1951 Nfl Champs

Stamford football legend Andy Robustelli dead at the age of 85

"He took pride in serving his country," said Rick Robustelli. "I always remember him telling us that when he was a gunner the first time in the South Pacific, he held rosary beads in his hands. He was young and nervous, afraid, but he had trust in God that he'd have the courage to serve his country well. He had a great pride in America and he looked at it as a true place for opportunity." "Andy is someone I looked up to fiercely," said Martin, who played for the Giants from 1975-88 and is now the executive director and president of the NFL Alumni Association. "I think he was legendary among all ballplayers, but especially within the illustrious Giants history. Andy had such a regal presence about him and people looked upon him with great admiration for his accomplishments. There were many, many times when I tried to emulate Andy, both on and off the field, which is extremely rare." Steve Perry, the president and executive director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened to learn of Andy's passing. His contributions to the game as one of the NFL's all-time great pass rushers will forever be remembered. Andy's individual achievements played such an integral role in his team's overall success. This was evident by the fact he played on a winning team all but one season and participated in eight NFL championship games during his illustrious career." COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in The Stamford Times community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines. Basically, be civil, smart, on-topic and free from profanity. Don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read! And remember: We may miss some, so we need your help to police these comments. Please identify the comment, the story and why you think it's objectionable.

The Jam Session by JamDawg: Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers ...

Because of the NFL's "If it happened before the Super Bowl Era, It Doesn't Count" Culture, there is a LOT of Pro Football History that the Casual Pro Football Fan simply does not know about. Great Players, Teams, Championship Games, Breaking The Color Barrier one year before Jackie Robinson made his debut with The Brooklyn Dodgers, etc. (I did discuss this briefly with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the Cleveland Browns Season Ticket Holder Teleconference. Would like to discuss changing this mentality with him some more.) These Days, If any Quarterback leads his team to Six Straight Super Bowls, winning three of them, that Quarterback would be in the "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" discussion. Well, that hasn't happened yet in the Super Bowl Era. However, The Pre-Super Bowl Era equivalent of this DID happen in the early 1950's, and it was Otto Graham who pulled this off. When The Cleveland Browns came into The NFL in 1950 from the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), They were already an established Championship team as they won all four AAFC Titles (In fact. The 1948 Browns were Undefeated.). Their first NFL Season in 1950, they opened up with the defending (1949) NFL Champions, Philadelphia Eagles and defeated them 35-10. They defeated The L.A. Rams 30-28 for the NFL Championship. The Browns with Graham at Quarterback went to Six Straight NFL Championships from 1950 to 1955 and winning three of those (1950, 1954 and 1955.) Hutson was The NFL's First "Super End". (An End back then for the most part is a Wide Receiver today. The term "Tight End" evolved around the 1950's.) Hutson also was a Safety and Placekicker. He was The Receiving Champion in Eight of his Eleven Seasons, Was All-NFL (Now, All-Pro) Nine of his Eleven Seasons, The NFL Scoring Leader Five Times and was The NFL MVP in 1941 and 1942. Was also part of Three NFL World Championship Teams (1936, 1939 and 1944.), Was named the All-Time End on the NFL's 50th Anniversary Team in 1969. At the time he retired after the 1945 Season, he held 18 NFL Records. Nagurski was Pro Football's Original Power Running Back. Paving the way for the likes of Marion Motley, John Henry Johnson, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Christian Okoye, Mike Alstott and Peyton Hillis. Running Backs who gave out punishment when they ran the ball. Nagurski was also a Linebacker. (Remember, this is back when players played on both sides of the ball.

The NFL's official encyclopedic history of professional football

The 1951 NFL schedule granted the Yankees four home games. ... called the Baltimore Colts, which by the end of the decade would twice become NFL champions . ...

The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia 2009-2010

Max McGee, 75, halfback at Tulane (1951-1953) and surprise star of Super Bowl I in 1967 ... Green Bay Packers NFL champions and Syracuse standout (1950-52), ...

50 Years of College Football, A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport

When NFL eventually won its legal appeal, Williams went undrafted and reenrolled ... star who made 1 ,495 yards and 17 touchdowns with 1951 NFL champions. ...

National Football League Championship Games, History of National Football League Championship, List of Nfl Champions, Nfl Championship Game

Jet

•BASEBALL li n 1951, Black players were leaping through Major League Baseball's .... When Brown left the league in 1965, he'd set numerous NFL records, ...