30 NFL players you won’t believe never won an award

9. Gale Sayers
Pro Football Hall of Fame: 1977

Brian’s Song made Gale Sayers one of the most famous football players in the history of football, but many lost the context of his career. Did you know he was out of the league after his 28-year-old season? Sayers only spent seven years in the NFL. In fact, Brian’s Song debuted on ABC on November 30, 1971, near the end of Sayers’ last season in the league.

Despite his short career, Sayers made an incredible impact. He was the first-team All-Pro in his first five seasons in the league. In his first four seasons, he finished in the top five in MVP voting. His lack of hardware can almost be equated to bad luck or silly voters. He led the league in yards per game three times and total yards twice, breaking 1,000 yards in both those seasons despite playing just a 14-game season.

Sayers lost the MVP to the likes of Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, and Jim Brown. He also lost it to Earl Morrall one year, who replaced an injured Unitas. These are the greats of this era, and many consider them some of the best football players ever. 

There is a technicality here we must reveal. Gale Sayers technically won a Rookie of the Year award (in fact, he won two), but it wasn’t officially recognized until 1967. When we look in the history books, Sayers doesn’t have “Rookie of the Year” next to his name. So, we’re going to continue to pound the table for him after such an incredible peak.