Chuck Bednarik

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On November 20, 1960, at the original Yankee Stadium, Bednarik delivered 'The Hit,' a tackle that remains one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. He knocked New York Giants star halfback Frank Gifford unconscious with a clothesline tackle that dropped him immediately to the ground. Gifford was transported off on a stretcher and diagnosed with a deep concussion, missing over 18 months of football. A Sports Illustrated photo captured Bednarik standing mid-celebration above the unconscious Gifford, leading to criticism for celebrating an injury. Bednarik defended himself, stating he celebrated the resulting fumble that the Eagles recovered to clinch the victory and reach the 1960 NFL Championship Game. Years later, Gifford called it 'a clean shot' and stated he held no resentment, noting, 'Chuck hit me exactly the way I would have hit him.'

In Their Own Story

The 1960 NFL Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers defined Bednarik's legacy as a two-way warrior. At age 35, in his twelfth season, he had been playing center and had not lined up at middle linebacker for two years until left linebacker Bob Pellegrini broke his leg in the fifth game; coach Buck Shaw asked Bednarik to step in, and he enthusiastically agreed. In that title contest, Bednarik played all 58 minutes. On the final play, Packers fullback Jim Taylor reached the Eagles' eight-yard line with seconds remaining. Bednarik tackled him and remained atop Taylor as time expired, ensuring no further plays could be run to preserve the 17–13 victory. Once the clock stopped, Bednarik told Taylor, 'You can get up now, Jim, this game is over....' This controversial play later prompted the NFL to institute a rule penalizing defensive players for not allowing an offensive player to get up.

Reader's Guide

Chuck Bednarik's career began when he was selected first overall in the 1949 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played 14 seasons, appearing in 169 of 172 games, and became the last of the NFL's 'Sixty-Minute Men,' playing both offense as a center and defense as a linebacker regularly. His durability and skill earned him nine All-NFL selections (as a center in 1950; as a linebacker from 1951–1957 and 1960) and eight Pro Bowl appearances. He was named to the NFL 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams. His nickname 'Concrete Charlie' originated not from his tackling but from his off-season job selling concrete for the Warner Company; sportswriter Hugh Brown remarked he was 'as hard as the concrete he sells.' Bednarik served as an analyst on HBO's Inside The NFL during its inaugural 1977–78 season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility.

Did You Know?

• Bednarik flew on 30 combat missions as a B-24 waist gunner during World War II, with his first mission over Berlin and his last over Zwiesel.
• He had the word MOTHER coming out of a blossoming flower tattooed on his forearm so he could be identified if his plane was shot down.
• Bednarik missed only three games in 14 seasons; two were at the start of his rookie year, after which he threatened to ask for a trade until he secured a starting role.
• In the 1960 Championship Game, Bednarik told Eagles receiver Pete Retzlaff that he felt like Paul Revere's horse because 'The horse did all the work ... but Paul Revere got all the credit.'
• After punching Cleveland Browns player Chuck Noll in an on-field confrontation, Commissioner Bert Bell fined him $500; when Bednarik apologized, Noll simply replied, 'Bullshit.'