Don Hutson
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| Don Hutson | |
|---|---|
 Don Huston in 1943 |
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| Date of birth | January 31, 1913 |
| Place of birth | Pine Bluff, Arkansas |
| Date of death | June 24, 1997 |
| Position(s) | End |
| College | Alabama |
| Awards | 1942 Joe F. Carr Trophy 1941 Joe F. Carr Trophy |
| Honors | NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1930s All-Decade Team Green Bay Packers HOF |
| Retired #s | Green Bay Packers #14 |
| Records | Green Bay Packers -Career Receiving TDs (99) |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1935-1945 | Green Bay Packers |
| College Hall-of-Fame | |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963 | |
Donald Montgomery Hutson (b. January 31, 1913 at Pine Bluff, Arkansas, d. June 24, 1997 at Rancho Mirage, California) was the first star wide receiver in NFL history.
Hutson is credited with creating many of the modern pass routes used in the NFL today. He is widely considered the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, along with Jerry Rice. He joined the Green Bay Packers out of the University of Alabama in 1935 and retired in 1945 after 11 seasons.
Contents |
[edit] NFL Career
[edit] Wide Receiver
Fans of the Packers received a preview of things to come in Hutson's first game. On his first ever play, Hutson caught an 83 yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber. It was the first of 99 receiving touchdowns, a record that would stand for 44 years after his retirement.
Hutson was the first receiver to catch more than 50 passes in a season (1941) and to surpass 1,000 receiving yards (1942)(11 games 74 receptions 1211 yards 17 TD's). In all, Hutson caught 488 passes for 7991 yards. Hutson rushed for three touchdowns and returned three interceptions for touchdowns for a career total of 105. Hutson was the top receiver in the league in nine seasons. He led the NFL in receiving in eight of his 11 seasons and in scoring five straight years. Twice, in 1941 and 1942, he was named the league’s MVP. Hutson is still often considered the greatest wide receiver ever, above even Jerry Rice. Hutson held 18 major NFL records at the time of his retirement. Several of these records stood for decades. [1].
Hutson still holds the highest career average TDs per game (0.88) for a wide receiver.
[edit] Defense & Special Teams
For many of his 11 seasons, Hutson was also the kicker for the Packers. He added 172 extra points and 7 field goals for another league record, 881 points.
As did almost all players in his day, Hutson played both offense and defense. On defense, Hutson was a very good safety who intercepted 30 passes over the final 6 years of his career. Hutson's highest season total was in 1943, when Hutson intercepted 8 passes in only 10 games.
[edit] Post Career Honors and Recognition
Hutson has been honored in a variety of ways. Don Hutson Street in Green Bay is named for him, his #14 was the first number retired by the Packers, he is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and in 1994 the Packers named their new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility across the street from Lambeau Field the "Don Hutson Center". Hutson was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Current and former Packer executives, such as Bob Harlan and Ron Wolf have traditionally referred to Hutson as the greatest player the game has known.
In 1999, he was ranked number 6 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranking Packer and the highest-ranking pre-World War II player.
In 2005, the Flagstad family of Green Bay donated an authentic Packers #14 jersey worn by Hutson to the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. The jersey was found in a trunk of old uniforms in 1946 at the Rockwood Lodge, the Packers’ summer training camp from 1946 to 1949, owned by Melvin and Helen Flagstad. The jersey, a rare NFL artifact valued at $17,000+, was donated by son Daniel Flagstad in memory of his parents.
[edit] Other end in Rose Bowl
Coach Bear Bryant always said he was the "other end" on the University of Alabama football team that had both Bear and Don Hutson. That Crimson Tide team won the Rose Bowl in 1935 beating Stanford 29-13 with Hutson catching 6 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Hutson had been selected All American in 1934.
[edit] External links
- Career Review
- Packers.com page on Don Hutson
- Hutson's page on the Hall of Fame website
- Packers.com press release - "Packers Hall Of Fame Receives Rare Don Hutson Jersey"
| Preceded by: Ace Parker |
NFL Most Valuable Player 1941 & 1942 seasons |
Succeeded by: Sid Luckman |
| National Football League | NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team |
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Sammy Baugh | Otto Graham | Joe Montana | Johnny Unitas | Jim Brown | Marion Motley | Bronko Nagurski | Walter Payton | Gale Sayers | O.J. Simpson | Steve Van Buren | Lance Alworth | Raymond Berry | Don Hutson | Jerry Rice | Mike Ditka | Kellen Winslow | Roosevelt Brown | Forrest Gregg | Anthony Muñoz | John Hannah | Jim Parker | Gene Upshaw | Mel Hein | Mike Webster | Deacon Jones | Gino Marchetti | Reggie White | Joe Greene | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Dick Butkus | Jack Ham | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Willie Lanier | Ray Nitschke | Lawrence Taylor | Mel Blount | Mike Haynes | Dick Lane | Rod Woodson | Ken Houston | Ronnie Lott | Larry Wilson | Ray Guy | Jan Stenerud | Billy Johnson |
Categories: 1913 births | 1997 deaths | American football wide receivers | Alabama Crimson Tide football players | University of Alabama alumni | Green Bay Packers players | College Football Hall of Fame | Pro Football Hall of Fame | People from Arkansas | Sigma Chi brothers | Joe Carr MVP Award winners | NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
