When the Cleveland Browns drafted Brown in late 1956, the team considered him something of a consolation prize, since they had been seeking Purdue University quarterback Len Dawson. Brown quickly dispelled any regrets, as he won NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1957. In all but two of his nine seasons, Brown rushed for over 1,000 yards, and set the standard for durability by never missing a game. In 1963, Brown carried for an unheard-of 6.4 yards per carry, over 291 carries.

He departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549). He still holds the career record for yards per carry by a running back (5.2), and total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958-1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career. Brown was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns.

"Minister of Defence"

White played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he set school records for most sacks in a career, season and game, records he still holds.

After college, White signed with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL, with whom he played for two seasons, while racking up 23.5 sacks, 192 tackles and seven forced fumbles in 36 starts.

After the USFL folded, White moved to the NFL and went to the Philadelphia Eagles because they held his NFL rights. He played with the Eagles for eight seasons, picking up 124 sacks to become the Eagles' all-time sack leader. He also set a then Eagles regular-season record with 21 sacks in 1987. He also became the only player to ever accumulate 20 or more sacks in just 12 games. He also set an NFL regular-season record that season by averaging the most sacks per game, with an amazing 1.75 sacks per game. Over the course of his tenure with the Eagles Reggie actually accumulated more sacks than the number of games that he played.

In 1993, White went to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for six seasons. While not quite as prolific as in his previous years, White still notched up another 68.5 sacks, to become the Packers' all-time leader in that category. He also helped the Packers to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. White was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.

Rice held the following NFL records at the time of his retirement:

Regular season

* Receptions (1,549)
* Receiving yards (22,895)
* Touchdown receptions (197)
* All-purpose yards (23,540)
* Touchdowns (207)
* Receiving yards gained in a single season (1,848)
* Touchdown receptions in a single season (22) --done in only 12 games.
* Seasons with at least 50 receptions (17)
* Seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards (14)
* Games with at least 100 receiving yards (76)
* Consecutive games with at least one reception (274)
* Consecutive games with at least one touchdown reception (13)

Unitas set many passing records during his career. He was the first quarterback to throw for more than 40,000 yards, despite playing during an era when NFL teams played shorter seasons of 12 or 14 games (as opposed to today's 16-game seasons). He also threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games between 1956 and 1960, a record that still stands and is considered by many the Mount Everest-like football equivalent to Joe DiMaggio's 56-game baseball hitting streak.

in 1998, Anderson signed with the Minnesota Vikings and converted all 35 of his attempted field goals and all 59 extra points in regular season play, becoming the first placekicker to finish the regular season with a 100% success rate on both field goals and extra points, hence the use of the term "perfect season". However, after Anderson made all of his field goal and points after touchdowns during the entire season, he missed a crucial short kick (38 yards) in the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.

Anderson holds the NFL record for points in a single season with no touchdowns scored, kicking 59 PATs and 35 field goals in 1998 for a total of 164 points. He is tied with Morten Andersen for most seasons scoring at least 100 points (14).

Anderson also holds second place for most career points in the NFL with 2,434. He held the record for several years after passing George Blanda's old record in October 2000, but was himself passed by Morten Andersen in 2006.

Ozzie Newsome, Hall-of-Fame tight end, Ravens' general manager, and the man responsible for signing Sharpe before the 2000 season had this to say about him, "I think he's a threat when he's on the field. He has to be double-teamed. He's a great route-runner. He's proven that he can make the big plays. That's what separates him. He's a threat."

Sharpe played in 8 Pro Bowls(1992-1998, 2001) and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in 3 different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a postseason record with 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the Ravens 2000 AFC title game against the Raiders, he caught a short pass on 3rd down and 18 from his own 4-yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown, assisting his team to a 16-3 win.

