Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik released from hospital – NFL news
The son in law of Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik has confirmed that Bednarik was released from St. Luke’s Hospital on Tuesday after being admitted into the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area hospital in serious condition.
“He was a little anemic and dehydrated,” said Ken Safarowic, a spokesman for the Bednarik family. Bendarik’s son in law told the media, “I don't think it was any one significant issue. A bunch of things just ganged up on him at the same time. The heart and
organs weren't affected. He's in a good shape otherwise.”
“There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be back on his feet in a couple of days,” Safarowic added. “He left with a clean bill of health.”
Bednarik was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles first overall in the 1949 NFL Draft and missed only three games in his 14 years with the team. “Concrete Charlie” was well known for one particularly vicious tackle on Frank Gifford of the New York Giants
that resulted in Gifford retiring from professional football.
Bednarik also made the game-winning touchdown in the 1960 NFL Championship Game, the last league championship that the Eagles have won. He handed the Green Bay Packers’ legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, his only championship loss after tackling Jim Taylor
just eight yards from the end zone. Bednarik was the only defender between Taylor and the end zone and laid on top of Taylor for a few extra seconds so that the clock would run out and the Eagles would win.
Safarowic also said that the Bednarik family was overwhelmed by the flood of phone calls from around the country including other Hall of Famers and a number of other professional athletes.
“It’s been overwhelming,” he said. “Everybody sends their best wishes. We’ve got to hang on to him for a while. There are not many guys from that era. Chuck has another game-saving tackle left in him.”
In 2010, Bednarik was ranked on the NFL’s “The Top 100: NFL’s Greatest Players” at number 35. In his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl seven years in a row out of a total of eight Pro Bowl selections and was voted as Pro Bowl’s Most Valuable Player
in 1963. Bednarik was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility, and his number 60 jersey was retired by the Eagles.
Since then, Bednarik has always been a critic of current players that play on only one side of the ball, as opposed to himself who played on both offence and defence, usually taking part in every play of every game. He calls today’s players “pussyfoots”
and that they “couldn’t tackle my wife Emma.”
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