What were the MOST VICIOUS hits you ever saw in an AFL or NFL game?

[3243]

So, what were the hardest, most brutal hits (legal or otherwise) you
ever saw in an NFL or AFL game?

Here is my list:

1. Philadelphia's Chuck Bednarik putting the Giants' Frank Gifford
out of football for nearly a year-and-a-half, 1960
2. ANY hit by Chicago's Dick Butkus, 1965-73
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79
4. Houston's Earl Campbell bouncing Tatum into the end zone while
simultaneously being knocked senseless himself (but not senseless
enough to not stumble backward across the goal line)
5. Campbell ramming head-first through the Rams' Isiah Robertson in
1978
6. Chicago's Mike Singletary diving shoulder-first into the oncoming
head of sliding Dallas QB Steve Pelluer, 1988
7. Chicago's Gary Fencik hitting Giants' WR Johnny Robinson high and
bouncing his head off the frozen turf, 1977
8. Another Bear, Doug Plank, blowing up Chargers' receiver John
Jefferson on a block for a Chicago defensive back's interception, 1978
9. The N.Y. Giants' Jim Burt knocking San Francisco's Joe Montana out
cold in the 1996 NFC Divisional Playoffs
10. Another Giant, Leonard Marshall, essentially ending Montana's
career in San Francisco career with a blind-side shot in the 1990 NFC
Championship Game
11. Philadelphia's Tim Hauck nearly breaking the body of Saints' WR
Joe Horn in half when Horn ventured over the deep middle of the
Eagles' deep secondary in 2000
12. Denver's Steve Atwater knocking Kansas City's Christian "The
Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye backward with a head-on hit in 1990
13. The Ravens' Ray Lewis detonating an unfortunate Denver Bronco
special teams player on a missed-field goal return in 2002
14. Pittsburgh's "Mean" Joe Greene spearing Earl Campbell in the
sternum and stopping him cold in the 1979 AFC Championship
15. Shannon Sharpe, when he was with Baltimore, de-cleating a
Tennesee DB on a block in 2001
16. Houston's Keith Bostic knocking Pittsburgh's Bubby Brister out
cold on a blitz in 1987
17. Detroit's Tracy Scroggins accelerating helmet-first through
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomczak in 1995
18. Yet another Steeler QB, Terry Bradshaw, being turned into a giant
lawn-dart by Cleveland's Joe "Turkey" Jones in 1976
19. The Rams' Jim Youngblood (no relation to Jack Youngblood)
hospitalizing Minnesota's Tommy Kramer with a similar bodyslam in 1978
20. The Steelers' Mike Merriweather picking up Houston's Warren Moon
and thunderously slamming him headfirst into the Three Rivers Stadium
turf in 1984
21. Yet another bodyslam--this one courtesy of Chicago's William "The
Refrigerator" Perry on St. Louis Cardinals' QB Neil Lomax in a 1986
preseason game (a game in which both benches later emptied)
22. And another memorable bodyslam--Pittsburgh's Mel Blount picking
up Oakland WR Cliff Branch and driving him headfirst into the ground
in 1976
23. From that same 1976 Steeler-Raider match-up, the Raiders' George
Atkinson avenging his teammate by coldcocking the Steelers' Lynn Swann
from behind
24. Atkinson, a few months earlier in the 1975 AFC Championship Game
in Pittsburgh, giving Swann a concussion with an almost similar
forearm shot
25. Washington's Ken Houston nearly lobotomizing Rams' RB Lawrence
McCutcheon who attempted to run a sweep in the 1974 NFC Playoffs
26. Minnesota's Karl Kassulke nearly impaling Detroit QB Greg
Landry's chest with his headgear on a blitz in 1970
27. Another Viking, Roy Winston, spearing Miami FB Larry Csonka in
the kidney area and nearly snapping his back in half in 1972
28. Philadelphia's Keith Byars blowing up Washington's Wilber
Marshall on a block in a 1990 game
29. The Redskins' Harold "Tank" McClinton cranking Cardinal QB Jim
Hart into a concussion on a full-speed, head-on shot in 1970
30. Washington's Pat Fischer nearly decapitating San Francisco WR
(and currently the man who hands out fines and suspensions for
on-field incidents) Gene Washington in 1973
31. Denver's Rich "Tombstone" Jackson running through miami's Bob
Griese as he looked upfielf for an open receiver in 1971
32. Jackson doing the same to the Falcons' Bob Berry in 1970
33. Detroit's Alex Karras planting Washington's Sonny Jurgenses in
1965
34. Buffalo's Mike Stratton shattering part of San Diego's Keith
Lincoln's ribcage with an open-field tackle in the 1964 AFL
Championship Game
35. A Cleveland DB lighting up the Steelers' Lynn Swann over the
middle in 1978
36. A similar shot by Cleveland's Thom Darden that knocked
Cincinnati's Pat McInally unconscious and almost broke his neck in
1980
37. Miami's Bud Brown sending Houston's Ernest Givins off the field
on a stretcher after brown speared Givins in the back of the head in a
1986 game
38. Houston's Jeff Donaldson knocking out Jets' WR Al Toon in 1988

