138: NFL's 60-Minute Men - NFL

Sports' Forgotten Heroes

There was a time when NFL rosters were significantly smaller than they are today. Back in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, even into the 60s, teams did not carry as many players as they do today. Of course, less players means more playing time - and not just on one side of the line of scrimmage. In fact, most players played on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Not only that, several played on special teams as well. They were on the field for punt coverage, kickoff coverage, punt returns and kickoff returns. So many played every down of a game. Now, of course, they might not have done it every single game, but on occasion, they did. Regardless, if you played on both sides of the line of scrimmage, you were referred to as a 60-minute man. In episode 137, we discussed the career of Ace Parker. He played every down of every game on several occasions. Other players who are referred to as 60-minute men and whom I have done podcasts on include Dutch Clark (episode 89), Paddy Driscoll (episode 112), Ernie Nevers (episode 65) and Duke Slater (episode 39). On this episode of author Chris Willis, who is also the heard archivist at NFL Films, is back to discuss several others including the likes of Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, Sammy Baugh and more. Chris recently released a new book (from McFarland Publishing) called, "The NFL's 60 Minute Men, All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945," and his knowledge runs deep as we explore the two-ways players of yesteryear and just how special they were.