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NFL's all-time all-name team
When the Cleveland Browns selected Barkevious Mingo with the No. 6 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, he not only went to the most appropriate team possible (Barkevious + Dawg Pound = get it?) but also added to the fun on the long list of great player names the NFL has featured over the years. Mingo's recent inclusion into the NFL vernacular helped inspire this all-time all-name team.
![The Iowa legend's NFL career was anything but long. He chucked it long (see what we did there?) on his first NFL pass attempt with the Detroit Lions, completing a 34-yard touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One could say it was all downhill from there. The No. 12 overall selection in the 1986 NFL Draft was out of the league by the early 1990s.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/suyimhjgakheve1erufu.jpg)
The Iowa legend's NFL career was anything but long. He chucked it long (see what we did there?) on his first NFL pass attempt with the Detroit Lions, completing a 34-yard touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One could say it was all downhill from there. The No. 12 overall selection in the 1986 NFL Draft was out of the league by the early 1990s.
![His performances on the gridiron, coupled with a name equal to the on-field feats, helped build up the legend surrounding Nagurski. One segment of that legend has it that Nagurski is responsible for a crack in Wrigley Field's outfield wall, saying "that last guy hit me awfully hard," after the epic collision.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/wvykale0ovqdodm0l1fk.jpg)
His performances on the gridiron, coupled with a name equal to the on-field feats, helped build up the legend surrounding Nagurski. One segment of that legend has it that Nagurski is responsible for a crack in Wrigley Field's outfield wall, saying "that last guy hit me awfully hard," after the epic collision.
![This is the perfect confluence of first name and surname. In 15 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Strong was a lead blocker for three different 1,000-yard rushers (Chris Warren, Ricky Watters and Shaun Alexander). His 32-yard touchdown run in a 2005 divisional playoff game was a team record until Marshawn Lynch went on his famous "Beast Mode" run that set off a seismic event.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/mcibuzbywipvyk9jglgf.jpg)
This is the perfect confluence of first name and surname. In 15 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Strong was a lead blocker for three different 1,000-yard rushers (Chris Warren, Ricky Watters and Shaun Alexander). His 32-yard touchdown run in a 2005 divisional playoff game was a team record until Marshawn Lynch went on his famous "Beast Mode" run that set off a seismic event.
![Kevin Mack didn't make the cut (beat out by the aforementioned Mack Strong), but his Cleveland Browns teammate from the team's late-1980s heyday makes this prestigious all-time all-name team. Slaughter's knack for making big plays earned him the nickname "Web-star." This was before the dawn of the World Wide Web.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/ckzmffodl9r2ikylqjmo.jpg)
Kevin Mack didn't make the cut (beat out by the aforementioned Mack Strong), but his Cleveland Browns teammate from the team's late-1980s heyday makes this prestigious all-time all-name team. Slaughter's knack for making big plays earned him the nickname "Web-star." This was before the dawn of the World Wide Web.
![The dynamic duo of "Peerless" and "Price" made the receiver easy headline fodder, such as this Sports Illustrated cover from when he helped Tennessee win the national championship.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/d8fe1xv0mnf4susinrce.jpg)
The dynamic duo of "Peerless" and "Price" made the receiver easy headline fodder, such as this Sports Illustrated cover from when he helped Tennessee win the national championship.
![Not surprisingly, Speedie used quickness to get open and make the big plays that helped the Cleveland Browns capture league championships in five of the seven seasons in which he was a vital member of the team.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/vvqu9wxxewsvcrv7vlih.jpg)
Not surprisingly, Speedie used quickness to get open and make the big plays that helped the Cleveland Browns capture league championships in five of the seven seasons in which he was a vital member of the team.
![Boso had a brief career, primarily playing for the Chicago Bears, but left a lasting legacy due to his face full of Soldier Field sod in a memorable "Monday Night Football" win over the New York Jets in 1991 and his pixelated presence in "Tecmo Super Bowl".](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/bgein2kv9u5ckebhtjlm.jpg)
Boso had a brief career, primarily playing for the Chicago Bears, but left a lasting legacy due to his face full of Soldier Field sod in a memorable "Monday Night Football" win over the New York Jets in 1991 and his pixelated presence in "Tecmo Super Bowl".
![Whimper's claim to football fame -- aside from having a great name -- was the rare touchdown for an offensive lineman he scored in a Week 8 game during the 2012 season against the Green Bay Packers.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/hgx5t3zowhdml8cflst7.jpg)
Whimper's claim to football fame -- aside from having a great name -- was the rare touchdown for an offensive lineman he scored in a Week 8 game during the 2012 season against the Green Bay Packers.