[secondandtwo]

nice list. lots of research and wide variety.

ill include the following:

Pro bowl hits are not very lethal but this one from late 80's was
pretty big
TE NYG Bavaro and DB Lott SF had a over the middle reception that
floored them booth. whats amazing about Lott his that he had close to
1000 hits that were just real jaw breakers and brain rattlers and yet
he is still pretty articulate.

also will comment on the Atwater /Okoye Hit i was watching and me and
my buddy went nuts about jow hard that was.


What about RB Bo Jackson blowing up LB Bosworth shoulder at the
goaline

I think Bosworth was never the same.

Walter Payton had thousands of hits where he punished tacklers, but i
remember a block he threw that leveled LB Harris GB and Payton was
smiling as if he scored himself.

nice thread


secondandtwo

Post by 3243
1. Philadelphia's Chuck Bednarik putting the Giants' Frank Gifford
out of football for nearly a year-and-a-half, 1960
2. ANY hit by Chicago's Dick Butkus, 1965-73
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79
4. Houston's Earl Campbell bouncing Tatum into the end zone while
simultaneously being knocked senseless himself (but not senseless
enough to not stumble backward across the goal line)
5. Campbell ramming head-first through the Rams' Isiah Robertson in
1978
6. Chicago's Mike Singletary diving shoulder-first into the oncoming
head of sliding Dallas QB Steve Pelluer, 1988
7. Chicago's Gary Fencik hitting Giants' WR Johnny Robinson high and
bouncing his head off the frozen turf, 1977
8. Another Bear, Doug Plank, blowing up Chargers' receiver John
Jefferson on a block for a Chicago defensive back's interception, 1978
9. The N.Y. Giants' Jim Burt knocking San Francisco's Joe Montana out
cold in the 1996 NFC Divisional Playoffs
10. Another Giant, Leonard Marshall, essentially ending Montana's
career in San Francisco career with a blind-side shot in the 1990 NFC
Championship Game
11. Philadelphia's Tim Hauck nearly breaking the body of Saints' WR
Joe Horn in half when Horn ventured over the deep middle of the
Eagles' deep secondary in 2000
12. Denver's Steve Atwater knocking Kansas City's Christian "The
Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye backward with a head-on hit in 1990
13. The Ravens' Ray Lewis detonating an unfortunate Denver Bronco
special teams player on a missed-field goal return in 2002
14. Pittsburgh's "Mean" Joe Greene spearing Earl Campbell in the
sternum and stopping him cold in the 1979 AFC Championship
15. Shannon Sharpe, when he was with Baltimore, de-cleating a
Tennesee DB on a block in 2001
16. Houston's Keith Bostic knocking Pittsburgh's Bubby Brister out
cold on a blitz in 1987
17. Detroit's Tracy Scroggins accelerating helmet-first through
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomczak in 1995
18. Yet another Steeler QB, Terry Bradshaw, being turned into a giant
lawn-dart by Cleveland's Joe "Turkey" Jones in 1976
19. The Rams' Jim Youngblood (no relation to Jack Youngblood)
hospitalizing Minnesota's Tommy Kramer with a similar bodyslam in 1978
20. The Steelers' Mike Merriweather picking up Houston's Warren Moon
