The Men Behind The Best Football Nicknames (Early Chicago Football)

In professional sports, we have experienced a wide spectrum of clearly memorable nicknames. For example, in baseball, we instantly recognize nicknames like the Babe, Mick, Yogi, and Moose. Moose? Of course, that would be “Moose” Skowron who played for the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox among other teams. But what about pro football?

As with baseball, we can often mention one word and it will translate into an image of a well-known player. Try this one: the Refrigerator! We can easily visualize William Perry, the sterling, and rather large, lineman for the Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears in the 1980s. The Refrigerator was known for his immoveable status in the center of the Bears’ defensive line and he also scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl XX victory over the Patriots in January of 1986.

So where did Perry earn his infamous nickname? Apparently, while he was a student at Clemson in 1981 Perry was taking his laundry down to the washing machine. When another student had difficulty sliding into the elevator with Perry, the student said: “Man, you’re about as big as a refrigerator.” The name stuck!

In this episode of “When Football Was Football” we’ll have some fun and resurrect some of the best nicknames from Chicago pro football players in those golden years before face masks were in vogue and pro football became the country’s most popular sport.

We’ll meet guys with names like Bones, Muscles, Crazy Legs, Hunk, Gob, and Jeep. Whenever possible, we’ll dig up the real reason behind those nicknames and share some insight into each player’s career—no matter how brief, or forgotten, it might have been!

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Elroy Leon Hirsch

First off, who remembers Elroy Leon Hirsch? It might be easier to recall the name “Crazy Legs” Hirsch, the talented halfback from Wisconsin who spent time in both the All-America Football Conference and the NFL.

While playing for Wisconsin, Hirsch earned his lasting nickname in October of 1942 when reporter Francis Power of the Chicago Daily News described his running style: “His crazy legs were gyrating in six different directions, all at the same time; he looked like a demented duck.”

Hirsch spent time in the service during WWII but then joined the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference following the war, which ensured his spot on this list. But he made his biggest professional impact as a member of the Los Angeles Rams by being selected All-Pro three times and topping the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 1951. Crazy Legs was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Gerald Craft Weatherly

Next, we have a big receiver at 6-5, 218 lbs. who was so ferocious on the field from his solid defensive hits that he was constantly in the medical tent, thus securing the nickname of “Bones.” But no matter how severely injured he might have been, this player was always ready for the next big game on the weekend!

Let’s meet Gerald Craft Weatherly, a graduate of Rice who was selected in the eighth round of the 1949 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He played linebacker for the Bears for four seasons in a career that was interrupted by his military service in 1951 and 1952. Bones intercepted eight passes during his time with the Bears and also scored three touchdowns. In 1974, Bones was named to the Hall of Fame at Rice.

Gilford Earl Duggan

We have shared the story of our next exceptional nicknamed player on our Chicago Cardinals Facebook site. Gilford Earl Duggan was a native of Arkansas who became a 230-pound All-American lineman at Oklahoma. Duggan, whose unique nickname was apparently the result of his ever-present three-day growth of “prickly” beard–hence the nickname Cactus Face–was drafted by the New York Giants and played with that team in 1940.

However, he was unable to secure a leave from his full-time job with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for the 1941 campaign. In 1942, after securing the requested leave, he then moved over to a starting tackle position with the Cardinals from 1942-45. Later, Cactus Face played with Los Angeles and Buffalo of the fledgling AAFC League. Here is our favorite Cactus Face Duggan story:

The big guy (230 lbs.) once showed up for pre-season training camp at Oklahoma looking a bit thinner than usual for the Sooners. The Seminole (OK) Producer shared the following exchange in 1939, Duggan’s senior year: “How does Cactus Face Duggan look?” somebody asked trainer Ted Owen. “Darned good!”

Owen replied. He’s down to 214 [lbs.] in spite of the fact he’s been home for a week, ‘eatin and loafin’.” Just then, Duggan, waddled up, his stomach surprisingly lean. “What have you been eatin’?” the others asked, admiring his trim build. “Fried chicken and fried squirrel,” the tackle replied.” Apparently, that special diet worked wonderfully for the sturdy Sooner lineman!

Raymond Robert Bray

Raymond Robert Bray was born in Caspian, MI in 1917. After a successful 1ollegiate career at Western State Normal School (now Western Michigan), Bray enjoyed an 11-year career as a lineman in the National Football League.

Along the way, Bray picked up the nickname “Muscles” for his aggressive play as an offensive guard and a defensive end for the Chicago Bears from 1939-1951, except for three years in the service during WWII. Muscles completed his long career with the Green Bay Packers in 1952.

With the Bears, Bray captured three NFL titles in 1940, 1941, and 1946. Muscles was selected for four Pro Bowls and was named as one of the “100 Greatest Bears of All Time.” He was also regarded as one of the toughest men in the National Football League. His teammate, Hall of Fame tackle George Connor, once said.

“Bray was the strongest man I ever saw. He could do 50 one-armed pushups, switch hands and knock off 50 more with ease.” Quarterback Solly Sherman once told the Chicago Tribune that Muscles “could pick up a car to change the tire.”

Garland Maiers Buckeye

For our next less than glamorous nickname, we’ll move to the south side of Chicago to honor a lineman for the Cardinals who also played major league baseball. Born in 1897, Garland Maiers Buckeye broke into the big leagues as a pitcher for the Washington Senators in 1918.

