62 So much for you taking their word,huh?Donovan wrote,"As LB,Bednarik was really good,but there was even better Eagles LB,Wayne Robinson.Man,he could hit,but because Robinson was from Minnesota and Bednarik from was from Univ Penn,Bednarik got all the ink".Yes Donovan wrote great things about other non-Colts"Lion's Joe Schmidt had neck like killer turtle & was as subtle as heart attack.Joe was always trying to outguess our offense with 6th sense of what we were trying to run"

[andrewr62]

@plntntvzn Did Art Donavon talk about anybody he liked that wasn't a Colt? That aside

was an upgrade really needed? He was good enough to block for the Championship in 49 and again in 1960. Again he must have been doing something right. I'm not comparing him to Nomellini as player only that it seems unfair to state he was a poor center after long career of success and championships at the position and all star recognition at the position.

[plntntvzn]

@andrewr62 No,no,no,that's not what I meant about that.It's the people upstairs duty to upgrade position & because they didn't upgrade,doesn't mean they shouldn't have.In 1987,Art Donovan wrote book"FATSO"& on page 169 line 9,Donovan wrote "Bednarik was a center on offense and he couldn't block my grandmother". So,are you going to take that word and opinion? They've never shown any footage of Bednarik doing what Leo the Lion did @ 1:41-42 or on Fab 50s I and II because there isn't any

[andrewr62]

@plntntvzn I disagree. Before 1955 when Bednarik was named an all star center the selections for all stars were not done by "people uspstairs" but by voting of the players themselves as well as coaches. I'll take the word and opinion over yours.

[plntntvzn]

@andrewr62 You sure about that? You don't see start for many years and be terrible? Doesn't that depend on the people upstairs? Making the pro bowl proves nothing. We have overrated players all the time. It would be nice if somebody credited Leo the Lion for that block @ 1:41-42.

[andrewr62]

@plntntvzn Bednarik couldn't have been too bad a block at center he made his first pro bowl as a center not at linebacker. You don't start as a center for as many years as he did and be a terrible blocker.