Best of Jersey 44

Don't Judge a Jersey By Its Number as in the NFL jersey numbers can carry a certain mystique. Number 12 conjures images of iconic quarterbacks, while 81 speaks of unstoppable wide receivers. But what about number 44? It might not be the first number that grabs your attention, but beneath its surface lies a rich legacy of talented players who left their mark on the game.

This article delves into the stories of the most renowned NFL players who wore number 44 with pride. Get ready to meet a diverse group of gridiron greats, from shutdown defensive backs to great rushers in history this number has some top athletes.

On this edition of the Football  by Numbers series will be coming up with the top ten best NFL players to wear the number 44 and to help us Joe Ziemba of the When Football Was Football Podcast stops by the Pigpen! 

The Hall of Fame gives us our starting point.

• John Riggins
• Dick LeBeau
• Floyd Little
• Bobby Dillon
• Leroy Kelly
• Bruiser Kinard
• Arnie Weinmeister
• Dave Casper
• Bill Dudley
• Ernie Nevers
• Steve Owen

The Substantial Players wearing 44 not yet in the Hall Of Fame are:

• Dave Waymer
• Chuck Foreman
• Kyle Rote
• John Harris
• Donny Anderson
• John David Crow
• Pete Retzlaff
• Bruce Taylor
• Dallas Clark
• Elbert Dubenion
• Robert Newhouse
• Marv Hubbard
• Terry Schmidt
• Ahmad Bradshaw
• D.J. Johnson
• Wayne Smith
• Jerrel Wilson
• Tom Rathman
• Lorenzo White
• Earnest Byner
• Vic Beasley
• Charley Tolar
• Martin Bayless
• Don Bishop
• Don Calhoun
• Myles Jack
• Willie Daniel
• Paul Lankford
• John Gilliam
• Lyle Blackwood
• Doug Kotar
• Eric Warfield
• Jim Shofner
• James Starks
• Mike Guman
• Herman Heard

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.