Best of Jersey 11

While some jersey numbers scream "superstar" in the NFL, number 11 might not be the first to grab your attention. But beneath its seemingly ordinary exterior lies a rich history filled with electrifying players who left their mark on the game. From the trenches to the open field, number 11 has been a badge of honor for a diverse group of gridiron greats.

This list dives into the careers of the top NFL players who donned the number 11 with distinction. Get ready to discover a legendary lineup, from the clutch catches of wide receivers like Larry Fitzgerald to the legends like Fritz Pollard and Ernie Nevers.

We continue our journey through the jersey numbers of the NFL and remembering the substantial players that wore them. Joining us agian in this episode on the top NFL players to wear the number 11 is the host of the well known “Sports Forgotten Heroes” podcast  Mr. Warren Rogan also found on the Sports History Network. Warren welcome to the Pigpen!

Pro Football Hall Of Fame # 11s are:

• Joe Guyon:  October 26, 1892 - White Earth, Minnesota  - Joe Guyon was Jim Thorpe’s teammate at Carlisle and from there he moved on to be an All-American tackle at Georgia Tech in 1918 and also saw a National Championship with the Jackets in 1917. In professional football though according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bio on the great player, he was a triple threat halfback that played in the NFL for the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians,  Kansas City Cowboys, Oorang Indians, the Rock Island Independents and the New York Football Giants. He helped the Giants claim the NFL Championship in 1927. The amazing thing is that he played on all of these teams and accomplished so much in just 8 seasons in the League. The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted Joe Guyon in the entry class of 1966. For more on Guyon read our birthday tribute about him.

• William Roy “Link” Lyman - November 30, 1898- Table Rock, Nebraska - William Roy Link Lyman the tackle from Nebraska came into this world. Link was a large player in the early 20’s as he stood 6’-2” high and weighed in at 233 pounds. Lyman was a member of three straight NFL Championship teams, the 1922 & 23 Canton Bulldogs and then the 1924 Cleveland Bulldogs team. The Pro Football Hall of Fame then tells us that in 1925 he joined the Chicago Bears barnstorming tour that featured Red Grange. He stayed with the Bears the balance of his career and even won another NFL Championship with them in 1933. Lyman made shifting the D-lineman around a normal standard when others saw the success of the maneuver. All in all in Link’s  16 years of combined college and pro careers he only went through one losing season. Make sure you read above in the football history headlines to learn about Lyman and the Bulldogs 1924 Championship which is featured.  Link Lyman entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

• Ernie "Big Dog" Nevers June 11, 1903- Nevers was a Stanford All-American player and he was the hero of the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen were about to play Stanford. The Irish and the Horsemen won, 27-10, but no one would forget the courageous performance of Stanford fullback Ernie Nevers. Only five days after having a cast removed from a broken ankle, and with his foot bound tightly in a brace, Nevers dominated the game, setting a Rose Bowl record with 34 carries and gaining 114 yards, only 13 less than the combined total for Notre Dame's legendary backfield. And, for good measure, Nevers averaged 42 yards punting.  Hall of Fame coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, who coached Nevers and the legendary Jim Thorpe picked Nevers over Thorpe as his personal choice as the "greatest football player of all time." Ernie Nevers is a Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee and former NFL Running back, Kicker & Quarterback that played for the Duluth Eskimos and later the Chicago Cardinals. Played for 5 NFL Seasons and was All-NFL in all 5 of them!

•  Fritz Pollard -  January 27, 1894 - Chicago, Illinois - Frederick Douglas “Fritz” Pollard the halfback from Brown University celebrated his birth.  Pollard was a trailblazer for generations to come as he was the the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl in 1915. Fritz according to his bio on the NFF website was an All-American selection in 1916 as that season he made a 48-yard run against Rutgers,  a 60-yarder  against Yale and had a series of long rushing plays of 47, 35, 34 against Harvard. The National Football Foundation voters chose Fritz Pollard’s gridiron legacy to be remembered in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Fritz set another racial first in the professional game too as in 1923-25 with the Hammond Pros, he was the first African American to serve as head coach in the National Football League! Fritz Pollard was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well!

