NFL Offensive Linemen Trivia

1. Mel Hein was a center for the New York Giants for fifteen seasons. He was the inaugural recipient of what award?

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: Most Valuable Player

Mel Hein played as a center for the New York Giants from 1931 to 1945. In that time, he helped the Giants win two NFL Championships, one in 1934 and another in 1938. He also played in five other NFL Championship games with the Giants which they lost. He was named to four NFL All-Star games as well (the precursor to the Pro Bowl) and was a first-team All-Pro for eight straight seasons (1933-1940). In 1938, Mel Hein became the inaugural recipient of the Joe F. Carr Trophy which later was recognized as the MVP award for the NFL. He remains the first and only center to receive this award. Mel Hein would go on to coaching after his playing days were done. After a stint as the head coach for Union College, Hein would be the assistant coach for several teams, though for merely one season in the NFL itself, and retired from football entirely after the 1965 season.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: The Boomer

Bob "The Boomer" Brown was built as solidly as a wall and as fierce as a caged tiger. He was selected second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL and fourth overall by the Denver Broncos in the AFL. His biceps were huge and so was his forearm, bigger than an average football player's leg. He played five seasons for the Eagles and then was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. After two seasons in LA, he was traded again, this time to the Oakland Raiders where he played three seasons under coach John Madden and then retired. On his first day with the Raiders, he made an impact by crushing a training post, an act which left the rest of the team agape. He was not a very friendly-seeming player, as he had a permanent scowl on his face, but, he was a great team player and an excellent defender of his quarterback. While The Boomer did not win a Super Bowl, he did win the 1964 Rookie of the Year award, and was selected to the Pro Bowl six times.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: zero zero

Jim Otto, a native of Wisconsin, attended the University of Miami and was then drafted by the Raiders. At first, he wore uniform number 50, but he switched to his trademark #00 in 1961. Otto was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: Bulldog

Clyde Turner was a center and a linebacker for the Chicago Bears for thirteen seasons from 1940 to 1952. While at Hardin-Simmons University, he and teammate A.J. Roy used to push each other in training by giving each other nicknames. Turner got the nickname "Bulldog" and it stuck. In the 1940 NFL Draft, Turner was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Bears, a team he would stay with for his entire playing career. As a player, Bulldog Turner won four NFL Championships with the Bears, in 1940, 1941, 1943, and 1946. He was named to the All Star game twice and the newly-formed Pro Bowl twice, but was a first-team All-Pro eight times. In 1966, Turner was elected into the Hall of Fame, only the third center to be so chosen.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

Art Shell was a third-round pick out of Maryland in 1968 by the Oakland Raiders. He played primarily on special teams in his first two seasons but became the starting offensive tackle by the 1970 season. With the Raiders, he won Superbowl XI and XV. In the first of these contests, his stellar play shut down the Vikings' defensive end Jim Marshall. Art Shell was also named to the Pro Bowl eight times in his career. When Shell got into coaching, the natural team to join was the Raiders, as the offensive lines coach. After six seasons in that position, Shell was made the head coach of the Raiders and did his job successfully.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Cincinnati Bengals

Anthony Munoz, Big #78, was a prominent member of the Bengals during his 13-year career. He was powerful and fast, in addition to his blocking duties, he managed to catch four touchdown passes with Cincinnati. Munoz attempted a comeback effort with Tampa Bay prior to the 1993 season, but he never played a game for the Bucs. Munoz was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: Most consecutive starts

Jim Otto was the center for the Oakland Raiders from 1960 to 1974. He played with the team as they started in the AFL in its inaugural season and up until 1969. In 1970, the AFL merged into the NFL and the Raiders retained Otto's services, and he continued to play for the next five seasons. In that time, Jim Otto started consecutively for 210 regular-season games as well as thirteen playoff games setting an NFL record. This would soon be broken by Minnesota teammates Mick Tingelhoff and Jim Marshall, the former also a center. Jim Otto won one AFL Championship, in 1967, but played with the Raiders in five more championship games. In his career, he was a nine-time AFL All-Star as well as a three-time Pro Bowler. In 1980, Otto was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: Fran Tarkenton

The Minnesota Vikings traded away Fran Tarkenton to the New York Giants in order to get the first pick in the 1968 NFL draft. They used that pick to pick up Ron Yary, a promising offensive tackle out of USC. He was the first offensive tackle to be drafted first overall. The second would not be made until 1997. Did it pan out for the Vikings? Yary made it into the Hall of Fame. Tarkenton, well, five seasons later, he made his way back to Minnesota. Ron Yary was a great offensive tackle who played fourteen seasons for the Vikings, and yet another season at the end for the Los Angeles Rams. He was a tough player, and even played through injuries, notably, the 1980 season where he missed two games but played the rest of the season, on a broken ankle! Yary played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls as well as in four Super Bowls, though the Vikings lost all of them.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Dan Dierdorf

Dan Dierdorf played on the offensive line with the Cardinals for 13 seasons, earning six Pro Bowl selections. After his retirement, Dierdorf made the transition to the broadcast booth and became an announcer for CBS Sports. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Bob St. Clair played for the 49ers, Art Shell was with the Raiders, and Larry Little played for the Chargers and the Dolphins.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: He was very cheerful

