Bednarik is ranked one of the hardest hitting tacklers in NFL history,[1] and was one of the league's last two-way players.

On November 20, 1960, Bednarik knocked New York Giants star halfback Frank Gifford unconscious with a tackle that was called "professional football's most notorious concussion".

[5][6][7][8] He went off to war before finishing high school, but was awarded a diploma and graduated in exchange for his service,[4] an experience shared by football great Gino Marchetti.

After one mission, his flak-riddled plane crashed during a landing, and after skidding off the runway he had to kick out a window and jump 20 feet to the ground.

He had the word MOTHER coming out of a blossoming flower tattooed on his forearm, so he could be identified if his plane was shot down.

[4] Following World War II, in 1945, Bednarik entered the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia at 20 years old,[11][3] where he was a 60-minute man, excelling as both center and linebacker,[11] and sometimes as a punter for the Penn Quakers Football team .

[11] In 1948, Bednarik placed third in Heisman Trophy voting and won the Maxwell Award for outstanding college player that year.

[11] In 1969, he also was voted by a panel of sportswriters, coaches, and College Football Hall of Fame players as "the greatest center of all-time.

[5] In the final play of that game, Bednarik was the last Eagles defensive player between the Green Bay Packers' Jim Taylor and the end zone.

[19] Bednarik was criticized after the game by Giants players and fans for apparently celebrating Gifford's injury.

"[20] Bednarik had a famous quarrel with future hall of fame coach Chuck Noll, who as a Cleveland Browns player, had smashed him in the face during a fourth-down punting play.

NFL commissioner Bert Bell was upset about hurting the family-friendly image he wanted for the league,[16] and subsequently fined Bednarik $500 and ordered him to apologize to Noll for the punch.

[24] He was MVP of the 1954 Pro Bowl, taking back an interception for a touchdown, recovering three fumbles, and even punting when the punter got injured.

He even criticized Troy Brown of the New England Patriots and Deion Sanders of the Dallas Cowboys,[16] two players who also have played both offense and defense.

Bednarik noted that Brown and Sanders saw time at both wide receiver and cornerback, positions that did not require as much contact as he endured while playing both center and linebacker.

[16] He was a consistent critic of several league issues, including his pension, today's salaries, and one-way players.

At the same time, however, Bednarik made disparaging remarks regarding Reggie White, leading to a somewhat lukewarm reception of the reconciliation by Eagles' fans.

In the edition of August 4 of Allentown's Morning Call newspaper, however, it was reported that Bednarik apologized, stating he had been confused, and meant to make the statement about former Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens.

[33] Although the Philadelphia Eagles released a statement saying he died after a "brief illness", Bednarik's eldest daughter, Charlene Thomas, disputed that claim, saying he had Alzheimer's disease and had been suffering from dementia for years and that football-related injuries played a role in his decline.