FAMOUS AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS, LEGENDS & PRO'S
The First American Football Pro's
Early-day pro football historians all agreed that a 16-year-old quarterback from Indiana College in Pennsylvania, John Brallier, had become the first pro football player when he accepted $10 and "cakes" (expenses) to play for the Latrobe, PA, town team against neighbouring Jeannette on September 3, 1895.
After the Pro Football Hall of Fame was opened in 1963 in Canton, further research uncovered the Pudge Heffelfinger payment by the Allegheny Athletic Association in 1892 and thus negated the Latrobe claim as the birthplace of pro football.
Today, Brallier is ranked no higher than seventh in line among the early-day players accepting pay to play. Listed below are the first seven players known to have been openly paid to play football:
1. |
William "Pudge" Heffelfinger |
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh |
$500 for one game |
November 12, 1892. |
2. |
Ben "Sport" Donnelly |
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh |
$250 for one game |
November 19, 1892. |
3 |
Peter Wright |
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh |
$50 per game (under contract) for the |
entire 1893 season. |
4. |
James Van Cleve |
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh |
$50 per game (under contract) for the |
entire 1893 season. |
5. |
Oliver W. Rafferty |
Allegheny Athletic Association, Pittsburgh |
$50 per game (under contract) for the |
entire 1893 season. |
6. |
Lawson Fiscus |
Greenburg, PA |
$20 per game (under contract) for the |
entire 1894 season. |
7. |
John Brallier |
Latrobe, PA |
$10 and expenses for one game |
September 3, 1895. |
Famous American Football Players of the 20th Century
There are many famous players, here are our Favourites;
Joe Namath - Born 31st May 1943, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.Joe Namath is a famous 6ft 2in, 91kg former American football quarterback of the 60's and 70's. The hunky Namath played in the AFL and NFL and earned himself the title of ‘Broadway Joe’ for his saucy off-field shenanigans and partying. He spent most of his career with the New York Jets and in later years with the Los Angeles Rams. Namath's football career was an impressive one. Throughout his 13 year career, he played in 143 games and enjoyed a total of 68 wins with his team, 71 losses, 4 ties and a total of 173 touchdowns. A highlight in his career came when he predicted the Jets’ victory over the NFL team, the Baltimore Colts in 1969. His predictions were correct and he led his team to a stunning 16-7 victory. He was inducted into the ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame’ in 1985 and is regarded as one of the most important players of the NFL. Joe earnt the following awards amongst others; Apart from his impressive American football career, Joe is known for his acting abilities. In fact his popularity in the world of entertainment grew to such an extent that he even had his own show ‘The Joe Namath Show’. Namath also starred in a couple of movies one of them being ‘Norwood’ released in 1970 and appeared on top television shows ‘The Dean Martin Show’, ‘The Brady Brunch’, and later the ‘The Simpsons’. |
Tom Brady - Born 3rd August 1977, San Mateo, California.Tom Brady is a 6ft 4in,102kg mean machine and he is considered to be one the greatest quarterbacks of all time. An amazing story of humble beginnings to achieving lofty heights in an illustrious football career. As an icon in American Football, he has managed to combine the "playboy" ways of Joe Namath with the gamesmanship of Joe Montana to incredible effect. Tom has become a household name with his image being splashed across the covers of glossy magazines like that of a top model. Incidentally, he married one, he tied the knot with Giselle Bundchen, a famous "Victoria's Secret" super model, in 2009. At the age of 37, Brady has taken home four Lombardi trophies and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Tom and Joe Montana are the only two players in NFL history to win the NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP awards multiple times. In addition, Brady is the only quarterback to have lead his team to six Super Bowls, and holds the record for the most total Super Bowl touchdown passes. He was named the NFL MVP in 2007 and again in 2010. He was dubbed the 2007 Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, the first NFL player to be honored with this award since 1990. After the 2010 season, Brady was ranked as the top player in the NFL Top 100 in a poll taken with league players. He also became the first quarterback to throw for 50 or more touchdowns in a season. In 2010, he set the NFL record for achieving 358 consecutive passes without an interception. Tom Brady's current team is the New England Patriots. |