This article needs additional citations for
verification. (September 2017) |
Teams in the National Football League (NFL) retire jersey numbers of players who either are considered by the team to have made significant contributions to that team's success, or who have experienced untimely deaths during their playing career. As with other leagues, once a team retires a player's jersey number, it never issues the number to any other player, unless the player or team explicitly allows it.
Since NFL teams began retiring numbers, 163 players have had their jersey number retired. The Chicago Bears and the New York Giants have the most retired numbers of the teams with 14 each.
While only one player, Reggie White, has had his number retired by two teams, Peyton Manning received an acknowledgment when the Denver Broncos re-retired the number 18, which is officially retired under the name of Frank Tripucka (Tripucka granted Manning a special exception to wear the number). [1] Four teams, the Atlanta Falcons, [2] [3] the Dallas Cowboys, [4] and the Las Vegas Raiders [5] traditionally do not retire jersey numbers. The New Orleans Saints did retire numbers, having done so for Jim Taylor and Doug Atkins, but under new ownership those numbers were unretired. [6] Also without a retired jersey number are the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans, though these teams are less than 30 years old: in this regard, the Texans do not retire numbers but honor player jerseys instead.
The Buffalo Bills under Ralph Wilson also did not, with the exception of Jim Kelly, officially retire jersey numbers: this policy was reversed under Wilson's successor Terry Pegula. [7]
Unlike Major League Baseball (which retired Jackie Robinson's number 42), the National Hockey League (which retired Wayne Gretzky's 99), and the National Basketball Association (which retired Bill Russell's 6), the NFL has never retired a jersey number league-wide in honor of anyone.
Number 00 is no longer allowed, but was not retired in honor of any particular player; rather, the NFL's positional numbering system, instituted in 1973, does not allocate a position for players wearing that number- the NFL allowed 00 in the past, with Jim Otto and Ken Burrough wearing it. The number can be, and rarely is, used in the preseason when no other numbers for a player's position are available. [8]
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
Player | No. | Team | Tenure | Year retired | Refs. [9] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Larry Wilson | 8 | Arizona Cardinals | 1960–1972 | 1970 | |
Pat Tillman | 40 | 1998–2001 | 2004 | [10] | |
Stan Mauldin | 77 | 1946–1948 | |||
J. V. Cain | 88 | 1974–1978 | 1979 | ||
Marshall Goldberg [a] | 99 | 1939–1943, 1946–1948 |
|||
Jim Kelly | 12 | Buffalo Bills | 1986–1996 | 2001 | [13] |
Thurman Thomas | 34 | 1988–1999 | 2018 | [14] | |
Bruce Smith | 78 | 1985–1999 | 2016 | [15] | |
Sam Mills | 51 | Carolina Panthers | 1995–1997 | 2005 | |
Bronko Nagurski | 3 | Chicago Bears | 1930–1937, 1943 | [16] | |
George McAfee | 5 | 1940–1941, 1945–1950 |
1955 | [16] | |
George Halas | 7 | 1920–1928 | [16] | ||
Willie Galimore | 28 | 1957–1963 | [16] | ||
Walter Payton | 34 | 1975–1987 | [16] | ||
Gale Sayers | 40 | 1965–1971 | 1994 | [16] | |
Brian Piccolo | 41 | 1965–1969 | [16] | ||
Sid Luckman | 42 | 1939–1950 | [16] | ||
Dick Butkus | 51 | 1965–1973 | 1994 | [16] | |