He finished his 14 year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 204 games. Sharpe is the NFL's all-time receptions and yardage leader for a tight end, surpassing Newsome's Hall-of-Fame records.

was drafted by the Eagles in the 4th round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft. Head coach Buddy Ryan, making one of the toughest coaching decisions of his career, graciously let him slip away, and in the process, helped to coin one of ESPN's Chris Berman's famous quotes about Carter: "All he does is catch touchdowns".

Carter was signed by the Vikings, became a 4 time all pro, and played in 8 straight Pro Bowls. When he left the Vikings after 2001, he held most of the team career receiving records. He briefly played for the Dolphins in 2002.

Emmitt Smith is the first player in NFL history have five straight seasons with over 1,400 rushing yards. Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven straight 10-touchdown seasons to start their career. With 1,021 yards rushing in 2001, Smith became the first player in NFL history with 11 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and the first to post 11 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a career. He is also the NFL's all-time leader in rushing attempts with 4,409.

Smith currently holds the NFL record in career rushing yards with 18,355 and is the only player in NFL history to rush for over 18,000 yards, breaking the previous record held by Walter Payton, on October 27, 2002. He leads all running backs with 166 career touchdowns, and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second only to Jerry Rice's 207 touchdowns. The sum of his rushing yards, receiving yards (3,224) and fumble return yards(-15), gave him a total of 21,564 yards from the line of scrimmage, making him one of only four players in NFL history to eclipse the 21,000-combined yards mark.

Smith also accumulated a number of NFL postseason records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (9) and 100-yard rushing games (7). His 1,586 yards rushing is also tops on the NFL postseason chart, and he shares the total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas. Smith is one of only five NFL players who have amassed over 10,000 career-rushing yards and 400 career receptions.

Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice are the only two non-kickers to score 1000 points in a career.

Smith is also the only player in NFL History to rush for over 1,000 yards in 12 seasons, all consecutive.

Elway is regarded as one of the top quarterbacks ever to grace the game. Not only does he have more wins than any other quarterback in NFL history,[1] but he has one of the best winning percentages in league history (148-82-1), and is tied for most Pro Bowl selections for a quarterback (nine). He is third to Dan Marino and Brett Favre in career passing attempts, passing yards and completions. His four total rushing touchdowns in his Super Bowl games are the most ever by a quarterback. Elway is the only quarterback to have started in five Super Bowls. He is also the second player ever to score a rushing touchdown in four different Super Bowls (running back Thurman Thomas was the first).

Elway also holds the record for most game-winning or game-tying scoring drives in the fourth quarter, with 47. Elway holds the rather undesirable record for most times being sacked (516) and most career Super Bowl interceptions, with eight picks in the five title games he played. He also ended his career with 148 wins, still the record for any NFL quarterback. He finished his career with 774 rushes, one shy of NFL record-holder Randall Cunningham (775) for rushes by a quarterback. Elway's 3,417 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time among NFL QB's behind Cunningham, Steve Young, Michael Vick, Fran Tarkenton, and Steve McNair.

Elway threw for 1,128 yards in his 5 Super Bowls, second only to Joe Montana's record of 1,142 yards. His 76 Super Bowl pass completions rank him third behind Montana and Jim Kelly.

Elway holds several Broncos franchise records:

* Most Total Offensive Yards: 54,882 yards (51,475 passing, 3,407 rushing)
* Most Total Touchdowns: 334 (300 passing, 33 rushing, 1 receiving)
* Most Total Plays: 8,027
* Winning Percentage: .643 (148-82-1)
* Most Career Passing Yards: 51,475
* Most Career Completions: 4,123
* Most Career Attempts: 7,250
* Most Touchdown Passes: 300

Krause was named All-NFL four times and was a Pro Bowler eight times. He started at free safety in four Super Bowls. During his sixteen year career, he missed games only twice due to injuries. Krause was often referred to as the Vikings "Center Fielder" because of his success as an interscholastic baseball player and his ability to catch interceptions. He also lead the team in tackles one year, showing himself to be a well rounded player

He currently holds the all time interception record in the NFL with 81, which he returned for 1,185 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also recovered 19 fumbles, returning them for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Krause was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.