January 31st, 2009 04:00am
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Elmer Angsman played seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Chicago Cardinals, including 1950 when he was a Pro Bowl selection at running back. But Elmer never had more of an impact than he did against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 28, 1947 — the last time the Cardinals won the NFL championship.
In the second quarter, with the Cardinals clinging to a 7-0 lead, Angsman tore off a 75-yard …
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January 30th, 2009 04:00am
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James Gleason Conzelman might not be a name NFL fans are familiar with, even fans who think they know their NFL history.
But Jimmy Conzelman was every bit a pro football pioneer as George Halas and Curly Lambeau.
He was a player for the Decatur Staleys in 1920, the NFL’s first year of existence. He was player/coach for two teams (three games with the Milwaukee Badgers; seven games with the Rock Island …
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January 29th, 2009 04:00am
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Kurt Warner, as you may know, will be only the second quarterback to start a Super Bowl for two different teams (Rams, Cardinals) when he takes his first snap on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Craig Morton (Dallas, Denver, both losses) is the other.
But you might not know that Warner, already the only quarterback of a Super Bowl team with a history of three different cities as its home (the …
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January 28th, 2009 04:00am
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Cardinals QB Kurt Warner, who has already won a Super Bowl with the Rams, isn’t shy about talking about his Christian faith. Curiously, the last Cardinals QB to win an NFL championship was Paul Christman, in 1947, when the Chicago Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-21. Hmm.
Who was Paul Christman? He was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Cardinals out of Missouri in 1941. World War II delayed the …
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January 27th, 2009 04:00am
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Then there’s Muhammad Ali. Ali, like Armstrong and Jordan, had two comebacks, one stunningly impressive, the other less so.
Ali refused Army induction in 1967 when he was heavyweight champion and was convicted of draft dodging. Although free on appeal, he was stripped of his title and unlicensed to fight. Three and a half years later, the state of Georgia, of all places, let him come back and fight. It took …
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January 26th, 2009 04:00am
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Michael Jordan had two comebacks, too. His first, after a two-year fling at baseball, is just as impressive as any athlete’s comeback in any sport. Jordan came back to the NBA, one of the most grueling schedules of any sport. And, of course, he just didn’t come back. He led the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships, just as he had done before his first “retirement.”
Jordan, as you know, …
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January 25th, 2009 04:00am
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Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong just came off a three and a half year hiatus from cycling, competing in the Tour Down Under. Next month he’ll be competing in the Tour of California, with a stage here in Sonoma County. Muhammad Ali came back from a three and a half year exile from boxing. And Michael Jordan came back to the NBA from a two-year try at baseball. …
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January 24th, 2009 04:00am
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Kurt Warner reminds me of Jim Plunkett. Not completely. I’m not talking carbon copy. But there are enough similarities to make the comparison intriguing.
For example, before 1999, Warner was much maligned. He was considered lucky to have an NFL job. He had played in Europe and the Arena league. In 1999, he showed Rams coach Dick Vermeil enough that he earned a job as Trent Green’s backup. Well, Green got …
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January 23rd, 2009 04:00am
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When Kurt Warner starts at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1, he will be only the second QB to have started for two different teams. Craig Morton is the other.
Warner won a Super Bowl for the St. Louis Rams after the 1999 season. He also lost one with the Rams after the 2001 season.
Morton, a 1965 first-round draft pick out of Cal who had …
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January 22nd, 2009 04:00am
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Dante Lavelli, who died Tuesday at 85, was a Hall of Fame receiver for the great Cleveland Browns teams of 1946-55. Those were great teams (four AAFC titles, three NFL titles) with Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Lou Groza, Lavelli and other great players who had to buy their own uniforms.
Besides being a great receiver, Lavelli was a pro football union pioneer.
In reading his obit from Associated Press, I was naturally …
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Robert Rubino has been a daily copy editor for nearly 30 years and a weekly sports columnist for 15 years. 
