Greatest Players Who Wore the NFL Jersey 40

Six TDs in a Single Game: Why Number 40 Belongs to NFL Immortals! 💫🏈

Did you know that Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers—one of the greatest players to ever wear No. 40—once scored an NFL-record six touchdowns in a single game during his rookie season? That electrifying performance sets the tone for a jersey number steeped in history! From the Hall of Fame grace of Sayers and the punishing runs of Mike Alstott (The A-Train), to the defensive excellence of Dick Anderson and the incredible versatility of Joe Morrison, the number 40 has been donned by players who redefined their positions. Dive in to explore the careers of the All-Pros and champions who made this jersey a symbol of explosive and dependable football talent!

In 2021, we had a guest join us to help identify the best of the best of Jersey 40.

Top Players Who Wore the NFL Jersey 40

Here are some of the top players who wore the jersey number 40 during NFL games.

Gale Sayers

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, “The Kansas Comet” was one of the most electric runners and return specialists in history, setting an NFL record with six touchdowns in a single game during his 1965 Rookie of the Year season.

Running Back – Chicago Bears (1965–1971) – 4 Pro Bowl and 5 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1965–1971 seasons.

Elroy Hirsch

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, “Crazylegs” was a dynamic wide receiver who won the 1951 NFL Championship with the Los Angeles Rams and set a single-season record with 1,495 receiving yards that year.

End / Flanker / Halfback – Los Angeles Rams (1949–1957) – 3 Pro Bowl and 2 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1949–1957 seasons.

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Mike Haynes

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Haynes was an elite shutdown cornerback who was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and won Super Bowl XVIII with the Los Angeles Raiders. (Note: He wore number 22 for the Raiders, but wore 40 earlier in his career with the Patriots.)

Cornerback – New England Patriots (1976–1982), Los Angeles Raiders (1983–1989) – 9 Pro Bowl and 8 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1976–1982 seasons.

Cal Hubbard

A Charter Pro Football Hall of Fame member, this dominant two-way tackle/end was the only person ever inducted into both the Pro Football and Baseball Halls of Fame (as an umpire), winning four NFL Championships.

Tackle / End – New York Giants (1927–1928, 1936), Green Bay Packers (1929–1933, 1935), Pittsburgh Pirates (1936) – 0 Pro Bowls and 4 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1929–1933 and 1935 seasons.

Charlie Joiner

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, this precise route-running wide receiver retired with the most career receptions in NFL history at the time (750) and was a key member of the “Air Coryell” offense.

Wide Receiver – Houston Oilers (1969–1972), Cincinnati Bengals (1972–1975), San Diego Chargers (1976–1986) – 3 Pro Bowl and 2 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1969–1975 seasons.

Wayne Millner

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, this two-way end was a favorite target of Sammy Baugh and helped the Washington Redskins win the 1937 NFL Championship with two key touchdown catches in the title game.

End – Boston / Washington Redskins (1936–1941, 1945) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1936–1941 and 1945 seasons.

Bobby Boyd

A lockdown cornerback for the Baltimore Colts, he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, retiring with 57 career interceptions.

Cornerback – Baltimore Colts (1960–1968) – 2 Pro Bowl and 3 All-Pro (First-Team) selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1960–1968 seasons.

Dick Anderson

An outstanding safety for the Miami Dolphins’ “No Name Defense,” he was the 1973 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a key player on the back-to-back Super Bowl champion teams, including the 1972 undefeated season.

Safety – Miami Dolphins (1968–1974, 1976–1977) – 3 Pro Bowl and 3 All-Pro selections (2 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) – Wore Number 40 during the 1968–1974 and 1976–1977 seasons.

Ken Willard

A four-time Pro Bowl running back and fullback for the San Francisco 49ers, he was the second overall pick in the 1965 draft and finished his career with over 6,100 rushing yards.

Fullback – San Francisco 49ers (1965–1973), St. Louis Cardinals (1974) – 4 Pro Bowl and 1 All-Pro (Second-Team) selection – Wore Number 40 during the 1965–1973 seasons.

