Best of Jersey 12

In the world of sports superstitions, number 13 might get all the bad press. But what about number 12? Often viewed with a hint of skepticism, some consider it an unlucky jersey number. However, NFL history tells a different story. Number 12 has been a haven for some of the most iconic and electrifying players the game has ever seen.

This list throws a touchdown pass to the truth, showcasing the top NFL players who wore number 12 with pride and shattered the supposed curse. Get ready to discover a diverse group of gridiron greats, from the scrambling magic of Roger Staubach to the dominant play of Tom Brady.

Dana Auguster of Historically Speaking, frequent social media post on all thing sports history

The Pro Football Hall of Fame lists the following names of Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined players that wore (8): 

• Terry Bradshaw was the QB  of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Born September 2, 1948 - Terry Bradshaw was a former quarterback from Louisiana Tech that is enshrined in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bradshaw was the number one pick in the 1970 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and he guided the franchise to four Lombardi Trophies with his strong arm. The "Blonde Bomber" as he was known won the MVP award in consecutive Super Bowls XIII over the Cowboys and in Super Bowl XIV  against the Rams. He has been a football analyst for Fox Network since 1994 and has also acted in movies and sang Country Western songs since the late 1970's.
• Bob Griese was born February 3, 1945 in Evansville, Indiana .  Purdue University’s famed Quarterback, Bob Griese was born. According to the footballfoundation.org Bob started as a Sophomore for the Boilermakers and in the second game of that 1965 season he led Purdue in an upset of top ranked Notre Dame by the score of 25-21. In the win over the Irish Griese completed 19 of 22 passes, including 13 straight completions at one point. He was a consensus All-America selection in both 1965 and 1966. The National Football Foundation selected Bob Griese for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984. Bob was the top pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 1967 AFL Draft. He played 12 seasons in the AFL and NFL, earned the NFL Player of the Year Award in 1971, helped his team go undefeated in 1972 and won Super Bowl VII then repeated as the Champs again in Super Bowl VIII.  Bob played in two AFL All-Star games and 6 NFL Pro Bowls. In 1990 Bob Griese received a Gold Jacket as he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Arnie Herber was the QB of the Green Bay Packers 1930 to 1940, then 2 years with the NY Giants.   Born April 2, 1910 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Threw a TD in his 1st Pro game as a 20 year old. Won 4 NFL Championships with the Packers. NFL PASSING LEADER, 1932, 1934, 1936. Don Hutson was his favorite receiver. Enshrined into the Pro Football hall of Fame in 1966.
• Jim Kelly was the QB of the Buffalo Bills. Born February 14, 1960 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - The outstanding quarterback from the Miami Huurciane’s program Jim Kelly. The Buffalo Bills selected Kelly in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft but the signal caller decided to sign with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers franchise instead. The 6’-4” 225 quarterback spent two seasons with the Gamblers and threw for 9,842 yards and a whopping 83 touchdowns per the ProFootballHOF.com website. When the USFL folded Jim signed on with the NFL team that originally drafted him, the Bills in 1986. It was a perfect fit for both parties as Kelly ran the famed “no Huddle” fast paced offense of Coach Marv Levy to a tee. Having offensive weapons like running back Thurmon Thomas and receivers Andre Reid and James Lofton didn’t hurt either. The Bills played in four straight Super Bowls in the 1990’s led by Kelly’s arm. In Jim’s 11 seasons with the Bills, he led the Bills to the AFC playoffs eight times. In those 17 playoff  appearances, including four the Super Bowls, Kelly tossed the ball for 3,863 yards and 21 touchdowns! Jim Kelly was enshrined into the  Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
• Link Lyman was born November 30, 1898 in Table Rock, Nebraska  as 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.
• Joe Namath was the QB of the NY Jets, LA Rams - Born 1943- Joe Namath 5 time Pro Bowl and Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback for the NY Jets and Rams. MVP of Super Bowl III where he predicted a victory for his heavy underdog Jets and lived up to his promise. This win and his larger than life personality made him quite popular in the Big Apple, where they called him "Broadway Joe." Namath played his college ball under Head Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama.
• Ken Stabler was the QB of the Oakland Raiders  - Born on December 25, 1945 - Foley, Alabama - The Crimson Tide’s legendary quarterback Ken Stabler was born. Ken performed one of the most memorable plays in Alabama football history when he did his famous “Run in the Mud” play against Auburn in the 1967 Iron Bowl. The “Snake” as he was called was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1968 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons in the League per the Pro Football HOF bio on him. Besides the Raiders, Ken spent time on the New Orleans Saints and Houston Oilers rosters too. He is best known as the leader of the Silver and Black offenses of the 1970’s though including Super Bowl XI where the Raiders took apart the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 on timely passing by Stabler who went 12 of 19 on the day with 180 yards to keep the Purple People Eaters Defense on their heels. For his career Stabler had a 0.661 winning percentage as a starter throwing 194 TD passes for well over 27,000 career yards and he even led his team to five straight Conference Championship Games. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Ken Stabler in 2016.  
• Roger Staubach was the QB Dallas Cowboys - Born on February 5, 1942 - Cincinnati, Ohio - The Naval Academy’s legendary Quarterback Roger Staubach celebrated his day of birth.  Staubach was befitting of the name “Roger the Dodger” as his elusive skill set kept defenses off guard never knowing if he would run or throw a pass. The NFF states that During three varsity seasons, Staubach completed 292 of 463 pass attempts, for an incredible 63% completion rate. And of those 463 throws, only 19 were intercepted.  In 1963 Roger was honored by receiving both the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award along with being selected as an All American. The voters of the College Football Hall of Fame came knocking on Roger Staubach’s door to induct him into their museum in 1981. Staubach served out his 4 year commission to the Navy and at the age of 27 joined the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie. He spent ten seasons under center with Dallas and per the ProfootballHOF.com and left with anamazong 83.4 passing rating, at the time the best mark by an NFL player. His career stats were officially at 1,685 completions in 2,958 passing attempts, which were good for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns.  He was a two time Super Bowl winner and was the MVP of Super Bowl VI. Roger Staubach  in 1985 was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Those that are not in the Hall yet are:

• Tom Brady - Who can say any more about the GOAT QB. he played in 10 Super Bowls and won 7! That is more SB winds than any franchise! Crazy good!!
• Aaron Rodgers - Another player that is still playing, long time QB of the Green Bay Packers and one of the best of all time.
• Dana brought up a couple of guys from his college of Southern University’s arch rival Grambling University produced that made it into the NFL: 
• James Harris
• Doug Williams
• John Brodie
• Joe Ferguson
• Randall Cunningham
• Charley Johnson
• Rich Gannon
• Andrew Luck
• Lynn Dickey
• Marques Colston ; WR

Check out who we placed in the top ten of NFL players wearing number 12.

Dana Auguster the popular Social Media historian and  podcaster from Historically Speaking joined Darin to find the best players in the NFL’s history to put on the number 10 jersey.
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 players as being the most substantial:  

1. Tom Brady
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Bob Griese
4. Terry Bradshaw
5. Jim Kelly
6. Arnie Herber
7. Roger Staubach
8. Joe Namath
9. Ken Stabler
10. Link Lyman
11. Randall Cunningham
12. Rich Gannon.

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.