While there have been a handful of two-way players over the last 75 years, the NFL has not had a full-time, two-way starter since Eagles icon Chuck Bednarik in the 1950s. Potential NFL lottery selection Travis Hunter hopes to emulate this style of play, which has not been seen in decades. A tiny price to pay for a Super Bowl LIX Championship, Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ No. 32 overall pick in the opening round will likely watch Hunter land in a new zip code outside the Philadelphia city limits at the April 24th draft.
Hall-of-Fame Dominance by Eagles’ Legend Chuck Bednarik
“Concrete Charlie” played 169 games for the Philadelphia Eagles between 1949 and 1962. The Bethlehem, PA native was an eight-time Pro Bowler, including two seasons in which he was credited with playing both sides of the football: 1950 and 1954. Over his 14-year NFL career, Bednarik appeared as a linebacker, an offensive lineman, and a special teams swiss army knife.
Good fortune struck the Eagles to keep Bednarik near his hometown for his Hall-of-Fame career. Philly won a random lottery drawing for the top pick in the NFL draft before the 1949 NFL draft. Adopted two years earlier in 1947, a “bonus choice was made for the first time in the NFL Draft.” Chicago won the inaugural draw, while Washington received the choice at the 1948 NFL draft. Despite winning the NFL Championship for the 1948 season, Philadelphia received the randomly drawn selection before choosing the two-time All-American lineman out of Penn.
In his rookie season in 1949, Bednarik started seven games and appeared in 10 contests for Greasy Neale’s squad as a center. The Eagles rolled to an 11-1 record and a second consecutive shutout win in the NFL Championship Game after defeating the Los Angeles Rams, 14-0.
The following season, “Concrete Charlie” started all 12 games, appearing as a right linebacker and a center. He was honored with the first of his five straight Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in his sophomore season. He continued to do it all for Philadelphia throught the 1950s, including the season he helped as a punter in 1953! Bednarik averaged 40.3 yards per kick on 12 punts during the 1953 season with a career-long of 54 yards. The Eagles went 7-4-1 during his only season as a backup punter. The following season, Bednarik returned two punts and three kicks during the 1954 season in addition to his starting LB/C duties.
Over his career, Bednarik earned the nickname “60-Minute Man” and was a critical contributor to the Eagles’ 1960 NFL World Championship. The Eagles icon secured 20 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries. Bednarik scored one touchdown in his career—a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 45-14 win over the Baltimore Colts during Week 8 of the NFL season. Jack Del Bello, a career five-game NFL starter, was the opposing quarterback who graciously provided the final points to the Eagles scoreboard total that afternoon.
Chuck Benarik was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility. In 1995, the Maxwell Football Club created the Chuck Bednarik Award to honor the best defensive player in college football.
Hunter’s College Performance
Travis Hunter is the most recent recipient of the Chuck Bednarik Award for the 2024 season. As you’ve read, Hunter has no easy task as he sets out to be the NFL’s first full-time, two-way starter in the NFL in three-quarters of a century. The 21-year-old does not lack the confidence needed to break the mold, as he showed at the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis. “I’m just different,” Hunter told the media. “(I) did some meetings at wide receiver, (and) did some meetings at DB (Defensive back), so it’s still up in the air.”
Hunter played three games at wideout for Jackson State in 2022 with seven receptions for 53 yards. Hunter has 153 receptions, 1,979 yards, and 20 touchdowns as a wide receiver for Colorado over the last two seasons. In his three-year NCAA career, Hunter has 2,169 yards and 24 touchdowns between Jackon State and Colorado.
Hunter saw snaps on both sides of the football at each location. Hunter collected 19 tackles, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions in his freshman season at Jackson State. During the last two seasons with Colorado, the 6-foot-1 defender had 66 tackles, 11 passes defended, seven interceptions, and a forced fumble. Over his three-year college career, Hunter has been credited with 62 solo tackles for a 73% share of his total NCAA takedowns.
Whether Travis Hunter has the athletic abilities and energy reserves to play full-time, two-way football remains to be seen. The Georgia native certainly gave scouts something to think about during his three college seasons. NFL players are bigger, stronger, and faster than 75 years ago, which explains why that practice is no longer used in the NFL. Hunter will undoubtedly provide a unique element to whichever NFL team adds him to their organization at the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay this April.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
