Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I always love it when I come across a nickname for a player or group of players, especially when that nickname has become part of the sports-writing world's lexicon. Does it seem like we're hearing fewer and fewer nicknames nowadays on television broadcasts? I'm fortunate to have Paul Allen on local radio calling games for the Minnesota Vikings, and he's got some really good ones like "Harry the Hit Man" (Harrison Smith) and my personal favorite, "Linval Hungry" (Linval Joseph). During Sunday's radio broadcast, Allen called Joseph's fumble return for a touchdown and said, "He's so hungry, he's going to eat the end zone!" Are there any other good nicknames out there that have been coined by radio announcers for current players that we don't always get to hear on television broadcasts?

Something I hadn’t heard before Sunday’s Bills last second FG win over the Titans... Apparently Stephen Hauschka is called “Hausch Money”.

The Jets secondary received the nickname of "New Jack City" by assistant coach Dennard Wilson.

There haven't been too many good nicknames the last couple decades. The whole process was sullied when Deion Sanders came up with his own nickname and that became a short-lived trend. The whole thing about nicknames was that somebody else has to give them to you. The other issue working against nicknames is political correctness, that in the old days athletes would be nicknamed "Chubby" or "Fatso" or "Four Eyes" and it was no big deal, but nowadays, there are national organizations that will do everything in their power to make life uncomfortable if you give that nickname to somebody.

I was actually wondering about the most frequent nicknames, according to PFR there have been 11 "Bubba's" (but they call Bubba Baker Al Baker), 7 "Tank's" and 9 "Tiny's". Interesting there hasn't been a "Tiny" in eons. Guess it's not considered complimentary so recently we get an "Ice Cube" McNeil rather than calling him Tiny. Also 3 different "Big Daddy's", Eugene, Carl and Wilkinson. Any other common ones I'm missing?? Not counting initials like L.T. or O.J. but would count a "Juice", but I don't think anyone wants to be that anymore!

Turkey Jones

NWebster wrote:Also 3 different "Big Daddy's", Eugene, Carl and Wilkinson. Any other common ones I'm missing?? Not counting initials like L.T. or O.J. but would count a "Juice", but I don't think anyone wants to be that anymore!

Which Carl was nicknamed "Big Daddy"- Hairston or Eller or somebody else?

As for Juice, that is Jarvis Landry's nickname.

JWL wrote:

NWebster wrote:Also 3 different "Big Daddy's", Eugene, Carl and Wilkinson. Any other common ones I'm missing?? Not counting initials like L.T. or O.J. but would count a "Juice", but I don't think anyone wants to be that anymore!

Which Carl was nicknamed "Big Daddy"- Hairston or Eller or somebody else?

As for Juice, that is Jarvis Landry's nickname.

Carl Eller was called "Moose".

Oh, that's right. I saw a moose cartoon on an Eller card.

JWL wrote:Oh, that's right. I saw a moose cartoon on an Eller card.

Yeah Hairston was Big Daddy.