and thunderously slamming him headfirst into the Three Rivers Stadium
turf in 1984
21. Yet another bodyslam--this one courtesy of Chicago's William "The
Refrigerator" Perry on St. Louis Cardinals' QB Neil Lomax in a 1986
preseason game (a game in which both benches later emptied)
22. And another memorable bodyslam--Pittsburgh's Mel Blount picking
up Oakland WR Cliff Branch and driving him headfirst into the ground
in 1976
23. From that same 1976 Steeler-Raider match-up, the Raiders' George
Atkinson avenging his teammate by coldcocking the Steelers' Lynn Swann
from behind
24. Atkinson, a few months earlier in the 1975 AFC Championship Game
in Pittsburgh, giving Swann a concussion with an almost similar
forearm shot
25. Washington's Ken Houston nearly lobotomizing Rams' RB Lawrence
McCutcheon who attempted to run a sweep in the 1974 NFC Playoffs
26. Minnesota's Karl Kassulke nearly impaling Detroit QB Greg
Landry's chest with his headgear on a blitz in 1970
27. Another Viking, Roy Winston, spearing Miami FB Larry Csonka in
the kidney area and nearly snapping his back in half in 1972
28. Philadelphia's Keith Byars blowing up Washington's Wilber
Marshall on a block in a 1990 game
29. The Redskins' Harold "Tank" McClinton cranking Cardinal QB Jim
Hart into a concussion on a full-speed, head-on shot in 1970
30. Washington's Pat Fischer nearly decapitating San Francisco WR
(and currently the man who hands out fines and suspensions for
on-field incidents) Gene Washington in 1973
31. Denver's Rich "Tombstone" Jackson running through miami's Bob
Griese as he looked upfielf for an open receiver in 1971
32. Jackson doing the same to the Falcons' Bob Berry in 1970
33. Detroit's Alex Karras planting Washington's Sonny Jurgenses in
1965
34. Buffalo's Mike Stratton shattering part of San Diego's Keith
Lincoln's ribcage with an open-field tackle in the 1964 AFL
Championship Game
35. A Cleveland DB lighting up the Steelers' Lynn Swann over the
middle in 1978
36. A similar shot by Cleveland's Thom Darden that knocked
Cincinnati's Pat McInally unconscious and almost broke his neck in
1980
37. Miami's Bud Brown sending Houston's Ernest Givins off the field
on a stretcher after brown speared Givins in the back of the head in a
1986 game
38. Houston's Jeff Donaldson knocking out Jets' WR Al Toon in 1988

[ccrevival]

Post by secondandtwo
nice list. lots of research and wide variety.
Pro bowl hits are not very lethal but this one from late 80's was
pretty big
TE NYG Bavaro and DB Lott SF had a over the middle reception that
floored them booth. whats amazing about Lott his that he had close to
1000 hits that were just real jaw breakers and brain rattlers and yet
he is still pretty articulate.

In the 1989 SB against Cincy, Lott delivered a game changing hit to
Ickey Woods. Before the game, Lott had said that he did not want to
see the Ickey Shuffle. However, early in the game Ickey was running so
well that George Seiffert was sweating bullets. Well, Lott had seen
enough so the instant he saw Ickey broke through the line, he ran full
speed at him and hit him so hard that you could hear their chest pads
shatter. Needless to say, Ickey became a non-factor the rest of the
game.