He also spent some time in the US Navy where he picked up the nickname of “Gob,” an old-time reference to a sailor. Gob Buckeye was a big man on the gridiron during his football career that began with the Chicago Tigers in 1920 and ended with the short-lived Chicago Bulls in 1926. In between those two stints, Gob was a lineman for the Cardinals from 1921-1924.

During the 1925 baseball season with the Cleveland Indians, the 260 lb. Buckeye experienced the finest year of his career finishing with a 13-8 record with an earned run average of 3.65.

His big-league career concluded after the 1928 season with an overall 30-39 record. He continued to toil with minor league and independent teams into the 1930s where his size was often the subject of local media. For example, in 1930, the Kenosha Evening News marveled at the sheer girth of his baseball uniform and stated:

“The choicest sagas of Omar the Tentmaker never equaled the tale of the size 50 shirt and the size 46 pants which it was rumored that Buckeye, recently signed to pitch for the Racine Belles, wears. ‘How big are those pants?’ asked one fan of another. ‘Size 46,’ replied his neighbor, ‘and every inch of them is full of Buckeye.’”

Richard Lane

Of course, you know this one! Dick “Night Train” Lane was a head-hunting defensive standout for the Cardinals, Rams, and Lions. Night Train was with the Cards from 1954 to 1959. He was a terror on defense and forced the NFL to change its rules on tackles to the neck and head which were often referred to as “Night Train Neckties.”

At the time, the “clothesline” tackle was legal but eventually was outlawed by the NFL. Night Train explained the reasoning behind his aggressive method for stopping ball carriers: “My object is to stop the guy before he gains another inch. If I hit them in the legs they may fall forward for a first down. I grab them around the neck so I can go back to the bench and sit down!”

So where does the nickname of “Night Train” come from? One story claims that it evolved because Lane would not fly and thus would be forced to take a train, usually late at night, to get to and from games. However, the more reasonable explanation has surfaced from a training camp early in Lane’s career with the Rams.

Apparently, there was a popular record out at the time called “Night Train” and Dick Lane loved that song and would dance along every time that he heard it. His teammate Tom Fears had hauled a record player to camp and was fond of the song as well.

The music would encourage Lane to dance and eventually Ben Sheets, the roommate of Fears, would see Lane dancing down the hallway when the song was played prompting Sheets to declare: “Here comes Night Train!”

Night Train Lane, of course, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and still holds the NFL record of 14 interceptions in one season. His 68 career interceptions rank fourth all-time.

Edwin Darragh Brett

In baseball, a player who knocks around with a few teams is often called a “journeyman.” Such might be the case with Edwin Darragh Brett, a fourth-round draft choice of the Cardinals in 1936 out of Washington State. Brett was a talented end with the nickname of “Jeep.”

However, we could find no reason for this intriguing moniker either while Brett was in the college or professional ranks. Brett may be the only NFL player in history known as “Jeep.” His status with the Cardinals was short-lived as he was traded after just one game to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1936.

Born in 1914, Brett was expected to fortify the receiving corps of the Cards in 1936. In an exhibition game against the La Crosse Lagers on September 20, 1936, Brett caught a long pass and then lateraled back to halfback Jimmy Lawrence, who carried the ball in for the final touchdown in a 20-0 Cards’ victory.

But, less than two weeks later, Brett was starting at left end for Pittsburgh in a 26-7 loss to the Chicago Bears. Jeep helped the Pirates stay in the game by blocking an extra point attempt as well as a Beattie Feathers punt.

After two seasons in Pittsburgh, Brett was traded to the Packers where the Green Bay Press-Gazette stated that “Eastern experts ranked Brett last season as the best end on the Pirate squad.” However, Brett failed to make the Green Bay squad and left pro football with two full years of experience and one wonderful nickname!

Heartley William Anderson

We’ll conclude our brief journey into the land of professional football nicknames with a look at one Heartley William Anderson. He was the head coach at Notre Dame, St. Louis, North Carolina State, and with the Chicago Bears where he captured the 1943 NFL title.

But the man known as Hunk Anderson was even better known as a player with the Bears and the Cleveland Indians. He was one tough lineman despite weighing just 170 pounds. In fact, the legendary Paddy Driscoll once said that “Hunk Anderson would have been in his element in the Roman Coliseum–and God help the lions!” Red Grange stated: “I’ve never met a guard as great as Anderson.”

Even Hunk admitted that he was tough and determined on the field, despite his smallish size: “I broke noses. I broke arms and I broke legs. I never weighed more than 175 pounds, but what the hell, I played against plenty of guys who were 250 or 260 without any trouble. There wasn’t a guy in the league I couldn’t handle!”

We’re not quite sure how he secured his nickname since he seemed to have always been known as Hunk since his days as an all-around athlete in Calumet, Michigan. He played at Notre Dame under Knute Rockne and then several years in the NFL before beginning his long coaching career.

Today, Hunk is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was named to the NFL’s “All-Decade” team for the 1920s. Still, Hunk has not been selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame to which columnist David Condon of the Chicago Tribune once wrote: “Not having Hunk in the Hall of Fame is like not mentioning Abraham Lincoln in a history of the presidents.”

I must admit, that was fun and there are many more pro football nicknames that we did not have the opportunity to mention in this episode, so perhaps we’ll revisit this topic again in the future. Meanwhile, please join us next time on “When Football Was Football” as we reach back over the years and share the unique story of the winningest coach in NFL history, but also one who failed to last a full season as head coach with the Cardinals. How did that happen?

Author and Host - Joe Ziemba

Joe Ziemba is the host of this show, and he is an author of early football history in the city of Chicago. Here, you can learn more about Joe and When Football Was Football, including all of the episodes of the podcast.