![Ferguson's name was inspired by Father Ralph de Bricassart from "The Thorn Birds." True story.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/fqyw1zp0jancvxyh32gh.jpg)
Ferguson's name was inspired by Father Ralph de Bricassart from "The Thorn Birds." True story.
![Incognito is an ironic surname for the fella known for unsavoringly mixing it up with his opponents.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/cwtxgb17lnsuquybi4gv.jpg)
Incognito is an ironic surname for the fella known for unsavoringly mixing it up with his opponents.
![His real first name is Floyd, which is awesome, too. But Pork Chop is very appropriate for a large man laboring along an offensive line. It can also provide for the requisite "Pork Chop adds beef to offensive line" headline.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/hujz3jx3q8u42iyxsncq.jpg)
His real first name is Floyd, which is awesome, too. But Pork Chop is very appropriate for a large man laboring along an offensive line. It can also provide for the requisite "Pork Chop adds beef to offensive line" headline.
![Madison Monroe Nutter was Johnny Unitas' center during the Baltimore Colts' NFL championship seasons of 1958 and 1959. He acquired the nickname Buzz when he was a youngster, long before pairing Buzz with Nutter became wildly hilarious to those with their minds in the gutter.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/cuwvufygqfloev0029k2.jpg)
Madison Monroe Nutter was Johnny Unitas' center during the Baltimore Colts' NFL championship seasons of 1958 and 1959. He acquired the nickname Buzz when he was a youngster, long before pairing Buzz with Nutter became wildly hilarious to those with their minds in the gutter.
![Long before bacon became the vogue food for a generation, Bacon toiled along the defensive lines of the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. His name inspired a memorable segment in an NFL Films "Lost Treasures" episode called the "Six Degrees of Coy Bacon," during which it was attempted to link Bacon to any other NFL alumni in six steps or less.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/vlazeycyxrymqh7bkl4f.jpg)
Long before bacon became the vogue food for a generation, Bacon toiled along the defensive lines of the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. His name inspired a memorable segment in an NFL Films "Lost Treasures" episode called the "Six Degrees of Coy Bacon," during which it was attempted to link Bacon to any other NFL alumni in six steps or less.
![David Jones is about as generic a name as there is. However, when you become one of the most dominant defensive linemen in league history and your first name morphs from David into Deacon, then you have a dynamic package worthy of this all-name team. Jones' adopted moniker became such a staple that his nameplate with the San Diego Chargers featured it.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/bfnmsbjhfchbacm3sxdf.jpg)
David Jones is about as generic a name as there is. However, when you become one of the most dominant defensive linemen in league history and your first name morphs from David into Deacon, then you have a dynamic package worthy of this all-name team. Jones' adopted moniker became such a staple that his nameplate with the San Diego Chargers featured it.
![Jack gets the nod over Los Angeles Rams teammate and the man often mistaken as his brother, Jim Youngblood. This is due to Jack developing a tough-guy rep worthy of his surname after playing on a broken leg and then earning a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/gkiiz0kb8thhv9cfzfay.jpg)
Jack gets the nod over Los Angeles Rams teammate and the man often mistaken as his brother, Jim Youngblood. This is due to Jack developing a tough-guy rep worthy of his surname after playing on a broken leg and then earning a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
![This is too easy, especially given that Mingo was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, his play will help bring more bark to the Dawg Pound, which is long overdue for something grand to transpire along the shores of Lake Erie. In a happy related note: Barkevious has an older brother named Hughtavious.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/qsccynkyqu9rkztpbbbq.jpg)
This is too easy, especially given that Mingo was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, his play will help bring more bark to the Dawg Pound, which is long overdue for something grand to transpire along the shores of Lake Erie. In a happy related note: Barkevious has an older brother named Hughtavious.