[Gary Rosen]

Post by ccrevival

Post by secondandtwo
nice list. lots of research and wide variety.
Pro bowl hits are not very lethal but this one from late 80's was
pretty big
TE NYG Bavaro and DB Lott SF had a over the middle reception that
floored them booth. whats amazing about Lott his that he had close to
1000 hits that were just real jaw breakers and brain rattlers and yet
he is still pretty articulate.

In the 1989 SB against Cincy, Lott delivered a game changing hit to
Ickey Woods. Before the game, Lott had said that he did not want to
see the Ickey Shuffle. However, early in the game Ickey was running so
well that George Seiffert was sweating bullets. Well, Lott had seen
enough so the instant he saw Ickey broke through the line, he ran full
speed at him and hit him so hard that you could hear their chest pads
shatter. Needless to say, Ickey became a non-factor the rest of the
game.

Maybe Bill Walsh was also sweating bullets since he was '9ers head
coach at the time (Seifert was DC, promoted to HC the following season).

- Gary Rosen

[Mpoconnor7]

Post by 3243
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79

OK. My number one most brutal hit would be Tatum on Daryl Stingley (sp?)
back in the 70's, happened somewhere in the preseason of the 76 to 78 era
IIRC.

I've seen the film of the Darryl Stingley hit, which was a clean hit. It
happened in 1978.

Post by 3243
4. Houston's Earl Campbell bouncing Tatum into the end zone while
simultaneously being knocked senseless himself (but not senseless
enough to not stumble backward across the goal line)
5. Campbell ramming head-first through the Rams' Isiah Robertson in
1978

Campbell should also rate his own category. I have never seen a RB who hit
the opposition as hard and fiercely as he did. He made you feel sorry for
the tacklers often as not.

The only other runners I saw who compared with him in this reagard were Jim
Brown and Jim Taylor, although neither was in Earl's class in hitting the
opposition.

Butkus has a category all his own. My favorite Butkus moment was late in his
career when the Bears were playing Miami and the Dolphins were at the Bear one
yard line and they gave the ball to Larry Csonka and he ran straight ahead and
into a pile, just barely getting into the end zone. He came out of the pile
holding his finger, which was bleeding profusely from Butkus biting him while
in the middle of the pile.

One which I think was missed on the list was in Super Bowl X when the Steelers
Roy Gerela missed a field goal and Cowboy Cliff Harris patted Gerela on the
back. Jack Lambert slammed Cliff Harris to the ground.

The Steeler Raider games of the 70's were full of some of the most vicious
illegal play I've ever seen. The game in particular that stands out was a
regular season game from 1973 and it was raining cats and dogs and the Oakland
field was nothing but mud. There are still rumors about that game that the
Raiders partially deflated the footballs the Steelers were using. It was the
messiest game I've ever seen.




Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man

"The likelihood of one individual being correct increases in a direct
proportion to the intensity with which others try to prove him wrong"
James Mason from the movie "Heaven Can Wait".

[Gary Rosen]

Post by Mpoconnor7

Post by 3243
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79

OK. My number one most brutal hit would be Tatum on Daryl Stingley (sp?)
back in the 70's, happened somewhere in the preseason of the 76 to 78 era
IIRC.

I've seen the film of the Darryl Stingley hit, which was a clean hit. It
happened in 1978.

Didn't Tatum spear him (which I think was legal then, now it's
"crown of the helmet" penalty)?

- Gary Rosen

[Drew K.]

Post by Gary Rosen

Post by Mpoconnor7

Post by 3243
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79

OK. My number one most brutal hit would be Tatum on Daryl Stingley (sp?)
back in the 70's, happened somewhere in the preseason of the 76 to 78 era
IIRC.

I've seen the film of the Darryl Stingley hit, which was a clean hit. It
happened in 1978.

Didn't Tatum spear him (which I think was legal then, now it's
"crown of the helmet" penalty)?
- Gary Rosen

Definitely, Gary. That's one of the reasons the leading with the helmet
penalty was born.


