We are 60 days away from college football kickoff. Happy taco Tuesday. We are on our last day in the 60s. Closer and closer to college football kickoff. Today, we have Chuck Bednarik and Tommy Nobis. These two had some outstanding careers on and off the field. Seriously, go read below. Be sure to check back tomorrow for #59 in our countdown to kickoff. Enjoy!
Chuck Bednarik (60) Days Away From College Football Kickoff
When Chuck Bednarik started at Penn in 1945, he was 20 years old and had already flown 30 combat missions over Germany as a gunner. He played both center and linebacker for the full 60 minutes, even though players could be substituted freely at the time.
Under Hall of Fame coach George Munger, Bednarik helped the Quakers football team achieve a 24-7-1 record during his time at Penn. He was named All-American three times, finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting in 1947, and placed third in 1948. In 1948, he won the Maxwell Award as the top college player. Bednarik’s achievements earned him a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
Bednarik was the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft, chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played center and linebacker for the Eagles for 14 seasons, from 1949 to 1962. Bednarik helped the team win NFL Championships in 1949 and 1960. Known for his tough tackling, Bednarik is especially remembered for a hit on Frank Gifford of the New York Giants in 1960, which sidelined Gifford for over eighteen months. Bednarik was selected for the Pro Bowl eight times and named All-Pro ten times. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
After retiring from football, Bednarik became the longtime chairman of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, which manages boxing and wrestling in the state. The Eagles retired his number 60, one of only nine numbers the team has retired. He joined the Eagles Hall of Fame in 1987. Since 1995, the Maxwell Football Club has given the Chuck Bednarik Award each year to the top defensive college player.
Another Great # 60, Tommy Nobis, Texas
Tommy Nobis played for the Longhorns from 1963 to 1965 and was inducted into the Longhorn Men’s Hall of Honor in 1976. Both The University of Texas and the Atlanta Falcons retired his No. 60 jersey. He joins Earl Campbell, Bobby Layne, Ricky Williams, Vince Young, and Colt McCoy as the only Longhorns to have their jerseys retired at UT. Nobis was also Texas’ first No. 1 overall draft pick.
While at Texas, Nobis played as an offensive guard and linebacker on the 1963 Longhorn team that won UT’s first national championship. He was the only sophomore starter on that team. Over the next two seasons, he earned every honor a lineman could receive, even though a knee injury slowed him down in 1965. Nobis won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best player and the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best lineman. He was named All-American twice (1964-65) and was a three-time All-Southwest Conference honoree (1963-65).
Nobis became the first draft pick in Atlanta Falcons history in 1965. Over eleven seasons, he led the Falcons in tackles nine times and played in five Pro Bowls, including one in 1972 after two knee surgeries. He was named All-Pro twice and made the NFL’s “All-Decade Team” for the 1960s, even though the Falcons won only 16 games in their first five years. As the team’s first player, Nobis earned the nickname “Mr. Falcon.” In his rookie season, he was named NFL Rookie of the Year, voted to the Pro Bowl, and recorded 294 tackles, a record that still stands in the NFL.
After retiring as a player, Nobis stayed with the Falcons and worked in their front office for nearly 40 years.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: Penn Athletics
