Chuck Bednarik Biography

Charles Philip Bednarik Jr. born on May 1, 1925, was a professional American football linebacker and center who played in the National Football League. He played college football for the Penn Quakers and was selected first overall in the 1949 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent his entire 14-year career from 1949 to 1962. Bednarik was known for his powerful tackling and was one of the last two-way players in the NFL. Bednarik's career-altering tackle of a New York Giants star became known in football history as The Hit. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility, and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969. After World War II, he began college at the University of Pennsylvania in 1945 at age 20, playing all 60 minutes as center, linebacker, and sometimes punter for the Quakers. In 1948, he placed third in Heisman Trophy voting and won the Maxwell Award as the top college football player.