Presidents’ Day is almost here. The perfect time to push aside all sorts of politics and delve into NFL players who share a first or last name in common with Chief Executives. Some fit the bill and others don’t … yet.
45. Trump
The closest we were able to come to the current president is former Cincinnati Bengals receiver and NBC broadcaster Bob Trumpy. He caught 298 passes for 4,600 yards and 35 touchdowns in a 10-year career.
44. Obama
None yet….maybe in decades to come.
41, 43. Bush
Reggie Bush pops up to start. Among others were another running back, Michael Bush, and Blair Bush, who had a 17-year career
42. Clinton
The only player with the surname Clinton was Charles Clinton, who played in two games for Houston in 1987. Of course, there is Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who qualifies here, and Clinton Portis.
40. Reagan
Reagan Maui’a played FB for three teams from 2007-2012. Frank Reagan — not the commissioner on BlueBloods — played DB for the Eagles and Giants from 1941-51.
39. Carter
There have been numerous Carters to play in the league. Quincy Carter was a quarterback. Andre Carter played defensive line. Dale Carter was a stellar DB. For our purposes. we will go with Cris Carter, an All-Pro WR.
38. Ford
Plenty of people have had Ford in part of their name in NFL history. Of course, Gerald Ford, President 38, famously played at Michigan. Here we will go with Henry Ford, who was a defensive tackle for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Oilers and Titans, and New Orleans Saints from 1994-2003.
37. Nixon
The longest a person with the surname Nixon lasted in the NFL has been four years. Most recent was Xavier Nixon, who played in eight games over two seasons for the Indianapolis Colts from 2013-14. Prior to that, he fittingly was signed as a free agent by Washington out of Florida. David Nixon was around for four years from 2009-2012.
17, 36. Johnson
The name Johnson is far too commonplace to worry about all those who played in the league. So, the person settled upon as the representative is Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, the Detroit Lions’ great wide receiver.
35. Kennedy
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The name Kennedy inspires great thoughts and memories. A life too short. The life of Cortez Kennedy was far too short. The Seattle Seahawks’ star was only 48 when he passed away in 2017.
34. Eisenhower
There have been no Eisenhowers in the NFL. So, we shall go to his first name, Dwight and come up with two strong linemen: Dwight White, who played 10 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dwight Stephenson, the great center for the Miami Dolphins.
33. Truman
No players with the last name Truman. Had to reach deep to come up with a player with the first name and found Truman Spencer, a punter from North Texas who tried out unsuccessfully for the Chargers in 2009.
26, 32. Roosevelt
The University of Buffalo provided the Buffalo Bills with Naaman Roosevelt, who caught 25 passes and one TD between 2010 and ’11. We will kick in Roosevelt Leaks and Roosevelt Grier since there are multiple presidents that carried the surname.
31. Hoover
Brad Hoover was a fullback for the Carolina Panthers from 2000-09. He accounted for around 2,000 yards between rushing and receiving and scored nine touchdowns.
30. Coolidge
Sorry, again. No Coolidges. However, it is easy to go with Calvin Hill, the Yalie who starred for the Dallas Cowboys. We’d have opted for Calvin Johnson but he already filled a need in slot 36.
29. Harding
Greg Harding played with the Saints and Eagles in 1984 and 1987. Going deeper into history, Roger Harding played for five franchises from 1945-49, including the Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams.
28. Wilson
There are two pages of Wilsons on NFL.com. Will go with the great punter Jerrel Wilson, who starred for the Kansas City Chiefs. Other notables are the recently deceased Wade Wilson and former Raiders QB Marc Wilson of BYU.
27. Taft
There was only one player in NFL history with the first or last name Taft. That would be Taft Reed, who was with the 1967 Philadelphia Eagles. Reed was a DB/returner. He had five kickoff returns for 111 yards in six games.
25. McKinkley
A current player makes the grade here. Former UCLA star and current Atlanta Falcon Takk McKinley has spent two seasons in the league. He has 13 sacks and two forced fumbles for the Dirty Birds.
