The following are nicknames throughout the history of the NFL.
Contents |
Nicknames for entire teams, or whole offensive or defensive units.
Nicknames for individual players, or small groups of individual players.
| Nickname | Player(s) | Reference To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-Train[53] | Mike Alstott | How he was as difficult to tackle as a freight train; "A" is a reference to his surname initial | |
| Ageless Wonder[54][55] | Darrell Green | His remarkable ability to maintain a high level of play during the latter years of his 20 year career. | |
| All Day[56] or AD | Adrian Peterson | Given to him by his parents because he would run "all day". | |
| Anytime}[57] | Devin Hester | His ability to return kicks and punts for touchdowns any time. Inspired from his mentor Deion "PrimeTime" Sanders. | |
| Big Ben[58] | Ben Roethlisberger | His imposing size | |
| Big Game[59] | Torry Holt | ||
| Big Snack[60] | Casey Hampton | Apparent reference to his large size and penchant for eating | |
| Bird Legs[citation needed] | Joe Montana | His skinny stature. | |
| Blonde Bomber[citation needed] | Terry Bradshaw | His blonde hair combined with his tendencies to throw the ball down the field, hence "bomber" | |
| Broadway Joe[citation needed] | Joe Namath | Reference to the wide avenue that ran through New York - the city where he played QB with the New York Jets | |
| Burner[citation needed] | Michael Turner | Given both because of his ability to break long runs and because it rhymes with his last name. Got the name in college. | |
| Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid[citation needed] | Larry Csonka & Jim Kiick | Miami Dolphins running back duo from 1968–1974; named after the movie about the famous outlaws. | |
| Bus[61] | Jerome Bettis | Due to his ability to carry tacklers on his back like a "bus" | |
| Bus Driver[citation needed] | Tim Lester | Because he would clear the path for the 'Bus', Jerome Bettis. | |
| Comeback Kid[citation needed] | multiple | Nickname given to any player, particularly quarterbacks such as Roger Staubach, John Elway,Joe Montana,and Tom Brady, for leading teams in comebacks. | |
| Concrete Charlie[citation needed] | Chuck Bednarik | Due to missing only 3 games in his 13 season of playing. | |
| Crazy Legs[citation needed] | Elroy Hirsch | ||
| Crystal Chandelier[citation needed] | Chris Chandler | Was plagued by concussions and injuries, referencing his presumed fragility | |
| Crunch Bunch[citation needed] | Harry Carson, Brian Kelley, Lawrence Taylor and Brad Van Pelt | The 1981–83 New York Giants linebacking corps noted for their hard-hitting play and for generating many quarterback sacks, Taylor in particular. Mario Sestito of Troy, New York is credited with coining the name after a NY Giants newsletter at the time called 'Inside Football' held a contest to name this defensive unit. | |
| Curtis "My Favorite" Martin[citation needed] | Curtis Martin | Pun on the television show My Favorite Martian; bestowed by ESPN's Chris Berman | |
| Deebo[62] | James Harrison | His similarity in appearance and demeanor to the character in the movie Friday played by Tom Lister, Jr. | |
| Diesel[63] | John Riggins | Due to his powerback style of play - compared to a truck that ran on diesel. | |
| Double Trouble[citation needed] | DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart | Carolina Panthers running back duo from 2008–present | |
| D.T. or D.D.T.[citation needed] | Derrick Thomas | His initials. Also went by D.D.T. (bestowed by fans) which stood for "Dangerous Derrick Thomas" and after the toxic synthetic pesticide | |
| Dump Truck[64] | Najeh Davenport | Allusion to an incident which allegedly occurred when he was in college as well as a take on one-time teammate Jerome Bettis' nickname, "The Bus" | |
| Dwight Hicks and the Hot Licks[citation needed] | 1984 San Francisco 49ers defensive secondary led by Dwight Hicks | ||
| Edge[citation needed] | Edgerrin James | Shortening of his first name | |
| Earth, Wind and Fire[65] | Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward& Ahmad Bradshaw | 2008 NY Giants running backs; Jacobs = Earth, Ward = Wind, Bradshaw = Fire | |
| Fast Willie[citation needed] | Willie Parker | His speed | |
| Fatso[citation needed] | Art Donovan | ||
| Flash 80[citation needed] | Jerry Rice | His stunning plays combined with his number, 80 | |
| Fragile Fred[citation needed] | Fred Taylor | Perception of being injured constantly | |
| Freak[citation needed] | Randy Moss | His freakish athletic abilities | |
| Fun Bunch[66] | Early 1980s Washington Redskins wide receivers and tight ends | This groups choreographed touchdown celebrations led to a league-wide ban of "excessive celebration" in 1984. | |
| Galloping Ghost[67] | Harold "Red" Grange | Because no one could catch him | |
| Golden Boy[citation needed] | Paul Hornung | ||
