Coming out of college, I didn't think Chris Hanburger would ever play in the NFL. He was just under 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, and ran a 4.79 40 on grass. He was an undersized guy that turned out to be an overachiever. He was really smart and had great recognition. Under defensive mastermind George Allen, he called all the defensive signals.
Some things you might not know about the newest Redskin in the Hall of Fame:
» Only the second linebacker from the Redskins to enter the Hall of Fame, joining Sam Huff.
» Hanburger's father was an Army colonel. Perhaps that's where he got the discipline to play pro football.
» Hanburger was a running back when he got to the University of North Carolina, where they converted him to linebacker.
» Hanburger intercepted 19 passes in 14 NFL seasons.
» Hanburger always played well against the Dallas Cowboys -- even though coach Tom Landry always tried to scheme against him.
» Every year, the Cowboys coaches would go through all the players in the league and talk about players they might want to acquire. Every year, linebackers coach Jerry Tubbs would make a plea for us to trade for Hanburger. Could you imagine the Redskins trading their future Hall of Fame linebacker to their biggest rivals?
» Was a first-team All-Pro four times.
» Held the NFL record for fumbles returned for touchdowns when he retired (since broken).
» Only the second player from North Carolina in the Hall of Fame, Hanburger is in good company; the other is Lawrence Taylor.
» Turns 70 seven days after enshrinement.
