Best of Jersey 5

In the NFL's flashy world of quarterbacks and wide receivers, running backs with the number 5 jersey might not always grab headlines. But don't be fooled by the digits!  Number 5 has a rich history, worn by some of the most powerful, elusive, and impactful running backs the game has ever seen.

This list dives into the careers of the greatest NFL running backs who donned the number 5 with distinction. Get ready to discover a diverse group of gridiron greats. 

We'll explore these running backs' on-field dominance, highlighting their signature moves, impressive rushing yards, and the ways they carried their teams to victory.

Hidden Gems Unearthed: Uncover the surprising stories and unique journeys that make these number 5 legends stand out from the crowd.

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame three are three players that wore the number 5 on their jersey that are enshrined in Canton, Ohio. 

• Paul Hornung the legendary Notre Dame halfback was born. According to the NFF Hornung who was also known as the “Golden Boy” was a two time All-America selection in 1955 and 1956. His heroics in the 1955 game against Iowa he led a drive to tie the score late on a long run and a 40 yard TD pass. Hornung then kicked the extra point for the tie and later the winning field goal to lead the Irish to victory over the Hawkeyes. The Irish were not a very good team in 1957 but Horning’s play was spectacular and led him to become the only Heisman Trophy winner to have played on a losing team. The National Football Foundation voted Paul Hornung in as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985. The Green Bay Packers used a Bonus Draft pick to select the Golden Boy to play for their franchise. Hornung enjoyed a great nine year pro career with the Packers where he led the League in scoring as he was both a halfback and placekicker for the team. Hornung finished with 760 career points powered by 62 TDs and 190 point after kicks and 66 field goals. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Paul Hornung in 1986.
• George McAfee - Born on March 13, 1918 in Corbin, Kentucky- George McAfee was a 6’-0” halfback/defensive back that weighed in at 178 pouds that played his college ball at Duke University. The Pro Football Hall of Fame tells of what a stellar two -way star George was as he could score quickly from anywhere on the field on offense and on defense he picked off 25 passes in just 8 seasons that he played in the NFL.  All eight of his playing years were with the Chicago Bears and offensively he scored 22 TDs on the ground while crossing the goal line an additional 11 times on pass receptions in his career. The Pro football Hall of Fame enshrined George McAfee in 1966. George wore the number five for his entire career.
• Morten Andersen wore the number 5 tow different times in his career when kicking for the Atlanta Falcons. Born August 19, 1960 - Morten Andersen was Pro Football Hall of Fame Kicker most notable for the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saint in the NFL. The Danish- American kicker had a remarkable 25 year career in the NFL!  He attended Michigan State University prior to his NFL career. Andersen was the first player to kick 3 field goals of 50 yards or more inthe same game sucessfuly. He is the All -time leading scorere for both the Falcons and the Saints and he had 14 different seasons where he scored 100 or more points.Morten Andersen was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Players Not Yet in the Hall Of Fame:

• Donovan McNabb - Born November 25, 1976 , McNabb was a Syracuse University quarterback that was picked by the Philadelhia Eagles in the 1999 NFL Draft. In his NFL career he played 11 years with the Eagles and then a year each with Washington and Minnesota. As a starter Donovan was 98-62-1 and threw for 37276 yards and 234 TDs while suffereing 117 interceptions. He played in 5 Pro Bowls and 16 playoff games, five NFC Championships and one Super Bowl.
• Joe Flacco - Flacco was born January 16,1985 and played college football at both Pitt and Delaware. The Baltimore Ravens picked him in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played 11 seasons in Baltimore starting most of them,played in 15 playoff games and won one Super Bowl with the club. His overall starting record so far in 98-77 and he has thrown for 40931 yadds, 224 TDs and 144 interceptions.
• Jeff Garcia - 7 seasons he wore the number 5 with the 49ers and Cleveland. he was 58-58 in his NFL career with 6 playoff games. He tossed for 25537 career NFL yards with 161 touchdowns and 83 passes that were picked off. He also played 5 seasons in the CFL for Calgary  with 16442 yards and 111 TDs and 52 interceptions.
• Kerry Collins - He wore the number 5 for 13 of his 18 years in the NFL. Played for Carolina, New Orleans, NY Giants, Oakland, Tennessee and Indianapolis. 40992 career yards passing with a record of 81-99 . 208 touchdowns and 196 interceptions. 7 playoff games and 2 Pro Bowls
• Teddy Bridgewater - Minnesota, New Orleans and Carolina. 26-23 as a starter 11385 yards so far with 53 TDs and 36 interceptions. 1 Playoff game.
• Pat Leahy - Kicker - 17 seasons wearing the number 5. In field goals he made 304 of 426. Extra points he made 558 of 584.
• Sean Landeta - Punter - 19 seasons wearing the number 5. Career 43.3 yards per punt.
• Matt Prater - Kicker - 14 seasons wearing number 5 in Denver and Detroit ( started out on season in Altanta) - FG 321 made of 386 and extra points he made 491 of 503.

For the Top 5 list click here: The top Five Best Jersey Number 5's in NFL history.

Darin discusses the greatest players to wear the number 5 in NFL history. 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. Morten Andersen
2. Paul Hornung
3. George McAfee
4. Donovan McNabb
5. Joe Flacco

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.