Go Steelers
--
Drew

[Rande]

I haven't seen film from the game but I've read in different articles about
the game that the 1961 AFL title game was a vicious nasty hitting game.
It was a rematch of the title game of 1960 between the Chargers and the
Oilers.
Wally Lemm, the coach of the Oilers who also coached in the NFL said it was
the most hard-hitting game he ever saw.
George Blanda, the QB for the Oilers said it was the roughest game he ever
played in.
Dang, it would be fun to see that game, to see if their memories of it are
true.
Rande.....

[3243]

Post by Rande
I haven't seen film from the game but I've read in different articles about
the game that the 1961 AFL title game was a vicious nasty hitting game.
It was a rematch of the title game of 1960 between the Chargers and the
Oilers.
Wally Lemm, the coach of the Oilers who also coached in the NFL said it was
the most hard-hitting game he ever saw.
George Blanda, the QB for the Oilers said it was the roughest game he ever
played in.
Dang, it would be fun to see that game, to see if their memories of it are
true.

Not only that, but Charger coach Sid Gillman almost got into a fight
after the game with some of the officials, from what I understand.

I also would LOVE to watch a film of that ballgame, as well as each of
the 1970's Steeler-Raider games. Also I would love to have the
following games in their entirety:

--all 1967-73 Raider-Chief games (especially the bench-clearer at K.C.
in 1970)
--all 1960-83 Steeler-Brown games
--all 1977-80 Oiler-Steeler games
--all 1967-75 NFC Central intra-divisional games (especially the
Packer-Bear, Lion-Viking, and Bear-Lion games, all of which were
renowned for their brutality. I once read a comment by former Bear
safety Doug Plank that both Bear-Lion games in his rookie year [1975],
especially the late-season rematch at Soldier Field, had fights on
nearly every play; he even mentioned that officials finally just
stopped trying to break the fights up unless one of the players was
just on top of an opposing player, pounding him into oblivion. This
was because there were so many altercations breaking out all day
long.)
--St. Louis @ Washington, 1973 (both benches emptied after an
interception return by the Redskins' Mike Bass)
--St. Louis @ Washington, 1976 (for the mud)
--Philadelphia @ St. Louis, 1976 (another insane, cheap-shot-filled
ball game; Cardinal guard Conrad Dobler [who undoubtedly know a little
bit about these things] said in his 1988 autobiography, They Call Me
Dirty, that there was a lot of bad blood between the Cardinals and
Eagles in the 1970s. Dobler and Eagle linebacker Bill Bergey once
threw down at the end of a game, for example.)

[NZDude]

Post by Mpoconnor7

Post by 3243
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79

OK. My number one most brutal hit would be Tatum on Daryl Stingley (sp?)
back in the 70's, happened somewhere in the preseason of the 76 to 78 era
IIRC.

I've seen the film of the Darryl Stingley hit, which was a clean hit. It
happened in 1978.

Thank you.
I could not recall and was too lazy to check. ;)

And yeah, back then it was a clean hit. Though that was one of those hits
that helped change the rules.
NZD

[d***@gmail.com]

