The Uncompromising 35: Unpacking the Legacy of the NFL’s Toughest Tackles and Runners! ๐ฅ
Ready to explore a number synonymous with sheer, uncompromising grit? Jersey Number 35 has been worn by some of the most fearsome and effective players in NFL history. They are bridging eras from the two-way legends of the 1930s to modern defensive shutdown artists. We’re celebrating icons like Pro Football Hall of Famer John Henry Johnson, the powerful running back who redefined toughness for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the playmaking of defensive back Aeneas Williams. Dive in to discover the bone-jarring tackles, record-breaking rushes, and all-time greats who made the number 35 truly unforgettable!
Enjoy this podcast episode we did on the legends of NFL Jersey 35.
List of the Best Number 35s in NFL History
Aeneas Williams
A Pro Football Hall of Famer, this versatile defensive back excelled as both a cornerback and safety, earning eight Pro Bowl selections and tying an NFL record with two 100-yard interception returns.
AENEAS WILLIAMS
1991โ2000
Cornerback/Safety – Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1991-2000), St. Louis Rams (2001-2004) – 8x Pro Bowl, 3x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 from 1991 to 2004
Bill Dudley
A Pro Football Hall of Famer and 1946 NFL MVP, “Bullet Bill” was a triple-threat star who led the league in rushing twice and was a dangerous runner, passer, and defensive back.
Halfback/Defensive Back – Pittsburgh Steelers (1942, 1945-1946), Detroit Lions (1947-1949), Washington Redskins (1950-1951, 1953) – 3x Pro Bowl, 4x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1942 and 1945-1946 seasons
Pete Pihos
A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Pihos was a dominant two-way player who won three NFL Championships with the Philadelphia Eagles and earned six consecutive All-Pro selections as an end.
End – Philadelphia Eagles (1947-1955) – 6x Pro Bowl, 6x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 from 1947 to 1955
John Henry Johnson
A Pro Football Hall of Famer, he was one of the NFL’s toughest fullbacks, earning four Pro Bowl selections and winning four NFL Championshipsโtwo with the Lions and two with the Steelers.
Fullback – San Francisco 49ers (1954-1956), Detroit Lions (1957-1959), Pittsburgh Steelers (1960-1965), Houston Oilers (1966) – 4x Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1954 to 1966.
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Calvin Hill
A versatile running back, he was the 1969 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a four-time Pro Bowler for the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first Cowboy to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
Running Back – Dallas Cowboys (1969-1974), Washington Redskins (1976-1977), Cleveland Browns (1978-1981) – 4x Pro Bowl, 2x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 from 1969 to 1974 and 1976 to 1981
Neal Anderson
A Pro Bowl running back for the Chicago Bears, he was a dual-threat star who twice eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards and was the first player since Jim Brown to score at least 10 touchdowns in five consecutive seasons.
Running Back – Chicago Bears (1986-1993) – 4x Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1986 to 1993
Earl Campbell
A Pro Football Hall of Famer and the powerful 1979 NFL MVP, “The Tyler Rose” was a five-time Pro Bowler who led the league in rushing in his first three seasons with the Houston Oilers.
Running Back – Houston Oilers (1978-1984), New Orleans Saints (1984-1985) – 5x Pro Bowl, 3x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 from 1984 to 1985.
Walt Kiesling
A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kiesling was a tough guard and defensive tackle who played on three NFL Championship teams and later coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for over a decade.
Guard/Tackle – Duluth Eskimos (1926-1927), Pottsville Maroons (1928), Chicago Cardinals (1929-1933), Chicago Bears (1934), Green Bay Packers (1935-1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1937-1939) – 1x First-Team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 from 1937 to 1938.
Christian Okoye
Known as “The Nigerian Nightmare,” this powerful running back for the Kansas City Chiefs was a two-time Pro Bowler and the 1989 NFL rushing champion.
Running Back / Fullback – Kansas City Chiefs (1987-1992) – 2x Pro Bowl, 2x All-Pro (1 First-team, 1 Second-team) – Wore Number 35 during the 1987-1992 seasons.
Mike Tolbert
A powerful fullback known as “The Human Bowling Ball,” he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection who was instrumental in the Carolina Panthers’ high-powered rushing attack and their Super Bowl 50 appearance.
Fullback – San Diego Chargers (2008-2011), Carolina Panthers (2012-2016), Buffalo Bills (2017) – 3x Pro Bowl, 2x First-team All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 2008-2017 seasons.
William White
A reliable and versatile defensive back, he played safety and cornerback for 11 NFL seasons, most notably with the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons.
Safety – Detroit Lions (1988-1993), Kansas City Chiefs (1994-1996), Atlanta Falcons (1997-1998) – 0x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1988-1993 seasons with the Lions. (Note: He wore 30 for the Chiefs and Falcons).
Jim Nance
A dominant running back for the Boston Patriots, he was a two-time AFL All-Star who led the AFL in rushing in both 1966 and 1967.
Boston/New England Patriots (1965-1971), Philadelphia Eagles (1972), New York Jets (1973) – 2x AFL All-Star, 2x All-AFL (1 First-team, 1 Second-team) – Wore Number 35 during the 1965-1971 seasons with the Patriots.