![Few names are more identifiable in the history of the game than Huff's. It helped that he was a standout player, excelling in the nation's largest media market at a time when pro football was earning its rightful place in the American sporting consciousness. That confluence of attributes helped Huff become the first NFL player to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/wzmv2tlkdwmase5s716w.jpg)
Few names are more identifiable in the history of the game than Huff's. It helped that he was a standout player, excelling in the nation's largest media market at a time when pro football was earning its rightful place in the American sporting consciousness. That confluence of attributes helped Huff become the first NFL player to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
![Like Huff before him, Butkus' name is synonymous with brutality on the gridiron. Butkus was so devastating on the football field that even his peers were fearful, as Deacon Jones so eloquently puts it, "Roses are red, violets are blue, if you have any sense, you'll keep Butkus away from you."](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/usdejngkw9rfmuvserlc.jpg)
Like Huff before him, Butkus' name is synonymous with brutality on the gridiron. Butkus was so devastating on the football field that even his peers were fearful, as Deacon Jones so eloquently puts it, "Roses are red, violets are blue, if you have any sense, you'll keep Butkus away from you."
![This is the third player named after food to make the all-time all-name team cut. OK, OK, "Hanburger" technically isn't food per se. But, let's be serious here, what are you thinking about immediately after hearing that name? A delicious, juicy, straight-off-the-grill ground beef patty, that's what. Hanburger's long and successful tenure with the Washington Redskins earned the linebacker a place in Canton. Hamburger's long and successful tenure as a tasty food has earned the sandwich a permanent place in our appetites.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/ypus2selr8bpqlkb86cs.jpg)
This is the third player named after food to make the all-time all-name team cut. OK, OK, "Hanburger" technically isn't food per se. But, let's be serious here, what are you thinking about immediately after hearing that name? A delicious, juicy, straight-off-the-grill ground beef patty, that's what. Hanburger's long and successful tenure with the Washington Redskins earned the linebacker a place in Canton. Hamburger's long and successful tenure as a tasty food has earned the sandwich a permanent place in our appetites.
![Cornerbacks jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. It's what they do in press coverage. That is why Jammer is here.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/a8semnpaa5lcsupy2rhn.jpg)
Cornerbacks jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. It's what they do in press coverage. That is why Jammer is here.
![Lockhart earned the Spider moniker for how he played opposing receivers. "Skinny, that's the way to play it, just like a spider," said Emlen Tunnell, then a New York Giants coach and now a Pro Football Hall of Famer.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/e58qtq97ayeu5qpcxsyb.jpg)
Lockhart earned the Spider moniker for how he played opposing receivers. "Skinny, that's the way to play it, just like a spider," said Emlen Tunnell, then a New York Giants coach and now a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
![It's too bad his brother Nintendo never made it to the NFL. Just kidding, Bigby doesn't have a brother named Nintendo. In fact, his name isn't even inspired by the classic 1980s video-game console, instead by a Japanese word meaning "hit a target." That works, too, for a guy playing the position of safety in the game of football.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/rhgsjgpksb89gpkc8pr2.jpg)
It's too bad his brother Nintendo never made it to the NFL. Just kidding, Bigby doesn't have a brother named Nintendo. In fact, his name isn't even inspired by the classic 1980s video-game console, instead by a Japanese word meaning "hit a target." That works, too, for a guy playing the position of safety in the game of football.
![As a sixth-round selection of the Washington Redskins in the 2013 NFL Draft, there's a chance Rambo doesn't make it into Week 1 of the 2013 season. So, we have to celebrate a player named Rambo while we can, and cross our fingers and hope he makes the 53-man cut in September. On a delicious side note, Rambo's name was once Goo Fudge. It's true; it says so right here, and we all know that everything on the Internet is accurate.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/ppusjaytf8wtttzidgei.jpg)
As a sixth-round selection of the Washington Redskins in the 2013 NFL Draft, there's a chance Rambo doesn't make it into Week 1 of the 2013 season. So, we have to celebrate a player named Rambo while we can, and cross our fingers and hope he makes the 53-man cut in September. On a delicious side note, Rambo's name was once Goo Fudge. It's true; it says so right here, and we all know that everything on the Internet is accurate.
![Mesko is not named after that cult hero guy from "Dude, Where's My Car?" Instead, he hails from Romania, and is fluent in almost as many forms of communication as C-3PO (seriously, Mesko speaks Romanian, Hungarian, German, English and is also versed in Spanish). Not surprisingly, Mesko had a huge cult following in college at Michigan, being tabbed such things as "The Space Emperor of Space," "Zoltan the Inconceivable" and "Zoltamus Prime."](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/hvikxmzlrow0cooazfgy.jpg)
Mesko is not named after that cult hero guy from "Dude, Where's My Car?" Instead, he hails from Romania, and is fluent in almost as many forms of communication as C-3PO (seriously, Mesko speaks Romanian, Hungarian, German, English and is also versed in Spanish). Not surprisingly, Mesko had a huge cult following in college at Michigan, being tabbed such things as "The Space Emperor of Space," "Zoltan the Inconceivable" and "Zoltamus Prime."
