Memorial Day 2024: Roger Staubach, Pat Tillman among 10 notable NFL players to serve in U.S. military

All over NFL Throughout history, countless men have been recognized for their efforts on the field, honored on the team and in the national Hall of Fame for their accomplishments. But dozens of players also served the military, putting their lives at risk to help defend the United States of America.

In the spirit of Memorial Day, here are some notable names to take the NFL field and serve in the military:

Roger Staubach

Widely considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time, the six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion helped lead the Dallas Cowboys’ dominance in the 1970s. Before his prestigious NFL career, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in the Navy and served as a volunteer with the U.S. Navy in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sid Luckman

The face of the Chicago Bears during their 1940s dynasty in which he led four NFL titles as the league’s MVP, Luckman is widely considered a revolutionary passer, entering the Hall of Fame in 1965 as one of the NFL’s most prolific outfield throwers. Immediately following his MVP season, he volunteered stateside as an ensign in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II, joining more than a dozen teammates in service.

George McAfee

“One-Play McAfee”, the former No. 2 overall draft pick, was a do-it-all playmaker for the Luckman-era Chicago Bears, starring as a running back, receiver, return specialist and cover man for his jersey number 5 retired in Windy City. Midway through his All-Pro career, McAfee volunteered to join the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving in the force from 1942 to 1945 and then playing five more seasons in the NFL.

Paulo Hornung

The first overall pick in the 1957 draft, “The Golden Boy” was a staple of the Green Bay Packers’ offense in the 1960s, as Wisconsin saw its franchise win five NFL titles, including the first two Super Bowls. Hornung was called to active duty in the U.S. Army in 1961 in the midst of his MVP career, although a connection between coach Vince Lombardi and President John F. Kennedy allowed him to prepare on weekends.

Rocky Bleier

Born Robert Bleier, “Rocky” won four Super Bowls as a running back and fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but only after a two-year hiatus from playing, from 1969 to 1970, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, sent to War from Vietnam. and later required rehabilitation due to shrapnel in his leg. He played 10 more seasons after his assignment and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Mike Anderson

The 2000 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while starring for the Denver Broncos, Anderson spent nearly a decade playing running back, also surpassing 1,000 rushing yards for Denver in 2005. Prior to his professional career, the South Carolina native served four years in the US Marine Corps, participating in peacekeeping missions in Kenya and Somalia before his honorable discharge.

Chuck Bednarik

One of the NFL’s last two-way players, “Concrete Charlie” is revered as an all-time great player for the Philadelphia Eagles, spending his entire 14-year NFL career in the City of Brotherly Love, earning 10 All-Pro nods and helping guide two league titles as a tenacious center and linebacker. Prior to his professional career, Bednarik flew 30 combat missions as a U.S. Air Force B-24 gunner during World War II.

A two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2014 to 2020, the 6-foot-10 blocker originally went undrafted by the Army in 2010. Commissioned into the U.S. Army after graduation, Villanueva served three different tours in Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star for rescuing wounded soldiers during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pat Tillman

An underdog story at Arizona State, Tillman earned All-Pro recognition as an emerging safety for the Arizona Cardinals in 2001, only to voluntarily enlist in the U.S. Army the following spring following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. . Deployed to Afghanistan, Tillman was killed in 2004, at age 27, due to friendly fire. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.

The current long snapper for the New England Patriots, Cardona became the second-highest drafted player at his position when he was a fifth-round pick out of Navy in 2011. A two-time Super Bowl champion with New England, Cardona is an active member of the Navy Reserve, serving as a lieutenant while overseeing the needs of hundreds of sailors across the naval station in Newport, Rhode Island.