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Thread: Biggest NFL star ever

  1. #1
    Rally Onion! Chip R's Avatar
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    Biggest NFL star ever

    I was running an errand tonight and had Brian Kenney's ESPN radio show on. He said he was talking to Mike Ditka about Favre and eventually the conversation got around to the biggest star in NFL history. This isn't necessarily the best player but the biggest star. It's easy to say that a current player would have that distinction in this 24/7 media and most of us not being able to remember stars back in the day. For my money, Joe Namath was the biggest star.

    But you might have to adjust for eras. For example, Red Grange was a tremendous star when he first entered the NFL in 1925. He helped legitimize the NFL when he joined the Bears and they went on a 19 game 67 day barnstorming tour. He got in a salary dispute with the Bears and left to form his own league. How many players had the influence to form their own league? Someone like him would be the biggest star of the 20s. Maybe someone like Bronko Nagurski would have been the biggest star of the 30s. Maybe someone like Don Hutson or Sammy Baugh for the 40s.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Raisor View Post
    Chip is right


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    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Joe Namath was a huge star until he wanted to kiss Susie Kolber on live TV. I think his star has fallen quite a bit since then.

    Jim Brown was mentioned but the man has been a disaster for the better part of a decade and is pretty toxic right now.

    Mike Ditka and Dick Butkus come to mind as two guys who saw their star shine well after their NFL playing careers had ended. Heck Ditka had a SNL skit about him.

    I think Favre can be one of the biggest if he wants to be. The issue that arises with today's players is they have already made millions and have a pretty nice NFL pension to go along with it. But I do think Favre symbolizes the everyman with everything he has done. Tough as nails, married his HS sweat heart, overcame an addiction, his wife battled cancer, and he has stayed a hometown boy to two cities. I do think a few years after he retires you will see him sign a contract with the Packers to be a spokesman/mascot type of guy.

  4. #3
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Peyton Manning and Bret Favre. You could ask anyone and they instantly would know who he is. They are both active players so maybe that helps.

    Non active members, Jerry Rice is probably the most recognizable. Then again I dont really know what star means other than face recognition.

  5. #4
    Member texasdave's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Johnny Unitas or Joe Montana. I'd probably go with Johnny U.

  6. #5
    Member improbus's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Maybe I'm just young, but the whole Joe Namath phenomenon is so strange to me. Was he really that different from Ocho/TO types today? He wore the fur coats, seemed to care more about off the field stuff than on, and his overall importance to the actual football product seems to be vastly overrated. To me, there is no more overrated athlete in the history of sports thn Joe Namath.
    Variatio delectat - Cicero

  7. #6
    Johnny Cueto Fan
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    O.J. Simpson

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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by KOBasinger View Post
    O.J. Simpson
    Its amazing to me how famous O.J. was back in the day, I'm really to young to remember anything but the murder controversy and all his escapades afterward. But the murder thing has made him even MORE famous really.

    Funny story, James Cameron the director(Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic, Avatar, etc.) was trying to decide who was going to be The Terminator in the original movie. Someone suggested O.J. Simpson, and Cameron basically said that O.J. was too nice and no one would really believe that he was a cold blooded killer. Obviously the role eventually went to teh Ahnuld.

  9. #8
    Back from my hiatus Mario-Rijo's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Jerry Rice (or Joe Montana). Dick Butkus is a pretty big football star as well.

    In fact if I were doing a Mt. Rushmore of sports (5 heads) it would go:

    Babe Ruth
    Michael Jordan
    Wayne Gretzky
    Jerry Rice
    Muhammad Ali
    "You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one."

    --Woody Hayes

  10. #9
    Potential Lunch Winner Dom Heffner's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by bucksfan2 View Post
    Joe Namath was a huge star until he wanted to kiss Susie Kolber on live TV. I think his star has fallen quite a bit since then.

    Jim Brown was mentioned but the man has been a disaster for the better part of a decade and is pretty toxic right now.

    Mike Ditka and Dick Butkus come to mind as two guys who saw their star shine well after their NFL playing careers had ended. Heck Ditka had a SNL skit about him.

    I think Favre can be one of the biggest if he wants to be. The issue that arises with today's players is they have already made millions and have a pretty nice NFL pension to go along with it. But I do think Favre symbolizes the everyman with everything he has done. Tough as nails, married his HS sweat heart, overcame an addiction, his wife battled cancer, and he has stayed a hometown boy to two cities. I do think a few years after he retires you will see him sign a contract with the Packers to be a spokesman/mascot type of guy.
    I think Namath's star had faded LONG before the Kolber thing.

    Just due to time...

  11. #10
    breath westofyou's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Namath was the biggest AFL star ever.

    Johnny Unitas was a bigggggggggg NFL star, as was Montana. Neither was as big as OJ though.

  12. #11
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Joe Montana was the biggest star. Joe Namath had about 2-3 years of complete brilliance that have not been equalled, but Montana was a star for a longer time.
    OJ - come on. No way is he up there with Montana, Namath, Unitas.

  13. #12
    Member kaldaniels's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by Mario-Rijo View Post
    Jerry Rice (or Joe Montana). Dick Butkus is a pretty big football star as well.

    In fact if I were doing a Mt. Rushmore of sports (5 heads) it would go:

    Babe Ruth
    Michael Jordan
    Wayne Gretzky
    Jerry Rice
    Muhammad Ali
    I may be wrong, but I just don't think Jerry Rice has the name recognition that you must think he has. Yeah, he did DWTS, but go out on the street and I think more people know of Peyton Manning,Brett Farve,Joe Montana, et al. Can't knock him as a player, just questioning the awareness of him.

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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by Mario-Rijo View Post
    Jerry Rice (or Joe Montana). Dick Butkus is a pretty big football star as well.

    In fact if I were doing a Mt. Rushmore of sports (5 heads) it would go:

    Babe Ruth
    Michael Jordan
    Wayne Gretzky
    Jerry Rice
    Muhammad Ali
    If you include the rest of the world:
    Ali
    Jordan
    Pele
    Tiger Woods
    Zinedine Zidane

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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by Betterread View Post
    If you include the rest of the world:
    Ali
    Jordan
    Pele
    Tiger Woods
    Zinedine Zidane
    Outside Europe, sub. Maradona for Zidane.

  16. #15
    Who, What, Where, When? Tornon's Avatar
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    Re: Biggest NFL star ever

    Quote Originally Posted by Betterread View Post
    If you include the rest of the world:
    Ali
    Jordan
    Pele
    Tiger Woods
    Zinedine Zidane
    Zidane over Beckham?


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