Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Hutson in 1945. Hutson invented modern pass receiving. He created Z-outs, buttonhooks, hook-and-gos, and a whole catalog of moves and fakes. He wound up with 99 career touchdown receptions, a record that stood for more than four decades. When Hutson retired in 1945, he held 18 NFL records, including 488 career receptions. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Bronko Nagurski, shown here in his comeback in 1943, was one of the most devastating runnners of the 1930s. Nagurski played for the Chicago Bears from 1930-1937 and 1943. Nagurski left after the 1937 season because of money dispute. When he rejonied the team for the single season in 1943, he lead the Bears to another championship. Nagurski was inducted into the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1963. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Hutson runs upfield in a 28 to 7 win over the Chicago Cardinals on October 3, 1943 at State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame head coach Earl "Curly " Lambeau diagrams a play on the chalkboard for quarterback Cecil Isbell and Hall of Fame end Don Hutson in 1940. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Guard Ray Bray, fullback Bill Osmanski, and center Clyde "Bulldog" Turner of the Chicago Bears looks to tackle Clarke Hinkle of the Green Bay Packers. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Charley Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals. Trippi played as a left halfback for four seasons before switching to quarterback for two years. He then moved back to offensive halfback for one campaign before changing almost exclusively to the defensive unit. He also was the Cardinals' punter and he excelled on the punt and kickoff return teams. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Halfback Charley Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals along with Vic Schwall(37), Bill Campbell(53), and Vince Banonis(32) on the bench during a 45 to 21 loss to the Washington Redskins on November 23, 1947 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nate Fine/NFL)

Hall of Fame halfback "Bullet" Bill Dudley of the Detroit Lions circa 1947. The 5-10, 182-pound halfback ran, passed, punted, and placekicked. He returned punts and kickoffs, caught passes, and was a deadly defender. Dudley, who was nicknamed �Bullet Bill,� even though he was never considered to be fast, was a first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942. He demonstrated from the start that his relatively small size and lack of blazing speed wasn�t a detriment. In the first game of his pro career he ran for a 55-yard touchdown and in his second game scored on a kickoff return. He finished his rookie season as the league�s leading rusher with 696 yards and earned all-league honors. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Hall of Fame halfback "Bullet" Bill Dudley of the Detroit Lions circa 1947. The 5-10, 182-pound halfback ran, passed, punted, and placekicked. He returned punts and kickoffs, caught passes, and was a deadly defender. Dudley, who was nicknamed "Bullet Bill," even though he was never considered to be fast, was a first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942. He demonstrated from the start that his relatively small size and lack of blazing speed wasn't a detriment. In the first game of his pro career he ran for a 55-yard touchdown and in his second game scored on a kickoff return. He finished his rookie season as the league's leading rusher with 696 yards and earned all-league honors. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Running back Fred Gehrke of the Los Angeles Rams heads upfield on a run in a 1947 game. Gehrke is the man responsible for painting horns on the Rams helmet. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Fred Gehrke (18) of the Los Angeles Rams is run out of bounds by John Hollar (15) and Howard Hartley (29) of the Washington Redskins in a 41-13 win over the Washington Redskins on December 5,1948. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Los Angeles Rams Running back Kenny Washington (13) breaks a tackle during a 31-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 12, 1948, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Philadelphia Eagles runner on a carry in a 14-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams in a League Championship game on December 18, 1949 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein/NFL)

The Philadelphia Eagles bench watches the action in the snow during their 7-0 win over the Chicago Cardinals on 12/19/1948. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Chicago Bear Hall of Fame running back/defensive back George McAfee takes a handoff from Hall of Fame quarterback Sid Luckman in a 1940s file photo. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Hall of Fame running back Tony Canadeo of the Green Bay Packers. Canadeo played offense and defense, ran with the ball, threw passes, caught passes, returned punts and kickoffs, punted and intercepted passes. In 11 years, he rushed for 4,197 yards, passed for 1,642 yards, recorded 69 receptions for 579 yards, gained 513 yards on punt returns, 1,736 on kickoff returns, and scored 186 points. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame running back Steve Van Buren on a carry in a 14-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams in a League Championship game on December 18, 1949 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein/NFL)

Wide receiver Pete Pihos (35) of the Philadelphia Eagles gets past defensive back Les Horvath of the Los Angeles Rams goes up for a catch in a 28-28 tie on October 3, 1948 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein/NFL)

Hall of Fame running back Tony Canadeo of the Green Bay Packers gets by two defenders on a run. (Photo by Vic Stein/NFL)

Hall of Fame running back Tony Canadeo of the Green Bay Packers. He played offense and defense, ran with the ball, threw passes, caught passes, returned punts and kickoffs, punted and intercepted passes. In 11 years, he rushed for 4,197 yards, passed for 1,642 yards, recorded 69 receptions for 579 yards, gained 513 yards on punt returns, 1,736 on kickoff returns, and scored 186 points. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall and Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh in the locker room circa 1940's. (Photo by Nate Fine/NFL)