Bill Hewitt | 56 | 1932–1936 | [16] | ||
Bill George | 61 | 1952–1965 | [16] | ||
Bulldog Turner | 66 | 1940–1952 | [16] | ||
Red Grange | 77 | 1925–1934 | [16] | ||
Mike Ditka | 89 | 1961–1966 | 2013 | [17] [16] | |
Bob Johnson | 54 | Cincinnati Bengals | 1968–1979 | 1978 | |
Otto Graham | 14 | Cleveland Browns | 1946–1955 | ||
Jim Brown | 32 | 1957–1965 | |||
Ernie Davis | 45 | 1962 [b] | 1963 | ||
Don Fleming | 46 | 1960–1962 | |||
Lou Groza | 76 | 1946–1959, 1961–1967 |
1968 | [21] [22] | |
John Elway | 7 | Denver Broncos | 1983–1998 | 1999 | [23] [24] |
Frank Tripucka [c] | 18 | 1960–1963 | 1963 | [24] | |
Floyd Little | 44 | 1967–1975 | 1984 | [24] | |
Dutch Clark | 7 | Detroit Lions | 1931–1932, 1934–1938 |
1939 | [29] [30] [31] |
Lem Barney | 20 | 1967–1977 | 2004 | [32] [33] | |
Barry Sanders | 1989–1998 | ||||
Billy Sims | 1980–1984 | ||||
Bobby Layne | 22 | 1950–1958 | [29] | ||
Doak Walker | 37 | 1950–1955 | 1955 | [29] [34] [35] | |
Joe Schmidt | 56 | 1953–1965 | [29] | ||
Chuck Hughes | 85 | 1970–1971 | [29] | ||
Tony Canadeo | 3 | Green Bay Packers | 1941–1952 | 1952 | |
Brett Favre | 4 | 1992–2007 | 2015 | ||
Don Hutson | 14 | 1935–1945 | 1951 | ||
Bart Starr | 15 | 1956–1971 | 1973 | ||
Ray Nitschke | 66 | 1958–1972 | 1983 | ||
Reggie White | 92 | 1993–1998 | 1999 | [36] | |
Peyton Manning | 18 | Indianapolis Colts | 1998–2011 | 2017 | [37] |
Johnny Unitas | 19 | 1956–1972 | [38] | ||
Buddy Young | 22 | 1953–1955 | [38] | ||
Lenny Moore | 24 | 1956–1967 | 1968 | [38] | |
Art Donovan | 70 | 1953–1961 | 1962 | [38] | |
Jim Parker | 77 | 1957–1967 | [38] | ||
Raymond Berry | 82 | 1955–1967 | [38] | ||
Gino Marchetti | 89 | 1953–1966 | [38] | ||
Tony Boselli | 71 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1995–2001 | 2022 | [39] |
Jan Stenerud | 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1967–1979 | 1992 | |
Len Dawson | 16 | 1962–1975 | |||
Emmitt Thomas | 18 | 1966–1978 | 2008 | ||
Abner Haynes | 28 | 1960–1964 | |||
Stone Johnson | 33 | 1963 [d] | 1963 | [43] | |
Mack Lee Hill | 36 | 1964–1965 | |||
Derrick Thomas | 58 | 1989–1999 | 2009 | [44] | |
Willie Lanier | 63 | 1967–1977 | 1992 | ||
Bobby Bell | 78 | 1963–1974 | 1984 | ||
Buck Buchanan | 86 | 1963–1975 | 1992 | ||
Dan Fouts | 14 | Los Angeles Chargers [e] | 1973–1987 | 1988 | [49] [50] [51] |
Charlie Joiner | 18 | 1976–1986 | 2023 | [52] | |
Lance Alworth | 19 | 1962–1970 | 2005 | [51] [53] | |
LaDainian Tomlinson | 21 | 2001–2009 | 2015 | [51] [54] | |
Junior Seau | 55 | 1990–2002 | 2012 | [51] [55] | |
Kellen Winslow | 80 | 1979–1987 | 2023 | [52] | |
Bob Waterfield | 7 | Los Angeles Rams | 1945–1952 | 1952 | |
Marshall Faulk | 28 | 1999–2006 | 2007 | [56] | |
Eric Dickerson | 29 | 1983–1987 | |||
Merlin Olsen | 74 | 1962–1976 | |||
Deacon Jones | 75 | 1961–1971 | 2009 | [57] | |
Jackie Slater | 78 | 1976–1995 | 1996 | ||
Isaac Bruce | 80 | 1994–2007 | 2010 | [58] | |
Jack Youngblood | 85 | 1971–1984 | |||
Bob Griese | 12 | Miami Dolphins | 1967–1980 | 1985 | |
Dan Marino | 13 | 1983–1999 | 2000 | ||
Larry Csonka | 39 | 1968–1974, 1979 | 2002 | ||
Fran Tarkenton | 10 | Minnesota Vikings | 1961–1966, 1972–1978 |
1979 | |
Mick Tingelhoff | 53 | 1962–1978 | 2001 | ||
Jim Marshall | 70 | 1961–1979 | 1999 | ||
Korey Stringer | 77 | 1995–2000 | 2001 | ||
Cris Carter | 80 | 1990–2001 | 2003 | ||
Alan Page | 88 | 1967–1978 | 1988 | ||
Gino Cappelletti | 20 | New England Patriots | 1960–1970 | [59] | |