• Ken Strong - Born April 21, 1906 in West Haven, Connecticut - Ken Strong was a running back that played for the Staten Island Stapletons and later the New York Giants in the early NFL, 1929 through 1947. Ken Strong was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

•  Norm Van Brocklin was born March 15, 1926 in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. In college he played QB for the Oregon Ducks and in 1949 joined the Los Angeles Rams where he spent most of his career. He wore number 11 for 6 of his 9 years in LA and them an additional three seasons when he was with the Eagles. Norm won two NFL championships and went to nine Pro Bowls in his 12 year NFL career. His starting record was 61-36-4 and he threw for over 23,000 yards. 173 TDs and 178 interceptions.

Other #11s in consideration 

• Drew Bledsoe QB - New England and Buffalo . Wore the number 11 for 13 seasons.98-95-0 record as a starter. He does have one Super Bowl Ring but that was Tom Brady’s first SB. Played in 4 Pro Bowls. 251 TD passes and 201 interceptions.
• Phil Simms QB New York Giants. Wore number 11 for 14 seasons. 2 time Super Bowl Champion and 2 Pro Bowls.  Record as a starter 98-64-0 . 199 TD passes and 157 interceptions.  33462 yards passing Super Bowl XXI MVP
• Alex Smith QB - San Francisco, Kansas City, Washington. Wore number 11 for 15 seasons. 99-67 -1 as a starter. 199 passing TDs to 109 interceptions. 35650 yards passing so far.
• Earl Morrall QB - SF, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Giants,Colts, Dolphins. 22 seasons in the NFL. 11 seasons wearing number 11. 20809 yards passing, 161 TDs and 148 interceptions. 2 times as an All-Pro, 2 Por Bowls, Won 3 Super Bowls
• Danny White: QB Dallas Cowboys - 12 seasons wearing number 11. 62-30 as a starter. 1 Super Bowl Win but Staubach was the starter, and 1 Pro Bowl. 21959 yards passing 155 TDs to 132 interceptions
• Mark Rypien: QB Washington Redskins- wore number 11 for 9 seasons.47-31 record.Super Bowl MVP XXVI.
• Greg Landry QB - Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts and Chicago Bears. 16 seasons wore the number 11. 44-51-3 record as a starter. 98 TDs and 103 interceptions
• Daunte Culpepper - QB Minnesota Vikings,Miami Oakland and Detroit - Wore number 11 for 8 seasons. 41-58 record as a starter. 149 TDs with 106 interceptions 3 time Pro Bowler
• Larry Fitzgerald WR, Arizona Cardinals. Wore number 11 for 16 seasons. All-Pro 1 time and played in 9 Pro Bowls. 1432 receptions  for 17492 yards and 121 TDs
• Julio Jones WR Atlanta Falcons Wore number 11 for 9 seasons. 848 receptions for 12, 896 yards and 60 TDs. All-Pro 2 times and 7 Pro Bowls
• Julian Edelman  WR, New England Patriots- wore the number 11 for 11 seasons. 620 receptions for 6822 yards and 36 TDs. 3 SB championships. Was the MVP of  Super Bowl LIII.

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Who is in the top 10? Here is our List of Top 10 Best NFL players to wear Jersey 11.

A speical thanks to the Pro Football Reference website for information they share on these great players. Check them out at Pro-Football-Reference.com

Warren Rogan returned to talk about with Darin and determine who the greatest NFL players were that wore the number 11 on the field. 
We had a great list of candidates that really spanned the entire 101 plus years of history of the League and came up with these ten player as being the most substantial:  

1. Norm Van Brocklin
2. Ernie Nevers
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. Fritz Pollard
5. Link Lyman
6. Joe Guyon
7. Ken Strong
8. Phil Simms
9. Earl Morrall
10. Julio Jones.

"Best of Jersey 10"                                                                                                                       "Best of Jersey 12"

A speical thanks to the Pro Football Reference website for information they share on these great players. Check them out at Pro-Football-Reference.com

The Image used above is courtesy of Google Gemini and others from Wikimedia Commons. It is pleasing to see such vivid images of the jerseys that point out the uniform number and help us identify the legends that wore it.