Terrific Two’s – Double-Trouble – Two Times the Fun: DAY TWO OF 36

With the official kickoff of the 2013 NFL Regular Season only five weeks away, I thought I would take the time to bring you 36 days of football trivia, knowledge and in-depth story-telling to build some excitement for the season. Day two features duos of obscure proportions and epic similarities.

Only Two Remain Undefeated and Winless

Larry Ball and Maulty Moore are the only two players in NFL history to play on an undefeated team – the 1972 Miami Dolphins – and a winless team – 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ball, standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 232 pounds, played in 79 total games, racking up three forced recoveries and two interceptions.

Moore bounced around the league as well, playing for the Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and the Buccaneers. Moore’s story is a true underdog story as the undrafted free agent from Bethune-Cookman College in Dayton, FL made the Dolphins taxi-squad in 1971. A year later, Moore was playing on the special teams and contributed to the only undefeated season in league history.

Co-MVPs

In 1948, San Francisco’s quarterback Frankie Albert – a jump-throwing southpaw originally from Chicago - threw 29 touchdown passes en route to co-MVP honors with Otto Graham. This occurred just eight years after Albert led Stanford University to an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl berth.

Albert played for the 49ers from 1946 to 1952 before later coaching and scouting for the team. This was at a time when teams took players from local universities. So like San Francisco’s current head coach Jim Harbaugh, Albert made the jump from Standford University to the 49ers in 1946. Two years later, Albert was leading the league in touchdown passes. In 1948, Albert led the AAFC with 29 TDs before again setting the pace in the league with 27 passing touchdowns in 1949.

Although Albert’s stats don’t shine as bright as Graham’s, the duo enjoyed one commonality in their respective careers. The Co-MVP honor came off an outright MVP season for Graham one year prior.

Graham is a hero in Cleveland and his number 14 jersey is retired in the organization. He’s a three-time NFL Champion, a 4-time Conference Champion and a nine-time All-Pro selection. Following his legendary playing days, Graham went into coaching, first in the college ranks at Coast Guard before coaching with the Redskins for two seasons.

Graham’s legacy as a player is one of unimaginable proportions.

Two Who Do It All

There are only two players in NFL history to own, coach and play for the same football team at the same time. The first is George Halas – the forefather of professional football and former owner of the Chicago Bears. Halas is better known as “Papa Bear” to Chicago natives as he helped the Bears win six NFL titles in the pre-Super Bowl era, while coaching the team for a total of 40 years (most by any coach for a single team).

Most Seasons as a Coach of a single team in NFL history –

1.       George Halas – The Chicago Bears – 40 Years

2.       Tom Landry – The Dallas Cowboys – 29 Years

3.       Curly Lambeau – The Green Bay Packers – 29 Years

4.       Don Shula – The Miami Dolphins – 26 Years

As a coach, Halas also racked up over 300 wins – 324 to be exact – at the helm of the franchise trailing only Don Shula (347 wins) in the all-time record books.

Not only was Halas the coach and GM for the team, but he was also the starting defensive end, despite playing wide receiver in his youth. Halas was the consummate pro; he even backed up Babe Ruth in the outfield at one point.

The second person to own, coach and play for a single franchise was John Wilbur of the World Football League. In 1975, Wilbur owned the Hawaiians, a team based in Honolulu. Before his short stint in the WFL, Wilbur made a home with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins as an offensive lineman. Most notably, Wilbur played in the coldest game in NFL history – the Ice Bowl.

- Steven Wilson -