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Best of Jersey 31

The Greatest NFL Players Who Wore the Number 31 Jersey - Discussion with Joe Ziemba
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Donning the #31 Legends Who Left Their Mark

Number 31 might not be the most glamorous number in the NFL, but it's been donned by some truly impactful players. This list dives into the careers of the gridiron greats who wore #31, exploring their on-field dominance, iconic moments, and lasting legacies. From defensive stalwarts to offensive playmakers, prepare to be surprised by the variety of talent that thrived under this unique jersey number.

Best of Jersey 31

On this edition of the Football  by Numbers series will be coming up with the top ten best NFL players to wear the number 31 and to help us Joe Ziemba of the When Football was Football Podcast stops by the Pigpen! 

For a complete list of our top picks, click the "Help the Show" button at the top and a donation of any size and an email gets you a list of where we are so far in the numbers series!

The Hall of Fame gives us our starting point:

Jack Tatum

Born November 18, 1948, in Cherryville, North Carolina the great Ohio State DB, Jack Tatum was often called the “Assassin” for his hard hitting style of play but he also could blanket a receiver in coverage too. The National Football Foundation writes that Jack was a unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1970 and consensus pick in 1969, Tatum earned First Team All-Conference honors three times and was named National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970. A three-year starter, Tatum led the Buckeyes to a 27-2 record, two National Championships and at least a share of three Big Ten Conference titles. The College Football Hall of Fame placed a plaque in honor of Jack Tatum’s fine play in their gridiron greats museum in 2004. After he completed college, Tatum was a first round by the Oakland Raiders in the 1971 NFL Draft. Tatum played in the NFL for 10 seasons, nine with Oakland and one with Houston, and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Mike Michalske

Born April 24, 1903, in Cleveland, Ohio, was Mike Michalske the Penn State All-american guard. Mike  signed on in the pros with the  original American Football League’s New York Yankees in 1927. He played there for two seasons until the League disbanded and then he joined the Green Bay Packers of the NFL in 1929 then anchored their lines all the way until 1937. Mike’s bio on the Pro Football Hall of Fame says that Michalske was particularly adept at going after the passer. He also championed the idea of using former fullbacks at guard because they were fast and explosive. He sold the idea to Green Bay Packers coach Curly Lambeau and thus it was no accident that many fine Green Bay guards had cut their football teeth as fullbacks. Michalske  was a great two-way player as the guy played 60 minutes of darn near every game he played in earning him the name of “Iron Mike.” The Packers won NFL titles in 1929, 1930, and 1931, and Michalske was named All-NFL in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, and 1935. In 1964 the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Mike Michalske into their Canton, ohio museum of legends. NFL Jersey Number 36

Donnie Shell

Born August 26, 1952 in Whitmire Safety Donnie Shell. The undrafted free Agent from South Carolina State was a strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) between 1974 and 1987. Shell was a member of the Steelers famed Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s.


Shell retired as the NFL strong safety career leader in interceptions with 51. He started 11 consecutive seasons for the Steelers and was selected to the Steelers All-Time Team, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2020), and to the NFL Silver Anniversary Super Bowl Team.

Jim Taylor

Born September 20, 1935, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the fullback that hailed from LSU during the late 1950’s, Jim Taylor. Jim was selected as an All-American after the 1957 season for the Tigers. He was a big back for the era at 6 foot tall and weighing in at 214 pounds and the Packers picked him as the 15th overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft.  Taylor did not disappoint as he played 10 seasons for the Pack and had a streak of  5 straight seasons of rushing for over 1000 yards! For his career he rushed for a total of 8597 yards and caught an amazing 225 passes for a combined total yardage of over 10,500 yards. The 1962 NFL Title game may be his watershed moment though in the League.  Taylor had 31 carries for 85 yards and a 7 yard touchdown run in the Championship game. Though he did fumble twice in the contest the legendary fullback added 3 receptions for 20 yards. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Jim Taylor in 1976.

Ace Parker

orn May 17, 1912, in Portsmouth, Virginia, was Clarence “Ace” Parker, Duke University’s quarterback/halfback from 1934 through 1936. Ace was one of the most versatile stars to ever set foot on the college gridiron, playing quarterback, halfback, wide receiver, punter, kicker, safety while also returning punts and kickoffs.The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Ace Parker into their legendary museum in 1955. After leaving Duke Parker went on to a pro career. He played pro football for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937-41, earning League MVP honors in 1940 and taking part in the first-ever televised football game in 1939. Ace was All-NFL in 1938 through the 1940 seasons. Parker was one of a handful of former NFL players lured to the rival AAFC in 1946, where he played for the New York Yankees, taking the new franchise to the AAFC Eastern Title. Ace Parker's brilliant pro career was memorialized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they enshrined him in 1972.

Not Yet in the Hall

The Substantial Players wearing 31 not yet in the Hall Of Fame are:

Big Thanks and Credit Goes Out to...

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.

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