I mean you've got to be tough to survive all those high-speed collisions and all that blunt-force trauma week after week. And you've really got to be tough to take on all that with the knowledge that Gene Upshaw, a.k.a. America's Worst Union Leader, is the one watching your back.
Anyway, we've taken a jaunt through the hardscrabble junkyard of NFL history and cobbled together our All-Tough Guy team. Forthwith ...
QB - Brett Favre
All those consecutive games played, and he'll fight with defensive linemen. Then he'll punch out your entire family in a honky tonk.
RB - Jim Brown
The quintessence of baaaaaaad. In his day, he could've stiff-armed a tour bus.
FB - Larry Csonka
If you play fullback and have that many consonants in your name, then you are, ipso facto, tough.
WR - Tim Brown
Played for years, played exceptionally well and took more hits than Tommy Chong in Amsterdam.
WR - Hines Ward
How tough is Hines Ward? He'll face Ed Hochuli at UFC 76. True fact.
TE - Mike Ditka
Hall-of-Fame end who laughs in the face of angina pains and erectile dysfunction. And, dude, a single-bar face mask as a tight end? That takes some serious coconuts.
OL - Conrad Dobler
Some say he was the dirtiest player in the game during his time. Still, too
bad the NFLPA has turned its back on him now that he needs the help.
OL - Jackie Slater
Only a genuine tough guy mans the trenches for two decades. For his next feat, he'll listen to Fall Out Boy for 90 seconds.
OL - Jim Otto
Tough last name, and he wore "00" on the jersey. He also made Canton
despite being "too small." Played the game so hard, he recently had
his leg amputated as a result of 40-odd knee surgeries.
OL - Art Shell
Sure, he was tough in his playing days, but what kind of masochist coaches under Al Davis twice?
OL - Mike Webster
That tour bus that Jim Brown stiff-armed? Webster could bench press it.
Maybe the strongest guy ever to play the game. Sadly, he's also one
of the many the NFLPA betrayed.
DL - Joe Greene
The kid in that Coke commercial? Just after the cameras stopped rolling, Mean Joe beat him senseless and slow-cooked him on a pork spit. True fact.
DL - Jack Youngblood
Despite having broken his leg earlier in the playoffs, Youngblood
played every down of the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, I probably couldn't pick my nose with a broken leg. Oh, and ... Coolest. Football. Name. Ever.
DL - Deacon Jones
He's responsible for getting the head slap outlawed. Perhaps they could make an exception for Tucker Carlson.
Sadly, the younger generation thinks of him as the goofy TV pitch man. Others knew him as the scariest football
player they'd ever seen and a real threat to clothesline someone's grandma.
LB - Lawrence Taylor
How tough do you have to be to build a Hall of Fame career all while taking
delight in your lack of conditioning and maintaining a legendary crack habit?
LB - Chuck Bednarik
Flew combat missions over Germany, played both ways, knocked Frank Gifford out cold and sold concrete in his spare time.
LB - Jack Lambert
Looked like a jacked-up, toothless bassist for an Allman Brothers cover band. Played like a bull with rabies.
DB - Ronnie Lott
Locker room amputation so he can continue playing = tough.
DB - Jack Tatum
Dirtier than Cinemax at 11:00 on a Saturday night.
DB - Chuck Cecil
The cover of SI once pondered whether he was too violent for the NFL.
His nose has its own orbit.
DB - Pat Tillman
This one really requires no explanation.
K - George Blanda
He played until well after he died. In fact, he's still alive!
P - Todd Sauerbrun
A punter who takes steroids? That's tough. By punter standards, anyway.
What, no love for THE GREATEST RUNNING BACK OF ALL TIME, "Sweetness" himself, Walter Payton??? He was an awesome player who got the tough yards and then some. He made everyone else look like they were moving in slow motion. Can you imagine someone of his ability in today's game?
Good article though.
Last edited by DaSevereOne on September 13th at 4:12 AM.
You must not have seen this video of Daniel Sepulveda, the rookie punter for the Steelers... I think even Sauerbrun would agree, this guy's just plain nuts!
How is Jim Marshall not on this list? After all, he holds the record for the most consecutive games played at 282. He did that as a Defensive Lineman over a 20 year career and in an era when they only played 12-14 games a season. Brett Favre is only at 238 and in 3rd place.
Can anyone tell me why he is not in the Hall of Fame? Look at any other sport and the player with the most consecutive games played streak were 1st ballot hall of famers.
A lot of these guys are definitely in here for the wrong reasons. Being vicious isn't what defines you as "tough". Playing through injuries and adversity is.
Sepulveda is lucky he isn't hurt like Everett, same hit. PICK YOUR HEAD UP SON. Obvious lucky hit, plus the guy was getting tripped up. Maybe next time Scorpious
MNnative, I love it - just another MN fan trying to find any reason to disrespect the GREAT #4!! Also Dayn I was pleasantly surprised to see you remembered Chuck Cecil!!
WHERE is Bruce Matthews??? 19 seasons, something like 14 pro bowls and I think he was a first ballot hall of famer (could be wrong on that). And he never left the franchise, even when the franchise left Houston.
