Don Hutson
Football · Hometown: Pine Bluff, AR
- High school
- Pine Bluff High School
- College
- University of Alabama
- Pro team(s)
- Green Bay Packers
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame
Don Hutson was born on January 31, 1913, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and went on to become the most dominant receiver in the first two decades of professional football. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1935 to 1945 and was so far ahead of his peers statistically that in multiple seasons he caught more passes than the next two receivers combined. In 1942 alone, he scored 138 points — a record that stood for decades — caught 74 passes for 1,211 yards, and scored 17 touchdown receptions. He led the NFL in receiving yards eight times and in touchdown catches nine times. Hutson essentially invented modern wide receiver play — his route-running, his use of speed against defenders who had never faced anything like him, and his instinct for finding open space in coverage created the template every receiver since has followed. He was a unanimous Pro Football Hall of Fame selection in 1963 when the Hall first opened. He also played cornerback on defense and served as a placekicker during his career, making him perhaps the most complete two-way player of his era.