Part of this are Hall Of Fame Players who for the most part, are forgotten (Except in the Cities they played in and by the teams' fan bases.) and are not brought up when it comes to "The Greatest (Insert Position Here) of All Time" discussions.
So with this in mind, here is my list of The Ten Best Pro Football Hall of Famers you maybe never heard of. (Numbers 5 to 1.)
Quarterback: Cleveland Browns 1946-49 (AAFC) 1950-55 (NFL)
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
Whenever the Subject of "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" is discussed, Otto Graham is rarely, if ever brought up. This is simply because his entire career took place before The Super Bowl era, and even before The Sport really took off on Television. The Fact is, he SHOULD BE in the Discussion.
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.)
If you include the AAFC Years from 1946 to 1949, Where The Browns won every single Title, (The NFL does not.) that would make TEN Straight Trips to the Championship Game, winning Seven of them. That is dominating an Era. Unfortunately, it's being ignored for the most part.
End: Green Bay Packers 1935-1945
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963
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.
Quarterback: Washington Redskins 1937-1952
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963
Another Quarterback that should be included in any and all "Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time" Discussions, it could be said that Baugh was The NFL's first "Gunslinger" Quarterback with his Arm Strength. He helped bring the Passing Game into The NFL.
He was also a Punter and Defensive Back. (Averaged 45.1 Yards Per Punt and had 31 Interceptions in his NFL Career.) In 1943, He pulled off the rare feat of leading The NFL in Passing, Punting and Interceptions. Was All-NFL Seven Times and was The NFL Passing Leader Six Times.
Fullback: Chicago Bears 1930-1937, 1943
Inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963
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.) He even filled in as an Offensive Tackle if there was an injury.
Nagurski was All-NFL Five Times. He also threw two touchdown passes (The second ended up as a lateral.) in the NFL's First Official World Championship Game in 1933 vs The New York Giants. He later came out of retirement for the 1943 Season (Due to the Player Shortage because of World War II.) and helped the Bears win The 1943 NFL Championship.
Quarterback: Chicago Bears 1948, New York Bulldogs 1949, Detroit Lions 1950-1958, Pittsburgh Steelers 1958-1962
Indicted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967
A Quarterback with above average skills and statistics, Layne had all the Intangibles and then some when is came to success: Leadership, Determination, Competetiveness and Guts. Layne was one of the great clutch players in NFL History. Some of his Leadership even included leading his teammates in late night hard partying the night before a game. The partying never got in the way of winning.
His greatest Pro Seasons were with The Lions where they won the NFL Championship in 1953, 1954 and 1957. Layne was a Five Time Pro Bowl Selection in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956 and 1959.