Mike Haynes | 40 | 1976–1982 | [59] | ||
Steve Nelson | 57 | 1974–1987 | 1988 | [59] | |
John Hannah | 73 | 1973–1985 | [59] | ||
Bruce Armstrong | 78 | 1987–2000 | 2000 | [59] | |
Jim Lee Hunt | 79 | 1960–1970 | [59] | ||
Bob Dee | 89 | 1960–1967 | [59] | ||
Ray Flaherty | 1 | New York Giants | 1928–1935 | 1935 | |
Tuffy Leemans | 4 | 1936–1943 | 1940 | ||
Mel Hein | 7 | 1931–1945 | 1963 | ||
Eli Manning | 10 | 2004–2019 | 2021 | [60] | |
Phil Simms | 11 | 1979–1993 | 1995 | ||
Ward Cuff | 14 | 1937–1945 | 1946 | [61] | |
Y. A. Tittle | 1961–1964 | 1965 | |||
Frank Gifford | 16 | 1952–1964 | 2000 | ||
Al Blozis | 32 | 1942–1944 | 1945 | ||
Joe Morrison | 40 | 1959–1972 | 1973 | ||
Charlie Conerly | 42 | 1948–1961 | 1962 | ||
Ken Strong | 50 | 1936–1947 | 1968 | ||
Lawrence Taylor | 56 | 1981–1993 | 1994 | ||
Michael Strahan | 92 | 1993–2007 | 2021 | [62] | |
Joe Namath | 12 | New York Jets | 1965–1976 | 1985 | |
Don Maynard | 13 | 1963–1972 | |||
Curtis Martin | 28 | 1998–2005 | 2012 | [63] | |
Joe Kłecko | 73 | 1977–1987 | 2004 | ||
Dennis Byrd | 90 | 1989–1992 | 2012 | [64] [65] | |
Weeb Ewbank | Jacket | 1963–1973 | |||
Donovan McNabb | 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | 1999–2009 | 2013 | [66] |
Steve Van Buren | 15 | 1944–1951 | 1951 | [67] | |
Brian Dawkins | 20 | 1996–2008 | 2012 | [68] | |
Tom Brookshier | 40 | 1953–1961 | 1962 | [67] | |
Pete Retzlaff | 44 | 1956–1966 | 1965 | [67] | |
Chuck Bednarik | 60 | 1949–1962 | |||
Al Wistert | 70 | 1944–1951 | 1952 | [67] | |
Reggie White | 92 | 1985–1992 | 2005 | [67] [69] | |
Jerome Brown | 99 | 1987–1991 | 1992 | [67] [70] | |
Franco Harris | 32 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1972–1983 | 2022 | [71] |
Ernie Stautner | 70 | 1950–1963 | 1964 | ||
Joe Greene | 75 | 1969–1981 | 2014 | [72] | |
Steve Young | 8 | San Francisco 49ers | 1987–1999 | 2008 | [73] |
John Brodie [f] | 12 | 1957–1973 | 1973 | ||
Joe Montana | 16 | 1979–1992 | 1997 | ||
Joe Perry | 34 | 1948–1960 | 1971 | ||
Jimmy Johnson | 37 | 1961–1976 | 1977 | ||
Hugh McElhenny | 39 | 1952–1960 | 1971 | ||
Ronnie Lott | 42 | 1981–1990 | 2003 | [75] | |
Charlie Krueger | 70 | 1959–1973 | 1974 | ||
Leo Nomellini | 73 | 1950–1963 | 1971 | ||
Bob St. Clair | 79 | 1953–1963 | 2001 | ||
Jerry Rice | 80 | 1985–2000 | 2010 | [76] | |
Dwight Clark | 87 | 1979–1987 | 1988 | ||
Kenny Easley | 45 | Seattle Seahawks | 1981–1987 | 2017 | |
Walter Jones | 71 | 1997–2009 | 2010 | ||
Steve Largent [g] | 80 | 1976–1989 | 1992 | [78] | |
Cortez Kennedy | 96 | 1990–2000 | 2012 | [79] [80] | |
FAN (12s) | 12 | — | 1984 | ||
Derrick Brooks | 55 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1995–2008 | 2014 | [81] |
Lee Roy Selmon | 63 | 1976–1984 | 1986 | ||
Warren Sapp | 99 | 1995–2003 | 2013 | [82] | |
Warren Moon | 1 | Tennessee Titans | 1984–1993 | 2006 | [83] [84] |
Steve McNair | 9 | 1995–2005 | 2019 | [85] | |
Eddie George | 27 | 1996–2003 | 2019 | [85] | |
Earl Campbell | 34 | 1978–1984 | 1987 | ||
Jim Norton | 43 | 1960–1968 | |||
Mike Munchak | 63 | 1982–1993 | 1996 | ||
Elvin Bethea | 65 | 1968–1983 | 1983 | ||
Bruce Matthews | 74 | 1983–2001 | 2002 | ||
Sonny Jurgensen | 9 | Washington Commanders | 1964–1974 | 2022 | [86] |
Sean Taylor | 21 | 2004–2007 | 2021 | [87] | |
Sammy Baugh | 33 | 1937–1952 | [88] | ||
Bobby Mitchell | 49 | 1962–1968 | 2020 | [88] |
Fouts' number was retired in 1988 and Alworth's was retired in 2005.