Charles Philip Bednarik (born May 1, 1925 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football player, known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last two-way player in the National Football League. A Slovak - American from the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, he is perhaps best remembered for a tackle on the New York Giants' Frank Gifford, then a star running back, that knocked Gifford...
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Charles Philip Bednarik (born May 1, 1925 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) is a former professional American football player, known as one of the most devastating tacklers in the history of football and the last two-way player in the National Football League. A Slovak - American from the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, he is perhaps best remembered for a tackle on the New York Giants' Frank Gifford, then a star running back, that knocked Gifford out of professional football for a year and a half, and shortened Gifford's playing career.
He played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949 through 1962 and, upon retirement, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 (his first year of eligibility).
Bednarik currently resides in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley. His great-nephew, Adam Bednarik, was a third-string quarterback at West Virginia University.
His parents emigrated from Široké, a village in eastern Slovakia, in 1920 for work, settling in Bethlehem,...
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