Overhead photo of Washington, D.C.'s Griffith Stadium, site of the 1940 NFL Championship game in which the Chicago Bears defeated the Redskins 73-0 on 12/8/1940 in front of 36,034 fans. The Bears rushed for 381 yards in the game. (Photo by NFL/NFL)

The Cleveland Rams covered their feet with straw and pulled parkas over their jerseys when freezing weather arrived for a 15-14 win over the Washington Redskins in the 1945 NFL Championship Game at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on December 16, 1945. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Bill Willis, at 6-2 and 210 pounds, was small by pro football standards in 1946, yet he performed in a class by himself, particularly on defense. In the eight years he played for the Cleveland Browns from 1946 through 1953, he was a first-team All-League selection seven times and a second-team choice once. He also played in three NFL Pro Bowls. It was Bill's touchdown-saving tackle in a playoff game against the New York Giants that enabled the Browns to continue their quest for the 1950 championship their first year in the NFL after four dominating seasons in the All-America Football Conference. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 1: Quarterback Bob Waterfield #7 of the Los Angles Rams poses for a publicity photo during training camp at Loyola University on August 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein /NFL Photos/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 1: End Tom Fears #44 poses for a publicity photo during training camp at Loyola University on August 1, 1948 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein /NFL Photos/Getty Images)

SUPERIOR, WI - AUGUST: Center Mel Hein #7 of the New York Giants poses for a publicity photo during training camp on August 1, 1941 in Superior, Wisconsin. (Photo by NFL Photos/Getty Images)

PEARL RIVER, NY - AUGUST: New York Giants center Mel Hein #7 poses for a publicity photo during training camp on August 1, 1941 in Pearl River, New York. (Photo by NFL Photos/Getty Images)

PEARL RIVER, NY - AUGUST: New York Giants center Mel Hein #7 poses for a publicity photo during training camp on August 1, 1941 in Pearl River, New York. (Photo by NFL Photos/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 7: Quarterback Sid Luckman #42 of the Chicago Bears runs past end Tom Fears #55 of the Los Angeles Rams during a game played on November 7, 1948 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vic Stein /NFL Photos/Getty Images)

Unites States Military Academy - West Point half back Glenn Davis. He was the 1946 Heisman Trophy winner. After graduation, Davis served three years in the military before joining the Los Angeles Rams. A knee injury in 1952 ended his professional career. (Photo by U.S. Military Academy/NFL)

ATHENS, GA - AUGUST28: Quarterback John Rauch #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs poses for his team headshot on August 28, 1949 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by NFL Photos/Getty Images)

Versatile Pete Pihos (35) of the Philadelphia Eagles, shown here in a photo from 1953 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Pihos was a two-way player until the Eagles decided to have him concentrate on offense. In 1953, they suffered a shortage of defensive ends, so Pihos filled in, earning All-NFL honors. Pihos was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1970. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Quarterback Sammy Baugh of the Washington Redskins poses with a young fan at the United States Capitol. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

BUFFALO, NY - AUGUST 1: Quarterback George Ratterman #61 of the Buffalo Bills poses for a publicity photo during training camp on August 1, 1948 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Pro Football Hall of Fame/NFL Photos/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 19: Running back Steve Van Buren #15 of the Philadelphia Eagles scores the winning touchdown against the Chicago Cardinals in the 1948 NFL Championship Game at Shibe Park on December 19, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals 7-0. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL Photos/Getty Images)

Fullback Bill Osmanski of the Chicago Bears runs upfield in a 73 to 0 victory over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship on December 8, 1940 at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Members of the Chicago Cardinals help the maintenance men clear away the heavy snow--which delayed the game by a half-hour--before the 1948 NFL Championship Game, a 7-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on December 19, 1948, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Culek/NFL)

Hall of Famer Red Badgro. In the beginning of his career he retired after one year with the NFL�s 1927 New York Yankees to give pro baseball a try. Red played in the major leagues for two years with the St. Louis Browns but eventually decided to give pro football another look. The football Yankees had folded so Red signed with the New York Giants. During his six-year tenure with the Giants that began in 1930, the team was a solid championship contender every year and Badgro, a two-way end, was one of the most honored stars. He was named to an all-league first or second-team in 1930, 1931, 1933, and 1934. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Los Angeles Rams Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield circa 1946. In the 1945 NFL Championship Game, Bob Waterfield threw 37- and 44-yard touchdown passes to lead the Cleveland Rams to a 15-14 victory over the Washington Redskins. That capped a season in which he was a unanimous All-NFL choice, and became the first rookie ever to win the league's Most Valuable Player. (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)

Wide receiver Tom Fears of the Los Angeles Rams poses for a photo in 1948. Hall of Fame/NFL Photos (Photo by Pro Football Hall Of Fame/NFL)