- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1967
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 98.0
GOAT Rank · 18
Greatest American Football Players who debuted in the 1940s
This ranking is led by Lou Groza, Otto Graham and George Blanda. GOAT Rank currently ranks 18 eligible American Football players who debuted in the 1940s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Lou Groza ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 92.4.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 98.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 96.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1949–1975
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 99.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1949–1962
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1963
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1957
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 96.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1962
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1942–1953
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1946–1957
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1947–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1958
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1941–1952
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1940–1950
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1944–1951
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lou Groza | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1967 | 92.4 |
| 5 | Otto Graham | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1955 | 92.0 |
| 38 | George Blanda | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1949–1975 | 89.1 |
| 45 | Chuck Bednarik | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1949–1962 | 88.9 |
| 66 | Joe Perry | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1963 | 88.4 |
| 67 | Frank Gatski | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1957 | 88.4 |
| 79 | Bobby Layne | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1962 | 88.1 |
| 125 | Bill Dudley | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1942–1953 | 87.3 |
| 129 | Marion Motley | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1955 | 87.1 |
| 135 | Dante Lavelli | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1956 | 87.0 |
| 139 | Elroy Hirsch | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1957 | 86.9 |
| 156 | Pete Pihos | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1947–1955 | 86.6 |
| 171 | Len Ford | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1958 | 86.4 |
| 215 | Tony Canadeo | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1941–1952 | 85.6 |
| 228 | Tom Fears | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1956 | 85.3 |
| 230 | George McAfee | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1950 | 85.3 |
| 275 | George Connor | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1955 | 83.9 |
| 287 | Steve Van Buren | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1944–1951 | 83.5 |
Compare the leaders
Lou Groza vs Otto GrahamRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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