More Great NFL Number 40s

James Hasty

Cornerback – New York Jets (1988–1994), Kansas City Chiefs (1995–2000), Oakland Raiders (2001) – 2 Pro Bowl selections and 1 All-Pro selection (Second-Team) – Wore Number 40 during the 1988–2001 seasons.

Joe Morrison

Running Back / Flanker – New York Giants (1959–1972) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1959–1972 seasons.

Mike Washington

Cornerback – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1976–1984) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1976–1984 seasons.

Bruce Laird

Safety – Baltimore Colts (1972–1981), San Diego Chargers (1982–1983) – 1 Pro Bowl selection – Wore Number 40 during the 1972–1983 seasons.

Bobby Joe Conrad

Wide Receiver – Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals (1958–1968), Dallas Cowboys (1969) – 1 Pro Bowl selection and 1 All-Pro selection (First-Team) – Wore Number 40 during the 1958–1969 seasons.

Tony Banfield

Defensive Back – Houston Oilers (1960–1963, 1965) – 3 Pro Bowl (AFL All-Star) selections and 3 All-Pro (All-AFL) selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1960–1963 and 1965 seasons.

Charlie West

Defensive Back – Minnesota Vikings (1968–1973), Detroit Lions (1974–1977), Denver Broncos (1978–1979) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1968–1979 seasons.

Mike Alstott

Fullback – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1996–2007) – 6 Pro Bowl selections and 4 All-Pro selections (3 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) – Wore Number 40 during the 1996–2007 seasons.

Dainard Paulson

Defensive Back – New York Titans / Jets (1961–1966) – 2 Pro Bowl (AFL All-Star) selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1961–1966 seasons.

Larry Garron

Fullback – Boston Patriots (1960–1968) – 4 Pro Bowl (AFL All-Star) selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1960–1968 seasons.

Joe Beauchamp

Defensive Back – San Diego Chargers (1966–1975) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1966–1975 seasons.

Abe Woodson

Defensive Back / Return Specialist – San Francisco 49ers (1958–1964), St. Louis Cardinals (1965–1966) – 5 Pro Bowl and 5 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1958–1964 seasons.

Bobby Jackson

Defensive Back – New York Jets (1978–1985) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1978–1985 seasons.

Pete Banaszak

Running Back – Oakland Raiders (1966–1978) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1966–1978 seasons.

Gary Anderson

Running Back – San Diego Chargers (1985–1988), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1990–1993), Detroit Lions (1993) – 1 Pro Bowl selection – Wore Number 40 during the 1985–1988 seasons.

Erich Barnes

Defensive Back – Chicago Bears (1958–1960), New York Giants (1961–1964), Cleveland Browns (1965–1971) – 6 Pro Bowl and 4 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1965–1971 seasons. [Browns Nation]

Wilbur Jackson

Running Back / Fullback – San Francisco 49ers (1974–1977, 1979), Washington Redskins (1980–1982) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1974–1977, 1979, and 1980–1982 seasons.

Jim Marsalis

Defensive Back – Kansas City Chiefs (1969–1975), New Orleans Saints (1977) – 2 Pro Bowl and 1 All-Pro selections – Wore Number 40 during the 1969–1975 seasons.

Conclusion

From the unstoppable, record-setting brilliance of Gale Sayers to the bone-jarring hits of Dick Anderson on the legendary “No Name Defense,” jersey number 40 stands for game-breaking excellence. This number represents a rare fraternity of players who profoundly impacted the game, including the pioneering two-way skills of Cal Hubbard and the receiving prowess of Charlie Joiner. Whether it signifies an explosive halfback, an aggressive defensive back, or a versatile end, the legacy of No. 40 is securely etched in NFL history as a symbol of elite, high-performance football.

We offer our thanks to the sources we used to gather these facts, including Pro-Football-Reference.com, StatMuse.com, Newspapers.com, NFL.com, and Wikipedia.com.