The Cookie that wouldn’t crumble……The Big Back of the AFL/NFL

My formative years were shaped by many great players in the major professional sports.  The NFL and AFL were going head to head and I watched games and followed both leagues. I was a football junkie at age 5 as I remember watching the Game of the Century between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants. That game is vivid in my 62 year old brain.  Watching that game on my family’s 19 inch Admiral TV in our 2nd living room the final score allowed me to go outside and put on my painted NY Giant helmet and pretend to stop the Colt’s Alan Ameche from scoring that overtime winning touchdown. It was dark and I still was outside playing football in my mind.

Today I am remembering one of my favorite players, Cookie Gilchrist.  . The man was the “big” running back of his time.  Yes, a really big man, larger than most linemen of the day.  You will read that the man came in at 6’3 and a little over 250 lbs.  Matter of fact, he went upwards to 275 lbs and was a load to bring down. He started his career in the Canadian Football League but moved on to the Buffalo Bills, then other NFL teams, where he did his most noted damage. A three time Pro Bowler and 4 time all-AFL, Gilchrist was the gold standard in professional football for the big back.  No, he wasn’t Jim Brown, but he was as fantastic football player.

Top photo credit:   http://buffalowins.net/root/site-root/week-4-staff-predictions-bills-vs-patriots.html

For further reading I suggest:  http://www.remembertheafl.com/CookieGilchristColumns.htm