| Gannon The Cannon[citation needed] | Rich Gannon | "Cannon" rhymes with "Gannon" (also reflects the strength of his arm). | |
| Hacksaw[citation needed] | Jack Reynolds | Earned his nickname in 1969 by cutting an abandoned 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air in half with a hacksaw after his previously unbeaten University of Tennessee team returned from an embarrassing 38-0 road loss to Ole Miss. | |
| Hefty Lefty[citation needed] | Jared Lorenzen | His size and left-handed throwing motion | |
| Hit and Run[citation needed] | Thomas Jones and Leon Washington | New York Jets running back duo from 2008–2009 | |
| Hotel[citation needed] | Flozell Adams | ||
| Housh[citation needed] | T.J. Houshmandzadeh | Play on the first syllable of his name. | |
| Hogs[68] | 1980s and early 1990s Washington Redskins offensive line | Name first used by offensive line coach Joe Bugel during the team's 1982 training camp prior to winning Super Bowl XVII. | |
| Iron Head[citation needed] | Craig Heyward | His hard-nosed straight-ahead, bruising running style. | |
| Iron Man of the NFL[69] | Brett Favre | For his legendary toughness and ability to come back from and play through many injuries and particularly his record streak of consecutive games started | |
| Iron Mike[citation needed] | Mike Ditka | ||
| Joe Cool[citation needed] | Joe Montana | His ability to remain calm in pressure situations | |
| Juice[citation needed] | O. J. Simpson | His initials (which also are used to refer to orange juice) | |
| K.G.B.[citation needed] | Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila | His initials | |
| Kansas Comet[citation needed] | Gale Sayers | ||
| L.J.[citation needed] | Larry Johnson | His initials | |
| L.T.[citation needed] | Lawrence Taylor | His initials | |
| LT2[citation needed] | LaDainian Tomlinson | His initials (with the 2 added to distinguish from Lawrence Taylor) | |
| Light Blue Jesus or LBJ[70] | Chris Johnson | His Titans uniform color, also a nod to Adrian Peterson's nickname, Purple Jesus | |
| Lights Out[citation needed] | Shawne Merriman | Due to his reputation of being a hard hitter; has been shortened to "Lights" by teammates in interviews | |
| Long Gone[citation needed] | L.G. Dupre | An alternate take on his initials, and a reference to his ability to run away from competitors | |
| Mad Duck[71] | Alex Karras | Due to his short legs, he appeared to waddle like a duck. | |
| Mad Stork[citation needed] | Ted Hendricks | ||
| Marion the Barbarian[72] | Marion Barber III | Due to his physical running style and reputation for repeatedly breaking tackles | |
| Marks Brothers[73] | Mark Clayton and Mark Duper | Prolific Miami Dolphins wide receiver duo of the 1980s who shared the same first name (also a reference to the Marx Brothers) | |
| Matty Ice[citation needed] | Matt Ryan | A play on the nickname for Natural Ice beer, "Natty Ice" which also refers to his ability to remain cool under pressure | |
| Mean Joe[citation needed] | Joe Greene | ||
| Meast[citation needed] | Sean Taylor | Half Man, half beast | |
| Megatron[citation needed] | Calvin Johnson | A reference to his size, comparing him to a Transformers character | |
| Mercury[citation needed] | Eugene Morris | ||
| Missile[citation needed] | Qadry Ismail | His speed (particularly as a kick returner), and also a play on his brother Raghib Ismail's nickname, Rocket | |
| The Mossiah[citation needed] | Randy Moss | The Savior for the Vikings. In his rookie year, Moss led the Vikings towards one of the most powerful offenses in the NFL. | |
| Neon[citation needed] | Deion Sanders | His flashy play and the rhyme with his first name | |
| Nigerian Nightmare[citation needed] | Christian Okoye | To his homeland as well as to the difficulty he posed to defenses | |
| Night Train[citation needed] | Dick Lane | Rumored that due to his race he had to ride a night train to games instead of traveling with his white teammates during the day. | |
| Ocho Cinco[citation needed] | Chad Ochocinco | Self-bestowed pidgin Spanish reference to his uniform number (85); originally named Chad Johnson, legally changed name to "Chad Ochocinco" in 2008. Also self-refers as "Esteban Ochocinco" | |
| Old Man on the Turf[citation needed] | Brett Favre | A play on the title of the Hemingway novella The Old Man and the Sea referencing Favre's age and the playing surface in the Metrodome. | |
| Papa Bear[citation needed] | George Halas | ||
| Peezy[citation needed] | Joey Porter | Self-bestowed | |
| Playmaker[74] | Michael Irvin | For his ability to defeat tight coverage, even double coverage, and make big plays.; possibly self-bestowed | |
| Porcelain Pennington[citation needed] | Chad Pennington | Derogatory reference to his repeated season-ending injuries | |
| Pork Chop[citation needed] | Floyd Womack | ||
| Posse[75] | Art Monk, Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders | Trio of wide receivers on the Washington Redskins of the late 1980s through the early 1990s: | |
