Top 25 hardest hitters in NFL history

Detroit Lions player Barry Sanders (L) is tackled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender John Lynch (R) after a short pass reception in the first quarter of their game 07 September at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI. AFP PHOTO/Matt CAMPBELL (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL / AFP) (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images) /

10 of 25

NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 20, 1960: Linebacker Chuck Bednarik #60 (right), of the Philadelphia Eagles, hits Frank Gifford #16 (center), of the New York Giants, to stop the last chance the Giants had of coming back and tying the score during a game on November 20, 1960 at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. Gifford was knocked unconscious and taken from the field as the Eagles beat the Giants, 17-10. Chuck Weber#51 (third from left) for the Eagles recovered the resulting fumble. 601120-29 (Photo by: Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

16. Chuck Bednarik

In case you weren’t aware, football was a lot different in the late 1940s. That is when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Chuck Bednarik with the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft. The linebacker/center was one of the last players to play on both offense and defense full-time in the NFL.

Bednarik was a fantastic player. He made Pro Bowls as both a linebacker and center and is one of the most decorated players of the 1950s. It’s not often that when you hear a player’s name, though, that your mind automatically goes to one specific play. For Bednarik, that play would be the time he almost killed Frank Gifford.

The Eagles were playing the Giants, and Bednarik dove and drove Gifford’s upper body into the ground and forced a fumble. Gifford wasn’t moving, and Bednarik stood over him in celebration. Gifford missed the next 18 months. That was how devastating the hit from Bednarik was- enough said.

By no means was Bednarik a one-play wonder, though. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and was named All-Pro six times. He was a two-time NFL champion and is a member of the 1950s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

Home/NFL