Pro Football-Nicknames

[LeonardRachiele]

I will have to add to this at intervals (earlier I mentioned Nicknames for Defense so I will leave them out here. )

Keeping Brothers Together

Dick Modzelewski-New York Giants-Little Mo

Ed Modzelewski-Cleveland Browns-Big Mo

Alan Ameche-Baltimore Colts Running Back-The Horse

Charlie Connerly-New York Giants Quarterback-Old Man River

Crazy Legs-El Roy Hirsh-Los Angeles Rams

Darryl Brewster-Cleveland Browns Offensive End-Pistol Pete

Dick Lane-Defensive Back-Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions-Night Train

Dutchman, The-Quarterback and Punter-Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles

Electric Company-Buffalo Bills Offensive Line-They turn on the Juice or O.J. Simpson

Eugene Morris-Miami Dolphins Running Back-Mercury

Gale Sayers-Chicago Bears- Everything-The Kansas Comet

Hogs, The-Washington Redskins-Offensive Line in 1991

Howard Cassidy-Running Back-Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns-Hopalong Cassidy

Hugh McElhenny-San Francisco 49ers Running Back-The King

Jerome Bettis-Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back-The Bus

Joe Perry-San Francisco 49ers Running Back-The Jet

Larry Csonka and Jim Kick-Miami Dolphins-Running Back-Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid

L.G. Dupre-Baltimore Colts Running Back-Long Gone Dupree

Lou Groza-Cleveland Browns-Kicker and Offensive Lineman-The Toe

O.J. Simpson-Buffalo Bills-The Juice

Posse, The-Washington Pass Receivers 1991-Gary Clark, Rickey Sanders, Art Monk

Roger Staubach-Dallas Cowboys-Quarter Back Roger the Dodger

Walter Payton-Chicago Bears-Sweetness

Y.A. Title-New York Giants-The Bald Eagle

[JWL]

Walter (Sneeze) Achiu
Lance (Bambi) Alworth
Alan (The Horse) Ameche
Willie (Flipper) Anderson
Pervis (Afterburner) Atkins
Howard (Screeno) Bailey
Stephen Baker (The Touchdown Maker)
Walt (Piggy) Barnes
Len (Bear Tracks) Barnum
(Slingin') Sammy Baugh
Ed (Bibbles) Bawel
Earnest (Bubba) Bean
Chuck (Concrete Charlie) Bednarik
Eddie (The Flea) Bell
Travis (The Belle Glade Blur) Benjamin
Bob (Seabiscuit) Boyd
Benny (The Purple Streak) Boynton
Walter (Bubby) Brister
Bob (Boomer) Brown
Junious (Buck) Buchanan
Danny (Lightning) Buggs
Jim (Cannonball) Butler
Tomories (Mossy) Cade
Tony (The Gray Ghost) Canadeo
(Commander) Cody Carlson
Ross (Timber Beast) Carter
Dave (The Ghost) Casper
Howard (Hopalong) Cassady
Charles (Boobie) Clark
Johnny (Mr. Zero) Clement
Babe (Gunboat) Connaughton
Edward (Ty) Coon
Clyde (Cannonball) Crabtree
Sam (Bam) Cunningham
Mike (The Animal) Curtis
Bob (Twenty Grand) Davis
Pat (Smoke Screen) Dowling
Elbert (Golden Wheels) Dubenion
Gil (Cactus Face) Duggan
Leslie (Speedy) Duncan
John (Jumbo) Elliott
Bill (Earthquake) Enyart
Norman (Boomer) Esiason
(Swervin') Mervyn Fernandez
Alfred (Jitter) Fields
John (Frenchy) Fuqua
Howard (Hokie) Gajan
James (Jumpy) Geathers
Carlton (Cookie) Gilchrist
Robert (Pig) Goff
Charles (Buckets) Goldenberg
Austin (Goose) Gonsoulin
Casimir (Hippo) Gozdowski
(The Galloping Ghost) Red Grange
(Mean) Joe Greene
Lou (The Toe) Groza
Dick (Death) Halladay
Ray (Sugar Bear) Hamilton
(Bullet) Bob Hayes
Thomas (Hollywood) Henderson
Ted (The Mad Stork) Hendricks
Craig (Ironhead) Heyward
Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch
Ralph (Two-Bits) Homan
(The Golden Boy) Paul Hornung
Rich (Tombstone) Jackson
Lionel (Little Train) James
Bert (Man O' War) Johnson
Billy (White Shoes) Johnson
Gary (Big Hands) Johnson
Thomas (Pepper) Johnson
Adam (Pacman) Jones
David (Deacon) Jones
Ed (Too Tall) Jones
Joe (Turkey) Jones
Johnny (Lam) Jones
Christian (Sonny) Jurgensen
Charley (Choo Choo) Justice
George (Automatic) Karamatic
Alex (The Mad Duck) Karras
Jevon (The Freak) Kearse
Frank (Bucko) Kilroy
Frank (Bruiser) Kinard
Fulton (Captain Crazy) Kuykendall
Ernie (The Big Cat) Ladd
Daryle (The Mad Bomber) Lamonica
Dick (Night Train) Lane
Dante (Gluefingers) Lavelli
Joe (Big Bird) Lavender
Alphonse (Tuffy) Leemans
Joe (Midnight Express) Lillard
Eugene (Big Daddy) Lipscomb
Carl (Moon Eyes) Littlefield
Carl (Spider) Lockhart
Kenneth (Kayo) Lunday
John (Hog Jaw) Magee
Gil (Wild Horse) Mains
Jim (Wrong Way) Marshall
(Jungle) Jim Martin

