Donald Montgomery Hutson (January 31, 1913 – June 26, 1997), nicknamed "the Alabama Antelope", was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). In the era of the one-platoon football, he played as an end and spent his entire 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers. Under head coach Curly Lambeau, Hutson led the Packers to four NFL Championship Games, winning three in 1936, 1939, and 1944.
Hutson joined the Packers in 1935 and played 11 seasons before he retired in 1945. He led the league in receiving yards in seven separate seasons and in receiving touchdowns in nine. A talented safety on defense, he also led the NFL in interceptions in 1940. Hutson was an eight-time All-Pro selection, a four-time All-Star, and was twice awarded the Joe F. Carr Trophy as the NFL Most Valuable Player.
Hutson is considered to have been the first modern wide receiver,[1] and is credited with creating many of the modern pass routes used in the NFL today. He was the dominant receiver of his day, and is widely considered one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.[2][3][4][5][6] Hutson was the first 1,000-yard receiver in the NFL.[7] He held almost all major receiving records at the time of his retirement, including career receptions, yards, and touchdowns.[8] He was inducted as a charter member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hutson's number 14 was the first jersey retired by the Packers, and he is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Hutson was selected to the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team as one of the greatest players of the NFL's first 50 years in 1969, to the 75th in 1994, and to the 100th in 2019.
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- ^ David Whitley. "Hutson was first modern receiver". ESPN. Sports Century. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved March 29, 2005.
- ^ Jimmy Conzelman (September 6, 1940). "Tinsley as Good as Hutson?". St Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 38. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kenyon, David (October 3, 2018). "The Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ Harrison, Elliot. "Ten best receivers of all time". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ Tallent, Aaron (February 18, 2022). "25 Greatest Wide Receivers in NFL History". AthlonSports.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ Markarian, Jerry (April 27, 2022). "The 10 Best NFL Wide Receivers Of All Time, Ranked". TheSportster. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Distant Replay: Don Hutson". www.packers.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ "Member – Pro Football Hall of Fame–Don Hutson". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