Dayn, that was a phenomenal Ed Hochuli reference. Ed Hochuli should always be mentioned when discussing bada$$es.
If punters are being discussed - A few years ago, Rick Tuten (who was a punter for the Seahawks) was, pound for pound, the second strongest guy in the NFL behind Shannon Sharpe.
Andre Reed spent his career catching passes across the middle.
If you want to talk about undersized, Jim Ritcher used to have to hide weights all over his body for team weigh-ins and played OG for 15 years and started in four Super Bowels.
Dayn, I think you should watch Walter Payton highlight tapes. He is not only the toughest running back of all time he is the toughest football player of alltime. He never shyed away from contact, he looked for it and he didnt retire to be a movie star. And where's Bruce Matthews?
Intruiging comment Jokerman17, how tough do you have to be to start in 4 Super Bowels? Anyman with bowels that can be considered super does belong on this list, in my opinion.
lots of others could be on list, how about "the manster" def tackle randy white of dallas, talk about an actual tough guy, nobody ever got over on randy. another old cowboy was running back walt garrison (a pinch between your cheek and gum), for off-season fun walt rode 2000lb bulls, thats tough.
The most glaring omission I see is that Lyle Alzado is not on this list. But then you went with the 3-4 defense. Can't argue with the other DL on here, especially Youngblood. Also, get rid of Lawrence Taylor and put in Jack Ham
Last edited by tigerfan1966 on September 13th at 9:40 AM.
What happened to Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary of the Bears. Thanks alot for leaving them off. No Jack Tatum either. Were you smoking a spleaf when you made the list?
GREG LLYOD pittsbugh Steelers lb 1990'sSome of you a confused by the name anyone who remembers it is Saying Oh hell yes. THis Guy wore a skull and cross bones shirt that read I wasn't hired for my disposition. Proably to church. Wore one that read Real men are black to training camp In front of thousands of white people. Hit Al toon of the jets so hard he knocked him out clod and did a wrestling 3 count beside his head. Allegedly pointed a gun or put it in his kids mouth for a bad grade on a report card. Has stated that he loved to hit opposing players as a kid hard enogh to make there parents cry beacause his were not at the games. Forget all that poser brett farve yang tough guy Your not. g. llyod not even close he was nealla the real freaking deala
Turnleft8, The ONLY reason i mentioned #4 was to show the lack of respect players in the past get for wha tthey put their bodies through so todays players have a league to play in. Look at the amount of love and attention #4 gets compared to the true IRONMEN of the NFL. There was no such thing as "in the grasp" when they played. Today's QB's are babied compared to the players of the 60's and 70's.
If you made a right hand turn once in a while, you might have realized that before jumping to conclusions.
Last edited by mnnativ on September 13th at 10:13 AM.
What about Night Train Lane ? You want to talk tough that guy played in the NFL's toughest era and he played for the Detroit Lions. Now that's tough, just ask Barry Sanders.
Not to bad, but E J Holub of the Dallas Texans / KC Cheifs, played LB until 20 knee ops. slowed him down and then switched over to an easy job like center for another 20 knee ops.
Yeah, I debated long and hard on some of these. I went back and forth between Favre and Johnny Unitas for a long time, and Walter Payton remains to this day my favorite NFL player ever, so it pained me to leave him off. Not only was he a great runner, but no one in the backfield was better at picking up the blitz, and he was a great receiver.
Anyway, Jim Marshall's another guy I considered. If I'd gone with the 4-3 instead of the 3-4, he'd have been on there.
Emmitt Smith has to be on the list, NFL all time leading rusher and legendary game beating Giants with a dislocated shoulder. Bill Bates as well, perennial All Pro special teamer.
TONYTONE49: Open your eyes. Tatum is on the list, although being a cheap-shot artist who specialized in nailing receivers who do not see him coming and couldn't defend themselves doesn't make him tough. And don't give me that c*** about how he stoned Earl Campbell. He fell on his b*** and Campbell scored. Donnie Shell faced the same situation: he broke Campbell's ribs, stopped him at the goal line and forced a fumble. Looks like you and Tatum s***. Next time...READ FOOL!
Last edited by drzhivago on September 13th at 12:21 PM.
All great picks, and many others not mentioned. I think Jack Lambert was the toughest, craziest guy to ever play the game. I remember at the beginning of one game when the players were introducing themselves and where they were from when Lambert claimed to be from Buzzard's Breath, Wyoming!
Welcome, weary traveler, to the intersection of Stupid and Cool. And by "Stupid and Cool" we mean, mostly, "Stupid."
Anyhow, my name's Dayn Perry, and, as the Video Professor is wont to say, "Try my product."
Brett Favre
Jim Brown
Larry Csonka
Tim Brown 
Hines Ward
Mike Ditka 
Conrad Dobler
Jackie Slater 
Jim Otto 
Art Shell 
Mike Webster
Joe Greene
Jack Youngblood
Deacon Jones
Lawrence Taylor
Chuck Bednarik 
Jack Lambert
Ronnie Lott
Jack Tatum
Chuck Cecil
Pat Tillman 
George Blanda
Todd Sauerbrun