![Like Mesko, but 30 years earlier, Haji-Sheikh came out of the University of Michigan to earn fame for his unique name and kicking prowess. Haji-Sheikh earned one Pro Bowl selection (1983) and was the Washington Redskins' kicker when the team won Super Bowl XXII.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/grbzxm4iagoesjbecozm.jpg)
Like Mesko, but 30 years earlier, Haji-Sheikh came out of the University of Michigan to earn fame for his unique name and kicking prowess. Haji-Sheikh earned one Pro Bowl selection (1983) and was the Washington Redskins' kicker when the team won Super Bowl XXII.
![Junkin's NFL career spanned three decades, but the final play of his long career is all that anybody remembers him for. Here, however, we celebrate him for having a great name.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/n39rs9irzrx81dssltik.jpg)
Junkin's NFL career spanned three decades, but the final play of his long career is all that anybody remembers him for. Here, however, we celebrate him for having a great name.
![McNally often went by just "Blood" or Johnny Blood, the assumed name he concocted after being inspired by the 1922 film "Blood and Sand." His off-the-field exploits inspired tall tales of debauchery, including one yarn in which McNally "once pulled his car directly into the path of the team train that he'd missed during a late night of wine, women and song. He wasn't even fined, or suspended -- after all, he was the coach." This is the sort of stuff that will make McNally eligible for the NFL's all-time all-awesome team (publication date TBD).](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/hadbmtohoir7arjp0iz2.jpg)
McNally often went by just "Blood" or Johnny Blood, the assumed name he concocted after being inspired by the 1922 film "Blood and Sand." His off-the-field exploits inspired tall tales of debauchery, including one yarn in which McNally "once pulled his car directly into the path of the team train that he'd missed during a late night of wine, women and song. He wasn't even fined, or suspended -- after all, he was the coach." This is the sort of stuff that will make McNally eligible for the NFL's all-time all-awesome team (publication date TBD).
![The short-lived experience that was the Oorang Indians lasted just two magical seasons (1922-23), but left behind a legacy as the most unique team in NFL history. Jim Thorpe (a.k.a. "Bright Path") was the star, but the Oorang Indians' roster also included names such as Long Time Sleep, Big Bear, Red Fang, Lone Wolf, Running Deer, Downwind, Dick Deer Slayer, War Eagle, Ted Buffalo and Joe Little Twig. It could be argued that Long Time Sleep – also known as Nick Lassa -- was the NFL's all-time ultimate team player, wrestling bears to help provide money so his teammates could party at night.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/acgzvl5htxncxrmrtyxv.jpg)
The short-lived experience that was the Oorang Indians lasted just two magical seasons (1922-23), but left behind a legacy as the most unique team in NFL history. Jim Thorpe (a.k.a. "Bright Path") was the star, but the Oorang Indians' roster also included names such as Long Time Sleep, Big Bear, Red Fang, Lone Wolf, Running Deer, Downwind, Dick Deer Slayer, War Eagle, Ted Buffalo and Joe Little Twig. It could be argued that Long Time Sleep – also known as Nick Lassa -- was the NFL's all-time ultimate team player, wrestling bears to help provide money so his teammates could party at night.
![Wilbur Charles Ewbank (as an aside, the world today needs more Wilburs, Elmers and Mortimers, but that's a rant for another time and place) is the only coach to win championships in both the NFL and AFL. In doing so, he was at the epicenter of pro football's rise as the nation's most popular spectator sport. His 1958 NFL champion Baltimore Colts won "The Greatest Game Ever Played," while his 1968 AFL champion New York Jets pulled off the greatest upset in league history in Super Bowl III.](https://res.cloudinary.com/nflleague/image/private/t_new_photo_album/t_lazy/f_auto/league/f2hi167jmvbyda1em9hm.jpg)
Wilbur Charles Ewbank (as an aside, the world today needs more Wilburs, Elmers and Mortimers, but that's a rant for another time and place) is the only coach to win championships in both the NFL and AFL. In doing so, he was at the epicenter of pro football's rise as the nation's most popular spectator sport. His 1958 NFL champion Baltimore Colts won "The Greatest Game Ever Played," while his 1968 AFL champion New York Jets pulled off the greatest upset in league history in Super Bowl III.