Dermontti Dawson played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for thirteen seasons from 1988 to 2000. He was drafted as a guard but moved to the center position after one season after his mentor, Steeler starting center Mike Webster, became a free agent following Dawson's rookie season and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, initially as a coach. Dawson stepped into the role and held on to the position for the next twelve seasons. On the field, Dermontti Dawson was as mean as they come, earning him the nickname "Dirt". However, off the field, Dawson was about as cheerful as could be which led to teammates calling him "Ned Flanders" after the similar "Simpsons" character. Dawson would go on to play in 170 consecutive games for the Steelers, but then a series of hamstring injuries forced him to sit out games in the 1999 and 2000 season, which led to his contract not being renewed by his team. Instead of trying to sign with another team, Dawson opted for retirement. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012 and in his career he was selected to seven Pro Bowls.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: San Francisco 49ers

Joe Staley was an offensive tackle who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers 28th overall in the 2007 draft. The Niners had traded up for him, sending a first-round and a fourth-round pick to the Patriots for the rights to draft Staley. Standing tall at 6'6" (1.98 m) and weighing 306 lbs (139kg), you would expect him to be strong. What was an added bonus was his speed; Joe Staley, when he retired in 2020, was the fastest offensive tackle in the NFL, ever. In his career, Joe Staley was selected for six Pro Bowls. He also went with the 49ers to two Super Bowls, XLVII and LIV, but the Niners, unfortunately, lost both.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: center

Mike Webster, from Wisconsin, was an iron man and captain for the Steelers during their glory years. He won four Super Bowl rings and made seven Pro Bowl squads as a center for Pittsburgh. Number 52 was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: He went to ask for a raise

Jim Ringo was drafted in the seventh round of the 1953 NFL Draft and was not expected to amount to much. For his position, Ringo was considered small and not strong enough. However, Ringo was a speedy linesman and he also had the technique figured out, and he was a hard worker to boot. This made him an excellent fit for the position of center on both offence and defence. Jim Ringo spent eleven great seasons at Green Bay. With the arrival of Vince Lombardi, the Packers went from being a bottom team to being an amazing team. They won the NFL Championship in 1961 and 1962 and Jim Ringo was a key blocker in the dominant "Packer Sweep" formation that allowed for a strong running game. As the rumour went, after the 1963 season, Jim Ringo went in to Vince Lombardi's office to ask for a raise. Lombardi was so incensed that he left the office and returned five minutes later announcing that Ringo had been traded. Clearly, there is some embellishment in this account, but, Jim Ringo was traded to the Eagles and he spent his final four seasons in Philadelphia. All in all, Jim Ringo was a ten-time Pro Bowl selection and he was selected for the Hall of Fame in 1981.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: Holdout

Orlando Pace was only the second offensive tackle to be picked first overall in the NFL draft. The first, Ron Yary, was drafted in 1968, and Pace was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the 1997 draft, 29 years later. The Rams had to trade for the right to pick Pace, as the Jets had originally held the first pick. Pace started out his career with a holdout due to a contract dispute, something that would continue throughout his career. Pace was considered an amazing offensive tackle. He helped the Rams' offence rank first in many categories on more than one season, and he even won the Super Bowl (XXXIV) with them (and lost another one, XXXVI, to the Patriots). He was named to seven Pro Bowls, consecutively and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Chargers

Ron Mix attended USC and joined the Los Angeles (later San Diego) Chargers in 1960. Mix was an All-Pro lineman throughout his career with the Chargers. He finished his NFL career with the Raiders in 1971. Mix wore uniform #74 and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: First center to snap the ball with one hand

George Trafton played for the Decatur Staleys in 1920, a team which evolved into the Chicago Staleys a year later, and a year after that into the Chicago Bears. As a player, he was at the center position on both offence and defence (the nose tackle position in the modern era). He is credited for being the first center to snap the ball with only one hand which allowed him more stability and flexibility of movement or blocking ability. He helped the team to two NFL Championships, in 1921 and in 1932, and was seen as one of the toughest and meanest players of his time. In fact, a sports writer said about Trafton that "he was strongly disliked in every NFL city, with the exception of Green Bay and Rock Island. In those places, he was hated." George Trafton was selected for six Pro Bowls and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964, the second class of inductees.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: His older brother died while playing

Roosevelt "Rosey" Brown was so big as a six-year-old that school officials didn't believe that he was actually a first-grader. He was put right away into the third grade. This meant that he finished high school at the age of 15. As a teenager, Rosey Brown was a trombone player in the school band because his father had forbidden him from playing football. Rosey's older brother had received an injury playing football and had passed away from it. Rosey started playing without his father's knowledge. Due to his size and strength, Rosey was made a blocker on the offensive line, a key position in a time when the running game was the main part of the offense. Rosey Brown was picked by the New York Giants as the 321st player overall in the 1953 draft. He is considered one of the biggest draft steals ever. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls in his 13-year career, all with the Giants, and won an NFL championship with them in 1956. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Rayfield Wright

