Deacon Jones facts

• David D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. 
• Deacon Jones was born in Eatonville, Florida.
• During high school, Jones developed a lump in his thigh and learned that it was a tumor; he had surgery to remove it.
• Deacon Jones was drafted in the fourteenth round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. 
• In 1972, Deacon Jones was included in a multi-player trade with the San Diego Chargers where he was an instant success.
• Deacon Jones concluded his career with the Washington Redskins in 1974.In 1967, Jones claims that he amassed 26 sacks in only 14 games, which (if official) would be the single season record. The term "sack" had not yet been coined at the time, and official sack statistics were not recorded by the NFL until 1982.
• Deacon Jones has worked as a television actor, and appeared in numerous TV programs since the 1970s.
• Deacon recently traveled to Iraq to meet with troops stationed there and U.S. General Tommy Franks.
• Deacon Jones was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980.
• In 1999, Deacon Jones was named by Sports Illustrated as the "Defensive End of the Century".

Quick facts about Emmitt Smith

• Emmith Smith's partner on Dancing With The Stars was Cheryl Burke.
• Smith has won three Superbowls. They are Superbowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX.
• Left college in 1990 after his junior year to enter the NFL draft; took classes every off-season and completed his degree in 1996 because he had promised his mother he'd graduate.
• Won Season 3 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars with partner Cheryl Burke.
• In 1991, Emmitt became the first member of the Dallas Cowboys to ever lead the NFL in rushing. Emmitt Smith played for the Dallas Cowboys for twelve seasons.
• His wife, Patricia, was Miss Virginia in 1994 and runner-up in that year's Miss USA pageant.
• Emmitt Smith is the son of son of Mary and Emmitt Smith Jr. He has two sisters, Marsha and Connie, and three brothers, Erik, Emil and Emory. 
• Helped establish the nonprofit Open Doors Foundation for disadvantaged youth. Also works with Make-a-Wish Foundation, Salvation Army and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
• He is 5'10" tall and weighs 216 lbs.
• Member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
• When Emmitt Smith was 22 years, he became the youngest player to lead the league in rushing.
• Emmitt Smith was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 draft.
• In order to officially retire as a Cowboy, Emmitt signed a one-day contract for no money with Dallas in 2005.
• In 2010, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, in his first year of eligibility.
• Emmitt Smith was named Superbowl MVP at Superbowl XXVIII.
• Emmitt Smith is the all-time NFL rushing yards leader with 18,355 yards and he is also the all-time NFL rushing touchdown leader with 164 touchdowns.
• In 1990, Emmitt Smith was named Rookie of the Year.

Interesting facts about Reggie White

• Reggie White was ranked number 22 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. 
• Reginald Howard "Reggie" White, nicknamed "The Minister of Defense" was a professional American football player who played defensive end for 15 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers.
• Reggie White retired from football in 1998, but then got a message from God to tell him to continue playing.
• White studied the Torah heavily.
• He also played for two seasons in the United States Football League for the Memphis Showboats.
• Reggie White made 124 sacks with the Eagles.
• White won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice.
• As of 2007 his jersey number is one of five to be retired by the Packers.
• Reggie White made 68 sacks with the Packers.
• White played for the Carolina Panthers.
• As of 2007 his jersey number is one of seven to be retired by the Eagles.
• Reggie White went to 13 Pro Bowls. 
• White played for the Green Bay Packers.
• Reggie White was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006, two years after his death.
• After the 1998 season, White retired from professional football. However, in 2000, White was wooed back to the league by the Carolina Panthers. He played for one season as a Panther, then retired again.
• At the time of his retirement, White was the NFL's all-time sacks leader with 198. (He has since been surpassed by Bruce Smith who has 200.) White also recorded three interceptions, which he returned for 79 yards. He recovered nineteen fumbles, which he returned for 137 yards and three touchdowns.
• His nine consecutive seasons (1985–1993) with at least ten sacks remain an NFL record. He was named an All-Pro for thirteen of his fifteen seasons, including eight as a first-team selection.

Facts about Lawrence Taylor

linebacker Lawrence Taylor

• Played linebacker for the National Football League's New York Giants (1981-1993).
• Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959) is nicknamed "L.T.".
• Arrested for an alleged rape at a Holiday Inn in Montebello, New York on May 6, 2010
• Defeated Scott 'Bam Bam' Bigelow in WrestleMania XI (1995) (TV).
• Lawrence Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL).
• The Giants retired his number 56 during the 1994 season.
• After an All-American career at the University of North Carolina (UNC) (1978–1981), Lawrence Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft.
• Widely regarded as the best linebacker in NFL history.
• Taylor won a record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his performance during the 1986 season.
• Lawrence Taylor was selected to 10 straight NFL Pro Bowls, 1981-1990.
• Lawrence Taylor had a controversial lifestyle, during and after his playing career. He admitted to using addictive drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL, and was suspended several times by the league for failing drug tests.
• Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1999.