[JWL]

(Sudden) Sam McCullum
Ed (Wahoo) McDaniel
Ron (The Dancing Bear) McDole
(The King) Hugh McElhenny
Gerald (Ice Cube) McNeil
(Dandy) Don Meredith
Lyvonia (Stump) Mitchell
Willie (Top Cat) Mitchell
Walter (Dinty) Moore
Eugene (Mercury) Morris
(Broadway) Joe Namath
Renaldo (Skeets) Nehemiah
Al (Old Pig Iron) Nesser
Eddie (Five Yards) Novak
Frank (Fudgehammer) Nunley
(The Nigerian Nightmare) Christian Okoye
Elvis (Toast) Patterson
(Sweetness) Walter Payton
Joe (The Jet) Perry
William (Refrigerator) Perry
Don (Dopey) Phelps
Charles (King Kong) Philyaw
Sherman (Tank) Plunkett
Jim (Poodles) Podoley
(The Catawba Claw) Bucky Pope
Floyd (Breezy) Reid
Jack (Hacksaw) Reynolds
George (Buster) Rhymes
Elvin (Kink) Richards
(The Diesel) John Riggins
Walter (The Flea) Roberts
James (Tootie) Robbins
Paul (Straight Runner) Robinson
Al (Big Un) Rose
Bob (The Geek) St. Clair
Deion (Prime Time) Sanders
Clyde (Smackover) Scott
Frank (Slippery) Seeds
O.J. (The Juice) Simpson
Dwight (Paddlefoot) Sloan
Rod (He Hate Me) Smart
Charles (Bubba) Smith
Noland (Super Gnat) Smith
Otis (My Man) Smith
Verda (Vitamin) Smith
Julian (Sus) Spence
Ed (The Claw) Sprinkle
Ken (Snake) Stabler
Roger (The Dodger) Staubach
Jack (The Assassin) Tatum
Hugh (Bones) Taylor
(Dr. Death) Skip Thomas
(The Throwin' Samoan) Jack Thompson
Willis (Weegie) Thompson
Fred (Fuzzy) Thurston
(The Human Bowling Ball) Charley Tolar
Zollie (Tug Boat) Toth
Tom (The Bomb) Tracy
Clyde (Bulldog) Turner
(The Dutchman) Norm Van Brocklin
(Touchdown) Tommy Vardell
Bob (Stoneface) Waterfield
(Squirmin') Herman Wedemeyer
Byron (Whizzer) White
Randy (The Manster) White
Norm (Wild Man) Willey
Carnell (Cadillac) Williams
Fred (The Hammer) Williamson
George (Wildcat) Wilson
(Touchdown) Tommy Wilson
Dennis (Dirt) Winston
Casmir (Slug) Witucki
Floyd (Pork Chop) Womack
Elbert (Ickey) Woods
Bill (Bubbles) Young
Paul (Tank) Younger
Willie (Sugar Bear) Young

[RichardBak]

And then there's the PFRA crowd (none of whom I've ever met or really know anything about, but what the hell.....)

George "Bazooka" Bozeka
Ken "Kryptonite" Crippen
Bob "Fish" Gill
Andy "Pierogi" Piascik
Bob "Christmas" Carroll
Greg "Trousers" Tranter
Joe "Ziggy" Zagorski

[rhickok1109]

I think a line has to be drawn between actual nicknames and pseudo-nicknames that were, for the most part, made up by the press.
Did anyone ever walk up to Gale Sayers and say, "Hey, how are you, Kansas Comet"?
Did anyone ever greet L.G. Dupre by saying, "Good to see you, Long Gone"?
Did anyone ever say to Roger Staubach, "How are you doing today, Roger the Dodger"?
To me, those are not truly nicknames.

[Wendell02]

In about a half dozen newspaper articles, I've seen Don Hutson called the "Alabama Antelope". In one article, Rick Casares was referred to as "Florida License Plate Number 35". These appear to made-up by the press guys.

[Bob Gill]

I think a line has to be drawn between actual nicknames and pseudo-nicknames that were, for the most part, made up by the press.
Did anyone ever walk up to Gale Sayers and say, "Hey, how are you, Kansas Comet"?
Did anyone ever greet L.G. Dupre by saying, "Good to see you, Long Gone"?
Did anyone ever say to Roger Staubach, "How are you doing today, Roger the Dodger"?
To me, those are not truly nicknames.

Yes! Very true.