By The Numbers: The Best #57 in NFL History

When I first drew #57 for our Best in NFL History series, per usual I thought of Vikings that I could remember with the number, and the only player that popped into my head was Dwayne Rudd. Or as he’s typically known here in Minnesota (and I believe in Cleveland) Dwayne “Effing” Rudd. No worries, he didn’t make the cut.

Bring in the 50’s, I figured we would have a bunch of linebackers to choose from, but none immediately jumped to mind–I looked up the ProFootballReference.com Jersey Number page first, and realized that Rickey Jackson (who I did see play) and Tom Jackson (who I just missed play) would probably duke it out, although there were a couple other names I recognized on the list.

It wasn’t until I flipped to #57 in my Best By Number book that I realized even looking at the PFR page, I missed the guy that will get my vote–the other player who wore #57 as his primary jersey number in the Hall of Fame.

First, though, two quick players to name that won’t make the poll (possibly yet, in one case)–there is one player in the Hall of Fame who wore #57 as a secondary jersey, in John “Blood” McNally, aka Johnny Blood, according to PFR. Wanted to make sure to mention him for two reasons–one, what an incredible nickname (I mean, it’s legit enough that PFR actually refers to him as Johnny Blood…and the story of how it came to be is pretty good too).  Second, he may have the distinction of having worn the most numbers in his career–the HOF website has him listed so many times (seven) that they don’t even give him a primary number–they just list 10, 14, 15, 20, 24, 55 and 57 all as secondary. Heck, his PFR profile pic shows him wearing #27 too.

The second player worth mentioning is a current player, who may make the list someday if he recovers from a rough 2019 season and continues playing like he did the first few years of his career–CJ Mosley, linebacker who wears #57 for the Jets after first donning it for the Ravens starting in 2014. The next most notable current #57 is probably Lorenzo Alexander…who has only worn it since he got to Buffalo in 2016.

On to the top players in the history of the NFL to wear the #57:

Rickey Jackson – Hall of Fame linebacker, he wore #57 for the Saints from 1981 to 1993, and added two more seasons of wearing it with the 49ers. He finished with 128 career sacks in 225 games, and played in 6 Pro Bowls, although he was never voted first team All-Pro by the Associated Press (he did have five 2nd team selections, and numerous 1st/2nd team selections by other groups). He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2010. For what it’s worth, he also has the highest Approximate Value in PFR’s ranking.

Dwight Stephenson – Miami Dolphins center for just 8 seasons due to his career being cut short due to injury, Stephenson is still considered one of the best to have played the position. Drafted in 1980, and starting by 1981, when his career ended he was on a streak of five Pro Bowls and four first team Associated Press All-Pro selections. Despite starting only 87 games, and playing in 114, he was chosen to the NFL 1980’s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was the NFL Man of the Year in 1985, and in 1998 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Clay Matthews – Another linebacker, Matthews played 19 years in the NFL, wearing #57 for the Cleveland Browns for 16 seasons before finishing out his career wearing it for 3 years with the Atlanta Falcons. He is a part of the Matthews clan of NFL players (his father Clay played, his brother Bruce is a Hall of Famer, his sons Casey and Clay, and nephews Jake, Kevin and Mike all played in the league), and his name still comes up in Hall of Fame discussions (including here on Zoneblitz). He played in 278 games in his career, starting 248, and played in 4 Pro Bowls. Although they’re an unofficial stat, he led the NFL in tackles at least 3 times (and is listed as a fourth, but I have a hard time believing that 34 tackles led the league).

Mo Lewis – Lewis was a New York Jets linebacker for his entire 13 year, starting 199 of 200 games played in his career, missing only 8 games. While not someone I generally would have thought of for this list, he did get elected to three Pro Bowls and was a one-time first team Associated Press All-Pro, so he’s worth mentioning.

Jeff Van Note – The first player on the list that I absolutely do not remember having heard of, despite him playing well into the time when I started to watch football, retiring after the 1986 season when he was 40 years old. Making his career even more impressive, he was an offensive lineman that played until 40–and he started 226 of the 246 games he played in, including all 16 games in his second to last season in 1985. He also wore #57 for one team, the Atlanta Falcons, that entire stretch. He makes the list mostly because he’s just behind Lewis on the PFR Approximate Value list–with six Pro Bowls and zero All-Pro selections in his career, I’m guessing he’s that high on the list in part because of his longevity–but I’m keeping him on the list because offensive lineman don’t get enough credit.

Tom Jackson – A 14-year linebacker for the Denver Broncos, Jackson wore #57 for the last 13 years of his career, after donning #56 his first season. Part of the vaunted Orange Crush defense, Jackson played in three Pro Bowls and was named first team All-Pro in 1977.

Reggie Williams – Another player that was on the field well into my football watching days that I don’t remember hearing about–and he even played in two Super Bowls for the Cincinnati Bengals (one of which I watched live, the other of which I probably saw with my brother about 40 times on VHS). While another impressive 14-year veteran, all with the same team, starting 196 of 206 games played, all wearing #57–that’s about all there is to mention.

Steve Nelson – Nelson makes the list for a few reasons…he’s one of the other players listed in the Best By Number book, he was born just down the road from me in Farmington, Minnesota, and he is yet another linebacker that played 14 seasons all with the same team, wearing #57 in all 174 games he played in (with 171 starts) for the New England Patriots. Unlike Williams, he did manage to make it to three Pro Bowls–but he only lost in one Super Bowl.

Olin Kreutz – The other reason to list Nelson is that he is the last player above Kreutz on the PFR Approximate Value list (and Kreutz is the last player ahead of Stephenson). Wearing #57 for the Chicago Bears for 13 seasons (before finishing his career wearing #50 for four games in 2011 for the Saints), he played in 191 games (starting 183) for the Chicago Bears, behind only Walter Payton for the franchise, and was named to six Pro Bowls and was a one-time All-Pro. He was the second team Center on the NFL All-Decade team for the 2000s, which is part of why he’s on the list here–I have heard some people suggest he deserves Hall of Fame consideration.

Others worth mentioning: Mike Merriweather, Bart Scott, Lamar Lathon, Ken Harvey (would have been a lot higher on the list, but wore #56 to start his career in Phoenix).

So who say you, Zoneblitz readers?  Vote in the poll below, and leave us a comment about why Dwight Stephenson was the best #57 of all time, I mean, why you voted the way you did.

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