The National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team was selected in 1969 by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters from each franchise city of the National Football League (NFL) to honor the greatest players of the first 50 years of the league.[1] A total of 16 players were named, including 15 position winners and one special "legend" category for Jim Thorpe,[2][3] who was described "as the star that never diminishes."[4] At the time, all but three of the players had played in 20 prior years; four were on NFL rosters at the time of the selections: Johnny Unitas, Gale Sayers, John Mackey, and Ray Nitschke.[4] Additionally, two runners-up were also named for each of the 15 positions.[3]
Seven of the sixteen players from the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team also made the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team: Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Don Hutson, Gino Marchetti, Ray Nitschke, and Dick "Night Train" Lane.
Eleven of the sixteen players from the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team also made the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team: Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Don Hutson, Elroy Hirsch, John Mackey, Cal Hubbard, Chuck Bednarik, Gino Marchetti, Dick "Night Train" Lane, and Emlen Tunnell.
With Jerry Kramer making the Hall of Fame class of 2018, all members of the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- ^ "Ten blacks named to NFL's 'dream team'". The Indianapolis Recorder. September 13, 1969. pp. 8, 11. Retrieved April 8, 2020 – via Hoosier State Chronicles.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Oates1969_p94was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
SanBernwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Unitas QBs NFL Team". The Tampa Tribune-Times. AP. September 7, 1969. p. 5-F. Retrieved April 9, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
