As Pro Bowlvoting continues and NFL fans eagerly await the release of the Pro Bowl rosters for the first ever Pro Bowl draft, we'll flashback to some of the best moments in Pro Bowl history each Friday. For this stop down the annals of Pro Bowl history, we land in 1980, when Jack Youngblood played in the Pro Bowl with a broken leg.
File this one under "Manliest Moments in NFL History." Perhaps even "Manliest Moments in History." Jack Youngblood oozed a tough-guy aura on and off the field, but never was that more apparent than when he played in the playoffs, Super Bowl -- and Pro Bowl -- with a broken leg.
I can understand the playoffs/Super Bowl, as who wouldn't do everything they could to remain on the field and help their team have a shot at glory. There are countless examples of such heroics (foolish or not), although, most weren't of players running around on a broken leg. But, the Pro Bowl? There's nothing at stake. It's a celebration of achievement in the game of football, and Youngblood's achievement was evident by the Rams' deep playoff run. Perhaps Youngblood just wanted to take in Hawaii, as 1980 marked the first time that the Pro Bowl was played in the Ahola state (where it would remain for the next 30 years).
Regardless, Youngblood triumphed in the Pro Bowl as well, giving fathers across America a story to tell their wide-eyed youngsters as they yearned for more football knowledge. Or maybe that was just me.
Be sure to vote early and often for the 2014 Pro Bowl: Unconferenced. Has anyone been as manly (or crazy) as Youngblood on the field in 2013 to earn a spot? How about J.J. Watt playing through his repeatedly bloody nose? You can help decide, but it will be up to team captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders to decide which team he'll play for if he makes it.
- Follow Alex on Twitter @AlexGelhar
