Chuck Bednarik
| Chuck Bednarik | |
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Positions: LB , C |
Jersey number (s): 60 |
| born May 1, 1925 in Bethlehem , Pennsylvania | |
| died on March 21, 2015 in Richland , Pennsylvania | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1949 - 1962 | |
| NFL Draft : 1949 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st | |
| College : University of Pennsylvania | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 169 |
| Interceptions | 20th |
| Touchdowns | 1 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Charles Philip "Chuck" Bednarik (* 1. May 1925 in Bethlehem , Pennsylvania ; † 21st March 2015 in Richland , Pennsylvania) Nickname : Concrete Charlie , was a US American football player . He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles as a linebacker and center .
youth
Chuck Bednarik was born in 1925 as the son of Slovak immigrants. He had five siblings and attended Liberty High School in his hometown, where he played basketball and baseball in addition to American football . After graduating from high school , he served in the USAAF . He was transferred to England after training in Florida and Boise , Idaho , as a machine gunner on a B-24 bomber . From there he flew a total of 30 missions over Germany as a member of the 8th US Air Fleet during the Second World War . Among other things, he was awarded four Battle Stars for his war effort .
Player career
college
Charles Bednarik studied from 1945 to 1948 at the University of Pennsylvania . In the years 1946 to 1948 he played as a center in the offense of the football team of his college , but was also used in defense as a linebacker. In his first season he ran from the third game as a starter in his team. He remained a regular on his team until the end of his studies. From then on it was common for Bednarik to be on the field for the entire season. For his athletic achievements he was elected All-American in 1946 and 1948 . In 1948 he received the Maxwell Award .
NFL
Bednarik was selected as the first player in the first round in the 1948 NFL Draft by the reigning champions of the NFL , the Philadelphia Eagles . The head coach of the Philadelphia team , Greasy Neale , had formed a top team out of his team. Numerous later members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , such as running back Steve Van Buren , end Pete Pihos or linebacker Alex Wojciechowicz played for the team from Pennsylvania. Bednarik received $ 3,000 in hand money and an annual salary of $ 12,000 for signing the contract .
Bednarik was also used for the Eagles, both in the offense and in the defense. In 1949 Bednarik was able to win his first championship title. The Eagles won eleven of twelve games in the regular season and moved into the final against the Los Angeles Rams . The Eagles won the game 14-0. After the game round in 1960 Bednarik won his second championship title. The Eagles met after winning ten games in the regular season in the final against the Green Bay Packers trained by Vince Lombardi . Although the Packers quarterback Bart Starr had shown a very good performance, the Eagles went out as the winner with a 17:13. Bednarik played a major role in the victory. On his final play, he stopped the Packers Jim Taylor's fullback eight yards from the Eagles' end zone . Bednarik was the only player on his team who could still intervene in the game. With a touchdown by Taylor the Packers would not have been able to take the victory. Chuck Bednarik ended his playing career after the 1962 season.
Style of play
Chuck Bednarik was feared for his tough tackles with his opponents. In 1960 he brought down Frank Gifford , the running back of the New York Giants , so badly that he had to spend ten days in a hospital and could not be used in the 1961 season. Usually he played both on defense and offense on his team, which is no longer common today. He has repeatedly criticized today's players for this, who have to leave the field after a few moves due to lack of strength.
Next to the career
Bednarik was married and had five daughters. During the free time Bednarik worked as a concrete seller , which also earned him his nickname. After his season, he was the chairman of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission for 26 years. He died on March 21, 2015 at the age of 89 after a brief illness in an assisted living facility in Richland, Pennsylvania and was buried in Saint Joseph Calvary Cemetery in Limeport .
Honors
Chuck Bednarik played eight times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of the season. After the Pro Bowl game in 1953, he was elected Pro Bowl MVP . Bednarik has been nominated for All-Pro ten times . He is a member of the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team , the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame . His shirt number is no longer awarded by the Eagles, they also honor him on the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame . In 1999, The Sporting News magazine voted him 54th on the list of the 100 best football players of all time. A sports field was named after him in his hometown. The Maxwell Football Club annually presents the Chuck Bednarik Award to the best defensive player in college football .
literature
- Brian Lockman (Ed.): World War II in their own words. An oral history of Pennsylvania's veterans. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA 2005, ISBN 0-8117-3209-6 .
- Ken Safarowic, Eli Kowalski: Concrete Charlie. An Oral History of Philadelphia's Great Football Legend Chuck Bednarik. Sports Challenge Network, Philadelphia PA 2009, ISBN 978-0-9819861-3-5 .
- Frank Zimniuch: Eagles. Where have you gone? Sports Publishing Inc., Champaign IL 2004, ISBN 1-58261-812-7 .
Web links
- Short biography ( Memento from February 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Biography (PDF; 40 kB)
- Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles
- Chuck Bednarik in college
Individual evidence
- ↑ Annual statistics of the Eagles 1949
- ↑ Statistics NFL final 1949
- ^ Annual statistics of the Eagles 1960
- ^ Statistics NFL final 1960
- ↑ Chat with Chuck Bednarik ( memento of the original from January 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Richard Goldstein: Chuck Bednarik, Eagles' Man of Concrete, Dies at 89. In: The New York Times of March 21, 2015 (English, accessed March 21, 2015).
- ↑ Chuck Bednarik's grave in the Find a Grave database
- ↑ Chuck Bednarik in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
- ↑ Homepage of the Bethlehem Saints
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bednarik, Chuck |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bednarik, Charlie Philip |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 1, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bethlehem , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 21, 2015 |
| Place of death | Richland , Pennsylvania |