Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/15
In Pictures: Duchess Kate's royal baby bump
1945: Charley Trippi was a University of Georgia halfback drafted by the Chicago Cardinals. The prize catch in a bidding war between the NFL and the All-America Football Conference, which led to his signing a four-year $100,000 contract with the Chicago Cardinals (the precursors of today's Arizona Cardinals). … During the course of his NFL career, he switched from halfback to quarterback and back to halfback, before finishing as a defensive player. … Turned in a sensational performance in the 1947 championship game, rushing for 206 rushing yards while wearing sneakers for better traction on a frozen field. The 28-21 victory over Philadelphia marked the only time the Cardinals ever won an NFL title. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1948: Bill Dudley was a University of Virginia halfback drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a rookie, he led the NFL in rushing with 696 yards, but then missed the next two seasons while serving with the Army Air Corps during World War II. One of the most versatile players in league history As a triple threat in 1946, Dudley had more rushing and punt-return yardage than any other player, and also was the NFL's top pass interceptor. Spent three pro seasons with each of three teams, the Steelers, the Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. ©NFLP/NFL Photos
1949: Chuck Bednarik was a center and defensive lineman from the University of Pennsylvania drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. The only top overall NFL draft pick to play his entire college and pro careers in the same city, Philadelphia. Bednarik was one of the last of the league's two-way stars, playing center on offense and linebacker on defense, and one of only four Ivy Leaguers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Got a late start in pro football after serving as a B-24 waist gunner in World War II. A member of the Eagles' last championship team, in 1960, when he made a game-saving tackle of Green Bay's Jim Taylor as time expired. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1957: Paul Hornung was a Notre Dame quarterback drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Hornung has the distinction of being the only player to win the Heisman Trophy as college football's outstanding player (in 1956) as a member of a losing team. Oddly, that was at Notre Dame, which had a miserable 2-8 record his senior season. Split time between quarterback and fullback until Vince Lombardi became the Packers' head coach in 1959, when he was moved to halfback. Nicknamed the Golden Boy. During the second year of a three-year run as the NFL's scoring champion, he set a league record in 1960 by scoring 176 points, with a combination of TD runs and placekicks. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1963: Buck Buchanan was a Grambling defensive lineman drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. One of the most physically imposing players of his era. Used his height to good advantage in rushing the quarterback, and one year (1967) batted down 16 passes. Was the durable anchor of the Chiefs' defensive line, once playing in 166 straight games. Helped write history by playing in the first Super Bowl, which the Chiefs lost to Green Bay, but managed to collect a championship ring in Super Bow IV, when Kansas City upset the Minnesota Vikings. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1968: Ron Yary was a University of Southern California offensive lineman drafted by the Minnesota Vikings. A college teammate of O.J. Simpson’s at Southern Cal, where his blocking helped Simpson win the 1968 Heisman Trophy. A six-time all-pro who played in four Super Bowls with the Minnesota Vikings, each time in a losing cause. Minnesota acquired Yary by trading star quarterback Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants for the draft rights to Yary. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1969: O.J. Simpson was a running back from the University of Southern California, drafted by the Buffalo Bills. A native of San Francisco, Simpson went from playing collegiately in sunny, glamorous southern California to Buffalo, maybe the coldest, snowiest outpost in American pro sports. For his first three years, he was surprisingly underutilized, but dropped his NFL career into high gear after Lou Saban took the Bills' coaching reins. Wound up leading the league in rushing in 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1976, and became the first running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, when he compiled 2,003 in 1973. Played in only one postseason game, gaining 49 yards against the Steelers. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1970: Terry Bradshaw was a Lousiana Tech quarterback drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Guided the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships during a six-year stretch of the 1970s. Was one of the last quarterbacks given the responsibility of calling his own plays. Has developed into a fun-loving “good ol' boy” TV analyst on Fox. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1985: Bruce Smith, Defensive end, played for Virginia Tech and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. A fierce pass rusher who combined exceptional speed and strength, Smith finished his 19 years in the NFL as the league’s all-time career sack leader, with 200. In perhaps his best season, 1990, he recorded 19 quarterback sacks and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, an award he also won in 1996. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
1989: Troy Aikman, quarterback, drafted out of UCLA by the Dallas Cowboys. When the Cowboys selected Aikman, the team faced a massive rebuilding project. He became the first rookie quarterback to start a season opener for Dallas since Roger Staubach in 1969. That first year under Aikman, the Cowboys were a league-worst 1-15, but he was a fast learner. After only 52 games he'd passed for 10,000 yards. During the 1990s, he turned in the most successful decade-long performance of any QB in history, guiding Dallas to 90 wins in 94 starts and three Super Bowl championships. Today Aikman is the lead analyst on Fox game telecasts and is co-owner of a NASCAR race team with Staubach. ©Pro Football Hall of Fame
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/20
In Pictures: Weather extremes 2013
In Pictures: The Israeli separation barrier: A West Bank wall
In Pictures: Derby Day devotees, Kenyan style
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/16
In Pictures: Dazzle like Beckham
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/15
In Pictures: Duchess Kate's royal baby bump
Rob Gronkowski, the New England's star tight end, has been diagnosed with a broken left forearm. Gronkowski was injured while blocking for an extra point on New England's eighth touchdown late in the fourth quarter..
The New England Patriots lost tight end Rob Gronkowski with an arm injury late in Sunday's 59-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which he caught two touchdown passes.
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