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Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik Named Walter Camp Distinguished American
The Walter Camp “Distinguished American” award is presented each year to an individual who has utilized his or her talents to attain great success in business, private life or public service and who may have accomplished that which no other has done.
NEW HAVEN, CT – Chuck Bednarik, a College and Professional Football Hall of Famer and one of the last two-way players in professional football, is the 2010 recipient of the Walter Camp Football Foundation “Distinguished American” Award.
The Walter Camp “Distinguished American” award is presented each year to an individual who has utilized his or her talents to attain great success in business, private life or public service and who may have accomplished that which no other has done. He or she may have a record of dedication to mankind that should not pass unrecognized and a life that has been dedicated to the preservation of the American ideal. The recipient need not have participated in football but must be one who understands its lesson of self-denial, cooperation and teamwork, and one who is a person of honesty, integrity and dedication. He or she must be a leader, an innovator, even a pioneer, who has reached a degree of excellence that distinguishes him or her from contemporaries, as well as someone who lives within the principles of Walter Camp.
“Chuck Bednarik has had an impressive record of excellence in his life which makes him a worthy recipient of this honor,” Foundation president Alphonse Paolillo, Jr. said. “His passion and dedication to this country and to the great sport of football are second to none.”
Past recipients of the Walter Camp Distinguished American honor include nationally-respected sportscasters Pat Summerall (2004) and Keith Jackson (1995), all-purpose television personality Regis Philbin (2003), NBC Sports Executive Dick Ebersol (1996), former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue (1994), world-renowned entertainer Bob Hope (1985), former college coach Eddie Robinson (1982) and last year’s recipient, ABC News’ Good Morning America host Robin Roberts.
A native of Bethelhem, Pa., Bednarik played football for Liberty High School. Following graduation, he entered the U.S. Army Air Forces and served as a B-24 waist-gunner with the Eighth Air Force and flew thirty combat missions over Germany. Following his military service, Bednarik attended the University of Pennsylvania and was a two-time Walter Camp All-America selection (1947 and 1948) as a center and linebacker. In 1948, Bednarik placed third in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Maxwell Award.
Bednarik was the first player drafted in the 1949 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He proceeded to play 14 seasons for the Eagles, starting at offensive center and linebacker. Highly durable, Bednarik missed just three games in those 14 seasons and was nicknamed “Concrete Charlie.” He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and was a 10-time All-Pro honoree. Bednarik led the Eagles to the 1960 NFL championship where they defeated the Green Bay Packers, 17-13. He retired following the 1962 season and his Eagles’ #60 uniform is now retired.
Bednarik was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 (his first year of eligibility) and was a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. Today, the Chuck Bednarik Award is presented to the college defensive player of the year by the Maxwell Football Club.
Bednarik, as well as all of the major award winners, and members of the 2010 Walter Camp All-America team, will be honored at the organization’s 44th annual national awards banquet on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven. Sponsorships and dinner tickets are available by calling (203) 288-CAMP.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team and honoring deserving individuals.
Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp — a former Yale University athlete and football coach — is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation — a New Haven based all volunteer group — was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All America team.
About the Foundation
"Walter Camp was one of the giants of football in the United States. He stands with Stagg, Rockne, Thorpe, Warner, Heffelfinger in the imprint they made upon the game. He stands first among them, for it was he who sired the game as it is played in the United States, the game that evolved from the rugby football of England. He played in the first Yale-Harvard game of rugby in 1876. From then on, his was the fertile, inventive mind and guiding leadership that brought about the evolution of the American style of football."
More about Walter Camp