Perhaps There Should Be a Place in Canton for 'Tank' Younger

by John Turney 

It was a surprise when the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame's new seniors screening committee passed on the name of Paul "Tank" Younger to its seniors committee for the Class of 2025. But it was a bigger surprise when that body voted him as one of its 31 semifinalists. 

It shouldn't be.

Younger had a trailblazing career as a fullback and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams and, later, the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he was never a modern-era candidate for Canton, making the preliminary list only once. Nominated often as a senior, he never broke through to any finalist list there, either. 

In fact, this year is the first time he's advanced beyond the nomination stage ... and it's about time.

His name rarely comes up in discussions among Hall-of-Fame enthusiasts on "X" or on-line forums, but it should. Because Younger not only was a top two-way player in the NFL; he was a pioneer who broke down racial barriers and opened doors for players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Younger played collegiately at Grambling State (then Grambling College) under legendary coach Eddie Robinson, and he left an indelible mark on that program -- essentially, putting it on the map. In 1948, he was voted the Black College Football's Player of the Year, made the Pittsburgh Courier's All-America team and set a slew of records.

"He was the fastest man on our team," recalled Robinson. "Most of the time in high school, whenever he got the ball he’d score a touchdown. On end-arounds, he was knocking people down. In college, he scored a helluva lot of touchdowns, 25 of them as a tackle on end-arounds. His junior year we moved him to running back and defensive halfback."

Knocking people around and running over them earned him the nickname "Tank," and in his first year he ran like one -- rushing for for 1,207 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns. He had 60 TDs for his career which, at that time, was a collegiate record, and he completed 43 of 73 passes for 11 touchdowns.

But even with all that, he wasn't selected when the NFL draft came around. Fortunately, that didn't end his football career, with "Tank" getting a chance to play in the NFL thanks to Eddie Kotal, the legendary scout for the Los Angeles Rams.

Kotal signed Younger to a $6,000 contract, making him the first player from an HBCU to sign with an NFL team (several HBCU players played in the AAFC). That meant all eyes were on him.

Years later, he recounted what Robinson advised him as he embarked on his NFL career.

"In dummy drills," he told him, "run out the play 25 to 30 yards. Don’t turn and come back after 10 like the others do. The longer you have the ball under your arm, the longer the man is watching ..."

Robinson also reminded him of the significance of this change. 

"He told me, 'You have to remember, if you fail,' " he said, " 'there's no telling when another black athlete from a black college will get a chance to play pro football. You were voted (B)lack College Player of the Year. If you go up there, and you don't make it, they'll say we took the best you have, and he didn't make it. You have to concentrate and be dedicated and make it.' "

It was clear to Younger he couldn't fail. He didn't. 

Initially, he played both ways, with more time spent on defense. But by his third season, he joined the Rams' "Bull Elephant" backfield that featured three 225-pound fullbacks: Younger, "Deacon'' Dan Towler and Dick Hoerner ... and that changed the trajectory of his career. 

Though he carried the ball, he mostly did the blocking for Towler, thei Rams' Pro Bowl back. No longer was Younger primarily a defensive guy; he was a full-time guy, on the field 85 percent of the time that year. But, as a threat to run, opponents had to respect him as back, and that opened up things downfield.

Enter the Rams' "Point a Minute" offense.

It set records left and right in 1951, leading the club to that season's league championship and contending for titles in 1950 and 1955. Nevertheless, though Younger was getting more and more snaps on offense, he remained one of the best -- if not the best  -- linebacker in the NFL. 

He not only was the first African-American to make All-NFL as a linebacker; no black linebacker surpassed his two Pro Bowls until 1969 when Dave Robinson and George Webster each made their thrid Pro Bowl/AFL All-Star games. But that doesn't count Younger's 1953 selection, when he was as much a linebacker as a running back -- though he's listed as the latter.

Back then, linebackers had a lot of duties. In a 5-3 defense, which was the Rams' predominant front, a linebacker had to stop runs to his side. But he had to cover running backs out of the backfield, too. Plus, he had another duty: If an offense flanked a running back or end wide, the outside linebacker had to play him outside the numbers.

Younger's quickness allowed for it. He was a great tackler and an aggressive one, as the rules allowed in that era. There was one game, for instance, when Younger had to "necktie" Bears' quarterback Johnny Lujack near the Chicago Bears' bench -- right in front of George Halas.

"Tank!" Halas yelled to Younger, "You SOB! We're going to kill you!."

The Bears tried, throwing everything at Younger -- cheap shots, late hits, you name it. Unfazed, Younger weathered the storm. Afterward, "Papa Bear" came up to him and muttered, "Tank you are the greatest, dirtiest, best football player in this league. I just wish we had you."

By 1954, Younger's role changed. Though occasionally playing linebacker, he was primarily a running back -- rushing for 610 yards and a league-leading 6.7 yards a carry. According to historian and author T.J. Troup, aside from Chuck Bednarik and George Connor, Younger played more two-way snaps in that era than anyone. 

With the Rams' offense under the guidance of Hall-of-Fame coach Sid Gillman in 1955, Younger led the NFL in rushing yards per game, ran for a career-high 644 yards, earned second-team All-NFL honors and was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl. He also participated in the NFL championship game for the fourth time in his first seven seasons.

But his time in Los Angeles was winding down, and two years later Steelers' coach Buddy Pakler sent a fourth-round pick to the Rams for Younger, whom Parker needed to block for Pro Bowl halfback Tom Tracy. After that, he retired and transitioned to working for the Rams, first as a first-time scout from 1958-64. then as a full-time scout from 1964-75.

That experience led him to become the NFL's first African-American executive when the San Diego Chargers named him their assistant general manager.

Though playing both ways, Younger scored 35 touchdowns and rolled up nearly 5,000 yards in nine pro seasons – 3,640 rushing on 770 attempts and 1,167 yards on 100 receptions. He was one of the few players to win All-Pro honors on both offense and defense, and he played in four Pro Bowls.

Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Younger's significance to the sport goes beyond just the numbers. He paved the way for other African-American players from historically black colleges to enter the NFL, opening doors for future stars like Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Michael Strahan.

When asked about all the Grambling players who made NFL and AFL rosters over the years, Collie James Nicholson, the sports information director for Grambling State University, said, "We will forever be grateful to 'Tank' Younger. He gave Negro colleges the momentum to make it big in professional football."

Player. Adminstrator. Pioneer. 

Maybe there is a place for Younger in the Hall of Fame.