What a player. Full time, both ways at positions that hit on just about every play - fullback and linebacker. How rare that is these days. In this day of specialists this guy is a complete football player.
Most of you probably don't realize that from about the mid 50s to the mid 60s the college rule required two way playing. They all played both ways. If you went out in a quarter, you couldn't return in that quarter. There may have been 1 or 2 exemptions , but basically all (or almost all ) first stringers were there for offense and defense. To give them some rest, the entire second team might be inserted to finish out a quarter. I imagine that that made for some interesting strategies.
Before that period, many played both ways of course , though the rules weren't so strict about it. Not sure of how the rules may have changed thru the earlier years.
Owen Marecic made me think of (to name a few):
Bronko Nagurski -- All American at both fullback and defensive tackle.
Sammy Baugh
Chuck Bednarik
Bill Dudley
among many others from an earlier time who also played both ways in NFL
And I'll just name Mike Ditka, who we see every week, to represent the mid50s-mid60s.
Not only was he a great receiver/blocker at Pitt, but he also was a great defensive end ... and the punter.
many others of course --
Most of you probably don't realize that from about the mid 50s to the mid 60s the college rule required two way playing. They all played both ways. If you went out in a quarter, you couldn't return in that quarter. There may have been 1 or 2 exemptions , but basically all (or almost all ) first stringers were there for offense and defense. To give them some rest, the entire second team might be inserted to finish out a quarter. I imagine that that made for some interesting strategies.
Before that period, many played both ways of course , though the rules weren't so strict about it. Not sure of how the rules may have changed thru the earlier years.
Owen Marecic made me think of (to name a few):
Bronko Nagurski -- All American at both fullback and defensive tackle.
Sammy Baugh
Chuck Bednarik
Bill Dudley
among many others from an earlier time who also played both ways in NFL
And I'll just name Mike Ditka, who we see every week, to represent the mid50s-mid60s.
Not only was he a great receiver/blocker at Pitt, but he also was a great defensive end ... and the punter.
many others of course --