Galen Fiss
A durable linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, he was a key defensive leader, earnedย four Pro Bowl selections,ย and helped lead the team to itsย 1964 NFL Championship.
Linebacker – Cleveland Browns (1956-1966) – 2x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1956-1966 seasons.
Jim Otis
A hard-nosed fullback, he spent a decade in the NFL, primarily with the St. Louis Cardinals, and rushed for over 1,000 yards during his 1975 Pro Bowl season.
New Orleans Saints (1970), Kansas City Chiefs (1971-1972), St. Louis Cardinals (1973-1978) – 1x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1970-1978 seasons.
More NFL Legends of Jersey 35
Martin Mayhew
Cornerback – Buffalo Bills (1988), Washington Redskins (1989-1992), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-1996) – 0x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1989-1996 seasons with Washington and Tampa Bay.
Keith Lyle
Free Safety – Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1994-2000), Washington Redskins (2001), San Diego Chargers (2002) – 0x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1994-2000 seasons with the Rams and the 2002 season with the Chargers.
Glenn Doughty
Wide Receiver – Baltimore Colts (1972-1979) – 0x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1972-1979 seasons.
Hewritt Dixon
Running Back / Tight End – Denver Broncos (1963), Oakland Raiders (1963-1970) – 4x AFL All-Star, 1x Pro Bowl, 0x All-Pro – Wore Number 35 during the 1963-1970 seasons with the Raiders.
Marion Butts
Running Back – San Diego Chargers (1989-1993), New England Patriots (1994), Houston Oilers (1995) – 2-time Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1989 to 1993.
Roland Harper
Fullback – Chicago Bears (1975-1982) – 0 times All-Pro or Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1975 to 1982. [Source]
Smokey Stover
Linebacker – Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1960-1966) – 0 times All-Pro or Pro Bowl (2-time AFL All-Star) – Wore Number 35 from 1960 to 1966.
Bo Scott
Running Back – Cleveland Browns (1969-1974) – 0 times All-Pro or Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1969 to 1974. [Source]
Alvin Hall
Safety – Detroit Lions (1981-1987) – 0 times All-Pro or Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 1981 to 1987.
Eric Reid
Safety – San Francisco 49ers (2013-2017), Carolina Panthers (2018-2019) – 1-time Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 2013 to 2017
Tommy Morrow
Defensive Back – Oakland Raiders (1962-1964) – 1-time All-Pro/AFL All-Star – Wore Number 35 from 1962 to 1964.
Joique Bell
Running Back – Indianapolis Colts (2010), Philadelphia Eagles (2010), Detroit Lions (2012-2015, 2016), Chicago Bears (2016) – 0 times All-Pro or Pro Bowl – Wore Number 35 from 2012 to 2015. [Source]
Larry Schreiber
Running Back – San Francisco 49ers (1971โ1975), Chicago Bears (1976) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1971โ1975 seasons.
Steve Smith
Fullback / Running Back – Los Angeles Raiders (1987โ1993), Seattle Seahawks (1994โ1995) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1987โ1995 seasons.
Joe Childress
Running Back / Fullback – Chicago Cardinals (1956โ1959), St. Louis Cardinals (1960, 1962โ1965) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1956โ1960 and 1962โ1965 seasons.
Anthony Thomas
Running Back – Chicago Bears (2001โ2004), Dallas Cowboys (2005), New Orleans Saints (2005), Buffalo Bills (2006โ2007) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 2001โ2004 seasons.
Mike Pritchard
Wide Receiver – Atlanta Falcons (1991โ1993), Denver Broncos (1994โ1995), Seattle Seahawks (1996โ1999) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1991 season.
Rick Casares
Fullback – Chicago Bears (1955โ1964), Washington Redskins (1965), Miami Dolphins (1966) – 5 Pro Bowl selections and 2 All-Pro selections (1 First-Team, 1 Second-Team) – Wore Number 35 during the 1955โ1964 and 1966 seasons.
Ted Davis
Linebacker – Baltimore Colts (1964โ1966), New Orleans Saints (1967โ1969), Miami Dolphins (1970) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1967โ1969 seasons.
Dexter Carter
Running Back – San Francisco 49ers (1990โ1994, 1995โ1996), New York Jets (1995) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 1990โ1996 seasons.
Deke Cooper
Safety – Carolina Panthers (2002, 2007), Jacksonville Jaguars (2003โ2005), San Francisco 49ers (2006) – 0 Pro Bowl or All-Pro selections – Wore Number 35 during the 2002โ2007 seasons.
Conclusion
From the bruising, championship-winning runs of John Henry Johnson and Walt Kiesling to the defensive genius and ball-hawking skills of Aeneas Williams, the legacy of jersey number 35 is one of uncompromising football excellence. This number represents a rare blend of versatility and toughness, covering eras defined by two-way ironmen and modern specialists alike. Whether carrying the load on offense like Calvin Hill or delivering punishing blocks like Mike Tolbert, the players who wore the number 35 left an indelible mark on the game, proving that true gridiron dominance comes down to pure grit.
A special thanks goes to the reference sites used to obtain this data: Pro-Football-Reference.com, Wikipedia.com, StatMuse.com, and NFL.com.