| Prime Time[76] | Deion Sanders | His ability to step up at critical moments and make big plays; possibly self-bestowed | |
| Pudge[citation needed] | William Heffelfinger | ||
| Purple Jesus[citation needed] | Adrian Peterson | His Vikings uniform color; see also Chris Johnson's nickname, "Light Blue Jesus" | |
| Purple People Eaters[citation needed] | Mid-1970's Minnesota Vikings defensive line of Alan Page, Carl Eller , Gary Larsen and Jim Marshall | ||
| Refrigerator or Fridge[77] | William Perry | His immense size in comparison to other defensive linemen | |
| Revis Island[78] | Darrelle Revis | His ability to cover wide receivers was compared to being stranded on an island | |
| Rocket[citation needed] | Raghib Ismail | His speed; given to him while he was at Notre Dame | |
| Roger the Dodger[citation needed] | Roger Staubach | His ability to avoid the pass rush; given to him while at Navy | |
| Scramblin' Fran[citation needed] | Fran Tarkenton | His ability to avoid defenders in the backfield and penchant for running with the ball if the pass play broke down | |
| Silverback[60] | James Harrison | His strength, which is likened to that of a silverback gorilla | |
| Sixty Minute Man[79] | Chuck Bednarik | Playing on both offense and defense (and thus playing all sixty minutes of the game); is sometimes applied generally to any player that does this | |
| Slingin' Sammy[citation needed] | Sammy Baugh | His affinity for passing the ball, particularly deep downfield | |
| Slot Machine[citation needed] | Wes Welker | His effectiveness lining up between the split end/flanker and the linemen (i.e. "the slot") | |
| Smash and Dash[80] | Chris Johnson & LenDale White | Running back duo of the Titans starting in 2008; White being Smash for his 'power running back' skills and Johnson being Dash because of his astonishing breakaway speed | |
| Smash, Dash, and Tash[citation needed] | Marion Barber III, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice | Dallas Cowboys' 3 man running attack starting in 2008; nod to the Titans' "Smash and Dash"; Barber = Smash (power back), Jones = Dash (speed back), Choice = Tash (contraction of first name) | |
| Snake[citation needed] | Knowlton Ames | His speed and elusiveness | |
| Snake[citation needed] | Ken Stabler | Earned his nickname from his coach following a long, winding touchdown run | |
| Snake[citation needed] | Jake Plummer | His ability of "snaking" around out of pressure in the pocket; also rhymes with first name | |
| Smurfs[81] | Gary Clark, Alvin Garrett, and Charlie Brown | 1980s Redskins' receiving corps; because of their diminutive size (Garrett was 5'7”, Clark was 5'9”, and Brown the tallest at 5'10”), comparing them to the tiny blue comic and cartoon characters | |
| Sweetness[82] | Walter Payton | ||
| TD[citation needed] | Terrell Davis | His initials, also referring to the abbreviation for "touchdown"; Davis holds the record for most rushing touchdowns in one Super Bowl game with three | |
| T.O.[citation needed] | Terrell Owens | His initials | |
| The Inconvenient Truth | Frank Gore | The inconvenient truth when many people expect the San Francisco 49ers to lose, he gives them a victory | |
| Three Amigos[83] | Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson, and Ricky Nattiel | Broncos trio of wide receivers in the late 1980s and early 1990s; nod to the movie of the same name | |
| Thunder and Lightning[citation needed] | Ron Dayne & Tiki Barber | 2000 Giants running back tandem; Dayne = Thunder, Barber = Lightning | |
| Thunder and Lightning[citation needed] | Ricky Watters & Charlie Garner | 1995–1997 Eagles running back tandem; Watters = Thunder, Garner = Lightning | |
| Tommy Gun[citation needed] | Tommy Maddox | ||
| Touchdown Tommy[citation needed] | Tommy Vardell | He was given the nickname in college by Stanford head coach Dennis Green after scoring four touchdowns against Notre Dame. | |
| Triplets[84] | Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin & Emmitt Smith | Offensive stars of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys 3-time Super Bowl winning teams | |
| The Tyler Rose[citation needed] | Earl Campbell | Campbell is from Tyler, Texas | |
| Uptown[citation needed] | Gene Upshaw | ||
| Wash and Wear[citation needed] | Thomas Jones & Leon Washington | 2008–2009 Jets duo of running backs | |
| White Shoes[citation needed] | Billy Johnson | His choice of footwear at a time when most players wore black cleats | |
| The Wheaton Iceman[85] | Harold "Red" Grange | A part-time job he once held delivering ice in his hometown of Wheaton, Illinois | |
| Wildman[citation needed] | Ray Nitschke | ||
| Windy City Flyer[86] | Devin Hester | Hester's speed and a nickname for the city of Chicago, in which he plays; bestowed by WBBM 780 radio-announcer Jeff Joniak |
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