Bulldogs on NFL number list

Alert reader Jon Schumaker points us to an interesting feature on SI.com: The top NFL players by jersey number.

Four ex-Georgia players make the list, a pretty impressive number:

2 - Charley Trippi: A Hall of Fame halfback who played for the Chicago Cardinals from 1947-55. Trippi apparently benefited from the NFL later making its uniform policy more, well, uniform. The two runners-up, according to SI.com, were both kickers: David Akers and Steve Christie.

6 - Kevin Butler: The former Georgia place-kicker was one of the NFL’s best in an 11-year career. And like Trippi, he won a championship in Chicago, but this time for the Bears franchise. SI.com said the runner-up was punter Rolf Benirschke, and Steve Owens (who I don’t really know personally or professionally) as also worthy of consideration.

10 - Fran Tarkenton: Kind of a no-brainer for an all-time great NFL quarterback. Tarkenton famously noticed Thomas Davis wearing his old Georgia number a few years ago, and proclaimed that Davis was not only worthy of the jersey but one of the best players in college football. But Tarkenton has still ended up with by far the better career.

Incidentally in soccer, 10 is a magic number. In football, that only appears to be the case at Georgia. Tarkenton beat out Steve Bartkowski, Eli Manning, Byron (Whizzer) White and Jim Zorn. .. Wait, Jim Zorn? And Bartkowski over White, who won a Heisman Trophy and served for decades on the Supreme Court? Well, it is an NFL list, after all.

30 - Terrell Davis: He probably won’t ever make the Hall of Fame, but for a few years in the late 1990s there was no better tailback. He still holds the Denver Broncos’ franchise record for rushing yards (7,607) and was an NFL MVP (1998) and won a couple Super Bowls.

The only reason Davis may not make the Hall is he’s seen as a product of the Broncos’ system. But you could argue that no one besides Davis has done much then. (Like, say, Olandis Gary.)

Some other notables:

John Kasay (4) was listed as worthy of consideration, along with Ernie Nevers, Reggie Roby and Adam Vinatieri. The runner-up at No. 4 was Tuffy Leemans (why of course!) and the best No. 4 of all time was some quarterback whose name I forgot because ESPN hardly ever mentions him.

Jake Scott (13) was also listed as worth of considering. The winner was Dan Marino, the runner-up was Kurt Warner.


Champ Bailey (24) was listed as also being worthy of consideration. Lenny Moore – a Hall of Famer – was the choice, and the runner-up was Willie Wood (a star DB with the Vince Lombardi-era Packers).

Herschel Walker (34) was not even listed as his apparently high-quality number. The winner was Walter Payton (obviously) and the runner-up was Earl Campbell (shorter career than Walker, but better stats). Worthy of consideration, according to SI, were Dale Carter (a good safety, but really?), Cookie Gilchrist (google time), Don Chandler (ditto), Bo Jackson (similar career to Walker), Andy Russell (I believe that’s Conan O’Brien’s sidekick) and Thurman Thomas.

I don’t know, seems there should’ve been a good place for Walker. My guess is he would’ve made it if the three USFL years were included, but with this being an NFL-centric list, he was hurt a bit.

Richard Seymour (93) was another worthy of consideration. Defensive end John Randle, who recently made the Hall of Fame, was the selection, while Dwight Freeney (currently active for the Colts) was the runner-up.

Charles Grant (53) has 47 career sacks, but would have to do a lot more to even come close to SI.com’s accurate choice, Harry Carson.

If I missed anyone, let me know.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't attach a link the first time. It's up there now.

EDIT Part deux: Sorry again. I originally missed Jake Scott and Richard Seymour making the worthy-of-consideration list.