Rayfield Wright was an outstanding lineman for the Cowboys during his 13-season career. The "Big Cat" was powerful and quick, and he played in five Super Bowls. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006- an honor long overdue for such a star player. Nye (#61), Manders (#51), and Neely (#73) were teammates of Wright on the Cowboys.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: Minnesota Vikings

Mick Tingelhoff was a standout center that played college football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He entered the 1962 Draft but went undrafted, as did all of his teammates. However, he was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings and got the starting center position in his rookie year. He would go on to play for seventeen seasons with the Vikings, and won an NFL Championship in 1969 with them, the last one before the Super Bowl era. The Vikings would then go on to play in four Super Bowls, IV, VIII, IX, and XI, and would lose all four. Mick Tingelhoff was one of eleven Vikings players to play in all four of those games. Mick Tingelhoff was an outstanding center and provided excellent protection for his quarterbacks. In fact, when Tingelhoff was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, it was quarterback Fran Tarkenton who gave the speech and called Tingelhoff his "best friend". Tingelhoff was also invited to six Pro Bowls, and had his number retired by the Vikings.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Forrest Gregg

Forrest Gregg played with the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1970, earning two Super Bowl rings for Vince Lombardi's Pack (1968 and 1969). As a head coach, Gregg led the Cincinnati Bengals to an appearance in Super Bowl XVI in 1982. Kramer, Gillingham and Bowman were Gregg's linemates with the Packers.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: Baltimore Ravens

Jonathan Ogden was the first ever draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens. He was the fourth overall draft pick and the trust that executive Ozzie Newsome had in him (overriding owner Art Modell's choice). He panned out as the pick and played twelve amazing seasons with the Ravens. Over those twelve seasons, Ogden was chosen to the Pro Bowl eleven times. He also was able to get a Super Bowl ring when the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV. An imposing tackle, standing 6ft 9in (2.06m), he was also considered "a laugher" with a genuine smile. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: He remained undrafted

Jim Langer was a standout player on the South Dakota State team. However, it's generally not considered one of the top football schools, even at that time. The only player drafted from South Dakota State in the 1970 draft was Tim Roth, a wide receiver, and only in the 16th round. Roth never played in the NFL. On the other hand, Jim Langer not only played, he excelled at the center position and was a key figure in the 1972 Miami Dolphins' undefeated season when they won the Super Bowl. He also figured into the 1973 Super Bowl win for the Dolphins. After ten seasons with the Dolphins where he was named six times to the Pro Bowl, Jim Langer requested a trade to the Minnesota Vikings in order to be closer to home. He played two seasons for the Vikings and then retired. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Offensive Tackles

Answer: 23

Walter Jones was selected sixth overall in the 1997 draft. A starter from day 1, Jones helped anchor a dominant offensive line. When he was on the field, 180 games and over 5,500 passes attempted, the Seahawks gave up merely 23 sacks. He was an excellent blocker as well, plus, he was easy to coach; Mike Holmgren said that Jones was "the best offensive player he had ever coached". His career ended on Thanksgiving 2008 when he sustained a knee injury he could not recover from. Walter Jones was selected for the Pro Bowl nine times throughout his career. He was selected to seven first-team All-Pros. His jersey number, #71, was only the third number retired by the Seahawks.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Hog

John "Hog" Hannah is considered to be one of the greatest guards in NFL history. He was born in Georgia and attended the University of Alabama. "Hog" was voted onto the All-Pro squad ten times in his career, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

From Quiz 100 Years of NFL: The Centers

Answer: Be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Mike Webster, known as "Iron Mike" was a football center who played fifteen seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was with the Steelers for their four first Super Bowl wins, IX, X, XIII, and XIV, and was part one of the most successful center-quarterback pairings in the history of the game playing in front of Terry Bradshaw. Mike Webster was a star for the Steelers and went to the Pro Bowl nine times. However, he was also a good teacher and made sure that his replacement, Dermontti Dawson, was ready for the role. Initially, Webster left for a coaching position with the Chiefs though this turned into a playing position quickly. After two years with the Chiefs and seventeen years in the NFL, Webster retired. In retirement, it was found that Mike Webster had been disabled for a while. He suffered from bone pain, amnesia, depression, and other ailments. He had hit hard and been hit just as hard for his entire career, and this had taken a toll on his body, but, more importantly, on his brain. He passed away at the young age of 50 from a heart attack but an autopsy revealed that he had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This is a disease that is caused when the brain is traumatised by repeated blows. Prior to the finding in Webster, it had been diagnosed in boxers. Webster was the first NFL player to be identified as having CTE, but he wasn't the last. This would open the door to tighter restrictions on head-to-head impacts and concussion protocols.

From Quiz In the Trenches

Answer: Ron

Ron Yary became a star right tackle with the Vikings from 1968 to 1981, wearing uniform number 73. He played in seven Pro Bowls and four Super Bowls during his career. He finished his playing career with the Rams in 1982. Yary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

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