Who is the Greatest NFL Wide Receiver of All Time?
By Editorial Staff
My vote goes to the wide receiver named to the NFL’s All-50-Year Team, the NFL’s All-Time Two-Way Team, elected to the NFL Hall of Fame, former University of Alabama and Green Bay Packer Wide Receiver #14 Donald Montgomery Hutson (Don Hutson)!
When you look in the dictionary under the definition of wide receiver it says see Don Hutson.
Don Hutson has been tabbed by many experts as the greatest NFL player of the 20th century. Sporting News listed Hutson 6th on the Top 100 list. The NFL Network listed Don Hutson as the 9th greatest player of all time. How in the world did ESPN not even rank Don Hutson in their Top 10 of all time?
Don Hutson back in the 1930’s, on a cinder track and hand timed, ran a 9.5 second 100 yard dash.
Don Hutson revolutionized the wide receiver position in the NFL. Don Hutson set the standard for all wide receivers that followed him. Don Hutson is credited by NFL experts as the originator, the inventor of pass patterns; the button-hook, the down and out, the fly pattern and more.
Over 65 years after Don Hutson’s NFL retirement he still holds 10 NFL records.
His 10 NFL records are:
1. Most seasons leading league in scoring (5)
2. Most points in one quarter (29)
3. Most seasons leading league in overall TDs (8)
4. Most consecutive seasons leading league in overall TDs (4, twice)
5. Most seasons leading league in receptions (8)
6. Most consecutive seasons leading league in receptions (5)
7. Most seasons leading league in receiving yards (7)
8. Most consecutive seasons leading league in receiving yards (4)
9. Most seasons leading league in receiving TDs (9)
10. Most consecutive seasons leading league in receiving TDs (5)
And if all the above is not enough to convince you that Don Hutson is the greatest NFL wide receiver of all time how about we compare his numbers with six of today’s receivers that are thrown out as all time greats and see how Don Hutson measures up.
Remember that Don Hutson played in an era where teams averaged fewer than 200 pass attempts per season compared to today’s teams that average about 600 pass attempts per season. Had Hutson played in today’s game he could easily have pretty much tripled his numbers. In 116 games Hutson caught 488 passes for 7,991 yards and averaged a receiving touchdown once every 4.9 receptions. That’s 99 touchdowns in 116 games, that’s 1 TD every 1.17 games and 16.4 yards per catch. Had Don Hutson played today, based on the average number of pass attempts and completions in today’s game, he could have had 1,400 receptions, 24,000 receiving yards and 300 TD receptions. How would those numbers look in today’s record book?
No other receiver in the history of the N.F.L., with at least 50 career TD receptions, can match Hutson’s average career receiving numbers.
And on top of all of Don Hutson’s receiving accomplishments he made 172 extra points and 7 field goals. He scored 3 rushing touchdowns and 3 non-offensive touchdowns. And for the icing on the cake, Hutson intercepted 30 passes.
One more thing, during Don Hutson’s 11 seasons in the NFL he played in 5 NFL Championship games for the Green Bay Packers and won 3 of them.
The numbers comparing Don Hutson to six of today’s greats have been laid out in the two tables below to show how many seasons each player led the league in each category listed. See how Hutson matches up with the greats of today’s game.
Table 1. Don Hutson Compared to Six of Today’s Greats
Player |
Receiving TDs Per Game
Games Per Receiving TD (1)
Receptions Per TD (1)
Receptions Per Game
Yards Per Reception
Don Hutson
.85 (2)
1.17
4.9
4.3
16.4
Jerry Rice
.65
1.54
7.9
5.1
14.8
Terrell Owens
.70
1.43
7.0
4.9
14.8
Randy Moss
.76
1.32
6.2
4.7
15.6
Tim Brown
.39
2.55
10.9
4.3
13.7
Cris Carter
.56
1.8
8.5
4.7
12.6
Marvin Harrison
.67
1.48
8.6
5.8
13.2
Table 2. Don Hutson Compared to Six of Today’s Greats
Player |
Led NFL in Receiving TDs
Led NFL in Receiving Yards
Led NFL in Receiving Yards Per Game
Led NFL in Receptions
NFL Championship Games
Don Hutson
9
7
8
8
5
Jerry Rice
6
6
6
2
4
Terrell Owens
3
0
1
0
1
Randy Moss
5
0
0
0
1
Tim Brown
0
0
0
1
1
Cris Carter
3
0
0
1
0
Marvin Harrison
1
2
2
2
1
Legend Table 1 and Table 2
(1) Lowest number in this column leads players listed.
(2) Bolded and underlined numbers represent leaders in each category.