Post by 3243
So, what were the hardest, most brutal hits (legal or otherwise) you
ever saw in an NFL or AFL game?
1. Philadelphia's Chuck Bednarik putting the Giants' Frank Gifford
out of football for nearly a year-and-a-half, 1960
2. ANY hit by Chicago's Dick Butkus, 1965-73
3. Any hit by Oakland's Jack Tatum, 1971-79
4. Houston's Earl Campbell bouncing Tatum into the end zone while
simultaneously being knocked senseless himself (but not senseless
enough to not stumble backward across the goal line)
5. Campbell ramming head-first through the Rams' Isiah Robertson in
1978
6. Chicago's Mike Singletary diving shoulder-first into the oncoming
head of sliding Dallas QB Steve Pelluer, 1988
7. Chicago's Gary Fencik hitting Giants' WR Johnny Robinson high and
bouncing his head off the frozen turf, 1977
8. Another Bear, Doug Plank, blowing up Chargers' receiver John
Jefferson on a block for a Chicago defensive back's interception, 1978
9. The N.Y. Giants' Jim Burt knocking San Francisco's Joe Montana out
cold in the 1996 NFC Divisional Playoffs
10. Another Giant, Leonard Marshall, essentially ending Montana's
career in San Francisco career with a blind-side shot in the 1990 NFC
Championship Game
11. Philadelphia's Tim Hauck nearly breaking the body of Saints' WR
Joe Horn in half when Horn ventured over the deep middle of the
Eagles' deep secondary in 2000
12. Denver's Steve Atwater knocking Kansas City's Christian "The
Nigerian Nightmare" Okoye backward with a head-on hit in 1990
13. The Ravens' Ray Lewis detonating an unfortunate Denver Bronco
special teams player on a missed-field goal return in 2002
14. Pittsburgh's "Mean" Joe Greene spearing Earl Campbell in the
sternum and stopping him cold in the 1979 AFC Championship
15. Shannon Sharpe, when he was with Baltimore, de-cleating a
Tennesee DB on a block in 2001
16. Houston's Keith Bostic knocking Pittsburgh's Bubby Brister out
cold on a blitz in 1987
17. Detroit's Tracy Scroggins accelerating helmet-first through
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomczak in 1995
18. Yet another Steeler QB, Terry Bradshaw, being turned into a giant
lawn-dart by Cleveland's Joe "Turkey" Jones in 1976
19. The Rams' Jim Youngblood (no relation to Jack Youngblood)
hospitalizing Minnesota's Tommy Kramer with a similar bodyslam in 1978
20. The Steelers' Mike Merriweather picking up Houston's Warren Moon
and thunderously slamming him headfirst into the Three Rivers Stadium
turf in 1984
21. Yet another bodyslam--this one courtesy of Chicago's William "The
Refrigerator" Perry on St. Louis Cardinals' QB Neil Lomax in a 1986
preseason game (a game in which both benches later emptied)
22. And another memorable bodyslam--Pittsburgh's Mel Blount picking
up Oakland WR Cliff Branch and driving him headfirst into the ground
in 1976
23. From that same 1976 Steeler-Raider match-up, the Raiders' George
Atkinson avenging his teammate by coldcocking the Steelers' Lynn Swann
from behind
24. Atkinson, a few months earlier in the 1975 AFC Championship Game
in Pittsburgh, giving Swann a concussion with an almost similar
forearm shot
25. Washington's Ken Houston nearly lobotomizing Rams' RB Lawrence
McCutcheon who attempted to run a sweep in the 1974 NFC Playoffs
26. Minnesota's Karl Kassulke nearly impaling Detroit QB Greg
Landry's chest with his headgear on a blitz in 1970
27. Another Viking, Roy Winston, spearing Miami FB Larry Csonka in
the kidney area and nearly snapping his back in half in 1972
28. Philadelphia's Keith Byars blowing up Washington's Wilber
Marshall on a block in a 1990 game
29. The Redskins' Harold "Tank" McClinton cranking Cardinal QB Jim
Hart into a concussion on a full-speed, head-on shot in 1970
30. Washington's Pat Fischer nearly decapitating San Francisco WR
(and currently the man who hands out fines and suspensions for
on-field incidents) Gene Washington in 1973
31. Denver's Rich "Tombstone" Jackson running through miami's Bob
Griese as he looked upfielf for an open receiver in 1971
32. Jackson doing the same to the Falcons' Bob Berry in 1970
33. Detroit's Alex Karras planting Washington's Sonny Jurgenses in=

The scariest I ever saw was Mike Hartenstine's blindside hit on Ron Jaworski in 1980. He planted him square between the shoulder blades at full speed, causing Jaws' head to snap violently like something out of a horror movie. I thought he had killed him, or at least snapped his neck.