22, 24. Cleveland
Cleveland Gary went from the Miami Hurricanes to the Los Angeles Rams and then to the Miami Dolphins. Gary rushed for 2,600 yards and 24 touchdowns in a six-year career. Since Grover Cleveland split his two terms, we will add in another Cleveland. Cleveland Elam was a defensive lineman who was with the 49ers for four years and then spent time with the Detroit Lions.
9, 23. Harrison
Let’s go with the man who upstaged Bruce Springsteen in the Super Bowl. The Boss was getting ready for his halftime performance when James Harrison picked off a Kurt Warner pass and took it 100 yard yards for a score. We will add in Rodney Harrison, since he played 15 seasons and has made a solid transition into studio analyst.
21. Arthur
Mike Arthur spent six years in the NFL, two each with the Bengals, Packers and Patriots. He was an offensive lineman.
20. Garfield
No Garfields in NFL history. Plenty of “James” to choose from. The selection is Lionel James, who starred at Auburn before spending a handful of years in San Diego.
19. Hayes
There is one Hayes who was faster than all others. That would be Olympic gold medalist, 100-meter world record holder and Dallas Cowboys deep threat “Bullet” Bob Hayes. Hayes avereaged 20 yards per catch over an 11-year career. All but one season was with Dallas.
18. Grant
Grant is a common last name so we had our pick. The Grant with the most experience playing was Deon Grant, who picked off 30 passes in a 12-year career. An homage also must be paid to Minnesota Vikings legendary coach Bud Grant.
16. Lincoln
Lincoln Kennedy spent 11 years in the league with the Falcons and Raiders. Another favorite was the great AFL running back, Keith Lincoln, who starred for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills
15. Buchanan
Only one Buchanan needs to be remembered here. The incredible Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Buck Buchanan. From 1963-75, he played defensive tackle with a ferocity few others have exhibited. A legend.
14. Pierce
There were choices to be made for the Pierce selection. It came down to the man who played more years than any other with that surname, Antonio Pierce. The Arizona star started with the Washington Redskins before moving to the linebacking corps of the New York Giants.
13. Fillmore
No players with the surname Fillmore, so we go to the President’s first name, Millard. Two players saw nine years of action with the name Millard. Keith Millard played defense for four teams. Bryan Millard was a Seattle Seahawk from 1984-92.
12. Taylor
We shall pay our respects to the sturdy Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor, who passed away recently. Taylor was part of the great Lombardi era teams. Taylor rushed for 8,207 yards and 81 TDs in nine seasons with Green Bay. He finished his career with one season as a Saint.
11. Polk
Carlos Polk went from Nebraska to the San Diego Chargers, where he spent seven of his eight seasons before concluding his NFL career with the Cowboys.
10. Tyler
Former UCLA star Wendell Tyler spent his entire college and pro career on the West Coast. After leaving the Bruins, Tyler went to the Los Angeles Rams before playing four years for the San Francisco 49ers.
8. Van Buren
The legendary Steve Van Buren was a great for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1944-51. He rushed for better than 5,800 yards.
7. Jackson
Tons of Jacksons. A favorite was the tiny but steady wide receiver Harold Jackson, who starred for the Philadelphia Eagles in down times. He went on to play for four more teams in a 17-year career.
5. Monroe
Eugene Monroe played offensive line for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens in an eight-year career.
4. Madison
Sam Madison is the senior Madison when it comes to NFL careers. The DB played 12 seasons for the Dolphins and Giants.
3. Jefferson
The Jefferson that comes to mind quickly is wide receiver Roy Jefferson, who went from Utah to star in the NFL. He played for the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers. Roy Jefferson had 451 catches for 7,500 yards
2, 6. Adams
Plenty of Adams to choose from, too. The Dallas Cowboys had a great one, Flozell Adams, who was a huge part of their offensive line from 1998-2009 before closing out his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. And since there were two Adams as presidents, we will add in the tremendous New England Patriot Julius Adams, who was a stalwart from 1971-87.
1. Washington
There have been a lot of Washingtons to play in the NFL. The pick here is Joe Washington, the fleet running back who went from Oklahoma to a 10-year career with Atlanta, Washington, the Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers.
