AAFC Numbers Included - The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Top Twenty lists differ slightly from other similar lists because the statistics from the All-America Football Conference (1946-1949) are included. Today, there are just three players who are ranked in the Top 20 of the four main statistical categories (passing, receiving, rushing and scoring) who played part of their careers in the AAFC. When the Hall's Top 20 display and accompanying lists debuted at the conclusion of the 1968 season, there were nine players ranked among the career leaders who had connections to the defunct AAFC.
Otto Graham (right) , the legendary quarterback of the Cleveland Browns who passed away in December, is currently ranked eighth all-time in passer rating. Without his four-year totals in the AAFC, he would not rank in the Top 20.
Lou "The Toe" Groza, a teammate of Graham in Cleveland, ranks seventh all-time in scoring with 1,608 points. Without his 259 points from the AAFC, Groza would be in 18th place.
Hall of Fame running back Joe Perry's total of 9,723 yards currently ranks him No. 18 all time among the Top 20 rushers. For the first time, he would no longer rank in the Top 20 if his 1,345 yards gained in the All-America Football Conference were not included in that total.
Brady joins the ranks - Tom Brady (left) of the New England Patriots entered the Top 20 passers during Week 16 of the 2003 NFL season. His ascension to the Top 20 was one of the fastest ever.
Since 1973 when the Hall of Fame's Top 20 changed to rank quarterbacks based on the current passer rating system, only four other quarterbacks have entered the Top 20 as quickly as the two-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. The Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning reached the Top 20 in his third season while Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Brett Favre each entered in their fourth NFL season.
A quarterback needs at least 1,500 career attempts to qualify for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Top 20 passers.
Pass Happy - The number of active quarterbacks who rank in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Top 20 increased by three during the 2003 season when Steve McNair, Daunte Culpepper, and Tom Brady joined the ranks.
Twelve of the Top 20 passers were active in the NFL at the end of the season. That number represents the most active quarterbacks ever ranked in the Top 20 passers. The previous high of 11 active passers occurred three times (1993, 1995 and 1996).
Dawson Dropped - Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson was knocked out the Top 20 in Week 16 of the 2003 season. When the Hall of Fame's Top 20 passers list changed in 1973 to rank all-time quarterbacks based on the passer rating, Dawson was the second ranked thrower of all time.
In his 19-year career, Dawson completed 2,136 of 3,741 passes for 28,711 yards, 239 touchdowns, and 183 interceptions for a passer rating of 82.56.
Lonesome - Shannon Sharpe (left) is the lone tight end ranked in the Top 20. That's because Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome of the Cleveland Browns was bumped from the Top 20 receivers early in the 2003 season.
When Newsome retired following a 13-year career, he ranked as the fourth all-time receiver with 662 catches for 7,980 yards and 47 touchdowns.
Nine straight - Curtis Martin of the New York Jets gained 1,308 yards on 323 carries in 2003 to become just the second player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first nine seasons. The only other player to accomplish the feat is 2004 Hall of Fame enshrinee Barry Sanders who reached the 1,000-yard plateau every season of his 10-year career.
Ageless - Only Hall of Famer George Blanda has played more seasons than Gary Anderson of the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs' Morten Andersen. The kicking duo who rank first and second on the all-time scoring charts each played in their 22nd NFL season in 2003. Age apparently didn't slow them down. Both Anderson and Andersen scored more than 100 points for their teams in 2003.
Move over for the Bus - Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers eclipsed the 12,000-yard mark in 2003 and kept going. By season's end the 11-year pro had climbed four spots on the Top 20 rushers list. Along the way, he passed three Hall of Fame running backs - Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, and Jim Brown. Bettis now ranks sixth all-time with 12,353 career rushing yards.
Bettis entered the Top 20 rushers during the 14th week of the 1999 NFL season and climbed to 17th place by end of that season. He jumped to 14th place in 2000, 12th place in 2001, and finished the 2002 season in 10th place all-time.
Best of Today - There have never been more active players ranked in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Top 20 since the lists debuted following the 1968 season. Thirty-one players who were active during the NFL's 2003 regular season were ranked among the Top 20 career leaders in passer rating, receptions, rushing yards, and points. Only one other time (1993) has the Top 20 had as many active players among its rankings.
Nineteen NFL teams are represented by one of their players in the Top 20 during the 2003 season. Three teams led the way with three players ranked in the Top 20:
- Oakland Raiders (Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, and Tim Brown)
- St. Louis Rams (Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk)
- Tennessee Titans (Steve McNair, Eddie George, and Gary Anderson)