Johnny Unitas "the Golden Arm"

Johnny Unitas

Quick facts

• John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. 
• He was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967.
• Unitas was born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1933, and grew up in the Brookline neighborhood.
• Johnny Unitas was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
• Johnny Unitas held the record for most Pro Bowl appearances (10) by a quarterback until Brett Favre broke his record in 2009.
• His unusual surname was a result of a phonetic transliteration of a common Lithuanian last name Jonaitis. 
• Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been awarded to the top senior quarterback of the current year in college football. The award is presented annually in Louisville.
• Unitas was nicknamed "the Golden Arm" and often called "Johnny U".
• Johnny Unitas Tower, a dormitory at the University of Louisville, is named for Johnny Unitas.
• In 1999, ESPN's Sportscentury: 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century ranked Unitas #32.
• In 2004, The Sporting News ranked Johnny Unitas No. 1 among the NFL's 50 Greatest Quarterbacks, with Joe Montana No. 2.
• Johnny guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode "Homie the Clown" (first aired February 12, 1995). In the episode "Mother Simpson" (first aired November 19, 1995), Grandpa Simpson also refers to Unitas having a "haircut you could set your watch to."
• Johnny Unitas set the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 47 games. This remains unsurpassed as of 2010.
• In 1999, Johnny Unitas was an extra in Runaway Bride. He can be seen about 25 minutes into the movie sitting on the bench outside the bakery.

Joe Montana facts

Joe Montana

• Joe Montana led Notre Dame to an NCAA National Championship in 1977.
• Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr., (born June 11, 1956), nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe and Comeback Joe, is a retired and iconic American football player whose professional career in the National Football League (NFL) spanned the late 1970s through the mid-1990s.
• Joe Montana was inducted into the Ringgold High Hall of Fame on September 2, 2006, along with Baseball stars Stan Musial and Ken Griffey Sr. and NFL kicker Fred Cox.
• Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback (QB) for the next 14 seasons.
• Joe started playing peewee football when he was eight, even thought the minimum age was nine, but his father adjusted his age on the application.
• Montana started four Super Bowl games and the team won all of them with San Francisco.
• His high school alma mater, Ringgold High, plays in Joe Montana Stadium.
• In 1989, and again in 1990, the Associated Press named Montana the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Sports Illustrated magazine named Montana the 1990 "Sportsman of the Year".
• Joe Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
• Montana was elected to eight Pro Bowls, as well as being voted 1st team All-Pro by the AP in 1987, 1989, and 1990.
• Joe Montana is the only player to win the Super Bowl MVP Award three times.
• Noted for his ability to remain calm under pressure, Montana helped his teams to 31 fourth quarter come-from-behind wins.
• Filmmaker Oliver Stone named the lead character in his movie Scarface (Tony Montana) after Joe.
• Montana had the highest passer rating in the National Football Conference (NFC) five times (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989); and, in both 1987 and 1989, Montana had the highest passer rating in the entire NFL.
• Joe Montana attended Ringgold High School in Monongahela, PA.
• Joe Montana is tied with Terry Bradshaw having quarterbacked his team to four Super Bowl Championships.
• Sports Illustrated named him Sportsman of the Year in 1990.
  Joe Montana was selected to play in the Pro Bowl eight times.
• Joe Montana won the Associated Press MVP Award twice, in 1989 and 1990.
  Joe Montana was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Entry Draft.
• Montana owned an employment company with Mickey Mantle, but the company failed after only a few months.
• Joe Montana went to school at Notre Dame.
• Joe spent the 1993 and 1994 seasons, his final two years in the NFL, with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Interesting facts about JIm Brown

• Jim Brown’s first touchdown in the NFL came on a five yard reception against the Philadelphia Eagles and was thrown by Browns’ quarterback Tommy O’Connell.James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown (born February 17, 1936) is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor.
• Jim Brown scored 22 touchdowns during his career against both the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Cardinals, this was the most he scored against any opposing team.
• Brown is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965.
• In a 1963 win over the Washington Redskins, Jim Brown had an 80 yard rushing touchdown and an 83 yard receiving touchdown.
• Just less than 25% of the rushing touchdowns scored by Jim Brown came on runs of more than 30 yards.
• In a 1963 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Jim Brown carried the ball 20 times for 232 yards, averaging an amazing 11+ yards per carry.
• In 2002, Brown was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.
• When Jim Brown retired from the NFL he was the career leader in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and all purpose yards.
• Jim Brown is not only a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, but also of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
• Jim Brown scored more touchdowns in the fourth quarter than during any other quarter of play during his career.
• Brown is considered to be one of the greatest professional athletes the U.S. has ever produced.
• In a 1963 win over the Washington Redskins, Jim Brown had the only 100 yard receiving game of his career. He caught three pass for 100 yards and one touchdown.
• During his career, Jim Brown completed four of 12 passes, three of those completions went for touchdowns.
• In a 1959 win over Baltimore, Jim Brown scored five rushing touchdowns, this is the most he scored in one game during his entire career.
• Jim Brown rushed for more than 200 yards in a game four times during his career, twice against the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Jim Brown played just nine seasons in the NFL, and led the league in rushing yards eight times.
• Brown also led the league in rushing attempts six times, rushing touchdowns five times, yards from scrimmage six times, and yards per game eight times.

16 Jerry Rice facts

1. Jerry Lee Rice was born on October 13, 1962.
2. Jerry Rice is 6' 2", and 200 lbs.
3. Jerry made 51 touchdowns during his college career. 
4. Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League history.
5. Jerry Rice is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
6. Jerry Rice was born in Starkville, Mississippi but raised in Crawford, as the son of a brick mason.
7. Jerry Rice's professional dancing partner on season two of Dancing With The Stars was Anna Trebunskaya.