Lesson 14 of 14 · 10 min
The names
You do not need a sticker album. You need the names that keep coming up on the broadcast, in the pub, and in every “greatest ever” argument. This is a first list: a mix of all-time figures and people you will still hear about on a Sunday. Short bios, no invented numbers.
Path 0/14
This is a lesson, not a game
Read the names, then watch a match and see who the commentary treats as scripture. If you want clues and a score, Who am I? is in Mini Games.
Who am I? →These are the people older fans assume you already know. You do not. That is why they are here.
Quarterback · 2000s–2020s
New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If one name stands for the modern NFL, it is his. Brady won seven Super Bowls: six with New England and one with Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. He is the player older fans compare everyone else to, and the one beginners keep hearing in documentaries.
Why the name lasts. Seven Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl MVPs, two decades as the face of the league.
Wide receiver · 1980s–2000s
San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
The standard for catching the ball. Rice won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and left the game holding the main career receiving records. When a commentator says a young wideout “is no Jerry Rice”, this is the person they mean.
Why the name lasts. Three Super Bowls in San Francisco, and receiving records that stood as the mark for a generation.
Quarterback · 1980s–1990s
San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs
Montana won four Super Bowls with the 49ers and never lost one. Joe Montana to Dwight Clark is The Catch. Later he had a late chapter with the Chiefs. Calm in the last two minutes is still called “Montana-like”.
Why the name lasts. Four Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs, The Catch in the 1981 NFC Championship.
Linebacker · 1980s–1990s
New York Giants
LT changed what a defender was allowed to look like. He rushed the quarterback from the edge and forced offences to rewrite their protection. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants and was the 1986 NFL Most Valuable Player: a rare honour for someone who never took a snap on offence.
Why the name lasts. Two Super Bowls with New York, 1986 MVP, the template for the modern pass-rusher.
Running back · 1970s–1980s
Chicago Bears
Nickname: Sweetness. Payton was the Bears’ everything-back: runner, blocker, occasional passer, and the face of the 1985 side that won Super Bowl XX. When he retired he was the league’s all-time leading rusher. Emmitt Smith later passed him. The nickname stuck.
Why the name lasts. Super Bowl XX with Chicago, and a career that set the rushing mark of his era.
Running back · 1950s–1960s
Cleveland Browns
The original unstoppable runner. Brown retired in his prime, after the 1965 season, and went into films. He won an NFL championship with Cleveland in 1964. People who watched him still put him in the “greatest to ever play” sentence, which is why the name survives on modern broadcasts.
Why the name lasts. Cleveland only, a 1964 title, and a short career that never looked ordinary.
Quarterback · 1990s–2010s
Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos
The quarterback as professor. Manning won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts and Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. He was regular-season MVP five times. The frantic pointing and shouting before the snap is him changing the play at the line. His younger brother Eli won two Super Bowls with the Giants. Different careers, same surname on the back.
Why the name lasts. Two Super Bowls with two clubs, five regular-season MVPs, the pre-snap check.
Running back · 1980s–1990s
Detroit Lions
The highlight reel in a Lions kit. Sanders made defenders miss in a phone box, then retired suddenly in 1999 while still near his best. He never reached a Super Bowl. That is part of why Detroit supporters talk about him with a wince as well as pride.
Why the name lasts. A Lions career, sudden retirement, and runs that still fill compilation videos.
Linebacker · 1990s–2010s
Baltimore Ravens
The middle of the Ravens’ defence for most of two decades. Lewis won Super Bowl XXXV as a young star and Super Bowl XLVII in his last season. The pre-game dance, the voice, the tackling: if a broadcast is explaining “what a middle linebacker does”, they will often cut to him.
Why the name lasts. Two Super Bowls with Baltimore, and the face of a defence-first franchise.
Defensive tackle · 1960s–1980s
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mean Joe Greene, of the Steel Curtain. Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls in the 1970s (IX, X, XIII, XIV) with a defence that started up front. The “Mean” was a nickname. The Coca-Cola advert with the kid and the jersey is how a lot of people outside the US first met him.
Why the name lasts. Four Super Bowls, the Steel Curtain, and a nickname that stuck on the back of the shirt.
Cornerback · 1980s–2000s
Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington, Baltimore Ravens
Prime Time. Sanders covered the best receivers, returned kicks, and played professional baseball in the same era. He won Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers and Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys. The gold chains and the confidence were the point as much as the coverage. He later became a college coach.
Why the name lasts. Two Super Bowls with two clubs, and a cornerback who also scored on returns.
Quarterback · 2000s–2020s
San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints
Brees arrived in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and became the city’s football face. He won Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints, beating Peyton Manning’s Colts. He left as one of the most accurate passers the sport has seen. If you hear “Who Dat”, he is in that story.
Why the name lasts. Super Bowl XLIV, a long Saints career, and a city that still treats him as one of their own.
Still playing, or only just gone. Useful when the graphic flashes a surname and everyone else nods.
Quarterback · 2010s–
Kansas City Chiefs
The current measuring stick. Mahomes has won three Super Bowls with Kansas City (LIV, LVII, LVIII) and lost two (LV and LIX). The no-look throws and the late drives are what you will see most Sunday nights on UK television. If a beginner picks a favourite player rather than a favourite club, it is often him.
Why the name lasts. Three Super Bowl wins with the Chiefs, and the highlight-reel quarterback of this era.
Tight end · 2010s–
Kansas City Chiefs
The tight end who shows up in both the sports pages and the celebrity pages. Kelce has three Super Bowl wins with Mahomes and the Chiefs. A tight end is meant to block and catch. He does the catching part like a wide receiver. If you only know the name from a pop-star headline, he is still a proper footballer.
Why the name lasts. Three Super Bowls in Kansas City, and the modern tight end as a starring role.
Quarterback · 2000s–
Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodgers spent most of his career as the Packers’ quarterback after Brett Favre. He won Super Bowl XLV and several regular-season MVPs. The late career took him to the Jets and then the Steelers. The throwing motion and the “R-E-L-A-X” press conferences are the bits people still impersonate.
Why the name lasts. Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay, multiple MVPs, and a long second act after Favre.
Quarterback · 2010s–
Baltimore Ravens
A quarterback who can beat you with his legs as well as his arm. Jackson has been NFL MVP more than once (2019 and 2023). Defences have to decide whether to treat him as a runner or a passer, and often get it wrong. If you hear “dual-threat”, they are often talking about him.
Why the name lasts. Two regular-season MVPs with Baltimore, and a running quarterback who is not a gimmick.
Quarterback · 2010s–
Buffalo Bills
The big Bills quarterback. Allen throws it a long way, runs through people, and has made Buffalo a regular AFC contender again. The Bills have not won a Super Bowl. That wait is part of the story, and why a lot of UK night-owls have adopted them.
Why the name lasts. Buffalo’s modern face, deep throws, and a club still chasing a first Super Bowl.
Wide receiver · 2020s–
Minnesota Vikings
One of the receivers you will hear mentioned with the word “best” while he is still in his twenties. Jefferson plays for Minnesota, makes difficult catches look casual, and shows up in every fantasy league. You do not need his yardage totals. You need the name when the graphic flashes “JJ”.
Why the name lasts. Minnesota’s star wideout, and a modern “get him the ball” player.
Super Bowl wins, MVP years, and famous plays follow the league’s published championship list and widely reported career summaries (Hall of Fame bios, club records). We do not invent seasonal stats. Nicknames are the ones the players and clubs actually used.
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