By John Turney 
George "Tarzan" Christensen is one of the foundational figures in the history of the Detroit Lions and National Football League. A towering presence on the field and key contributor to the Lions’ first championship, he produced a legacy so decorated with accomplishments that you'd think the Pro Football Hall of Fame would notice.
But then you'd be wrong.
Christensen has never advanced to the preliminary stage as a modern-era or seniors' candidate, and that's more than puzzling. It's downright unfair. He deserves a shot as a finalist. And, while that may never happen, it should.
A tackle on a Lions' team that set offensive and defensive records, Christensen was a six-time All-Pro (including four first-team selections), league champion and member of the 1930s' all-decade team - a resume that, at the very least, should draw the Hall's attention.
It did his peers.
"On our club," said Hall-of-Fame teammate Dutch Clark in the book, "The NFL's 60-Minute Men: All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945, "was a tackle who I think should be in the Hall of Fame. His name is George Christensen, and he was as good a tackle as I ever saw on a pro team. Most of the men who played with him or against him would say the same thing."
Christensen’s pro career began in 1931 with the Portsmouth Spartans, a team that soon became the Detroit Lions. At 6-feet-2 and approximately 240 pounds -- a significant size for the time, hence the "Tarzan" nickname -- the tackle quickly established himself as a force.
Over his eight-year NFL career (1931–1938), Christensen appeared in 95 games and played a key role on a Lions' offensive line that helped produce an NFL record that stands today -- 426 rushing yards in one game, a feat that happened in a 40-7 defeat of the Pittsburgh Pirates (now Steelers) on Nov. 4, 1934.
That same year, he anchored a formidable defensive front for a Lions' team that kicked off the 1934 season with an NFL-record seven consecutive shutouts. Over the course of the year, Detroit's defense allowed a league-low 59 points, cementing its status as the top defensive unit.
The 1936 Detroit Lions squad established an NFL record for rushing prowess, too, racking up 2,885 rushing yards in a 12-game season -- a benchmark that stood unbroken until the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins surpassed it ... in 14 games. Once again, the big tackle was right in the middle of it, throwing blocks for Clark and other Lions' legends like Ace Gutowsky, Ernie Caddel and Glenn Presnell.
All of these accomplishments are why "Tarzan" was voted to the 1930s' all-decade team and first-or-second team All-NFL in 1931 (Green Bay Press-Gazette), 1932 (UP, Official NFL), 1933 (consensus -- made all the major teams), 1934-1936 (UP, Official NFL among others) ... basically, every year for his first six seasons.
"Good tackles were numerous," wrote Green Bay Press-Gazette voter George W. Calhoun when picking his All-Pro tackles for 1933, "with Christensen of Portsmouth the best of the lot. This husky Spartan was a demon on the attack, while on the defense, he raised havoc with every club Potsy Clark’s hirelings bumped into this past season."
But there was more. He was considered one of the best punt blockers of that era, too, and recovered a blocked punt in the 1935 title game to lead the Lions to a 26-7 win over the New York Giants. In other words, there was almost nothing George Christensen could not do.
Yet, despite his accolades, team successes, championship ring and role as a team captain, he's never registered with Hall-of-Fame voters, a snub that historian Chris Willis -- who served as Head of the Research Library at NFL Films and is an author of eight books on the formative years of the NFL -- considers an injustice.
In his latest contribution, "The NFL's 60-Minute Men: All-Time Greats of the Two-Way Player Era, 1920-1945", Willis argues that Christensen’s contributions have been unjustly ignored, particularly by Hall voters. And he's not alone. Jim Steen, a teammate of Christensen's, offered further praise, possibly coining a term commonly used today when he described Christensen's extraordinary size.
"George Christensen was the biggest man on the team at 238 pounds, and we used to consider him a freak," Willis quoted Steen as saying in 1974. "But I’ll tell you: He was one of the fastest men we had."
Big. Fast. Captain. Champion. All-Pro. Those are all things that shout "Canton." Yet "Tarzan" still waits. Maybe that changes some day. Maybe it doesn't. All I know is that it should.
From Brian wolf ...
ReplyDeleteDidnt realize there was another BW making comments.
Christensen cant even get elected to the HOVG, though he is getting closer. Lets hope the overrall voting members finally put him in this year.
Clark Judge on TOFTWO did a recent article on forgotten super-seniors that needed to be identified and brought up again by historians but this had already been done nearly three years ago when another article did a special, 7 round draft of worthy seniors--many, super-seniors--by different historians, that included Andy Piascik, Jeffrey Miller, Ken Crippen, Chris Willis and John Turney, himself. Since that article--where one of the voters chose George Christensen(Chris Willis)and 35 players were chosen--hardly any of the players have gotten close to election to the HOF except for Howley and Gradishar, though Wistert has some traction.... can the historians make a difference again? Will the senior committees keep bringing up these deserving candidates or will they have to focus on players from 1970 onward, who might actually get elected? Maybe a special election can gain the traction that it needs? These guys had it right three years ago.
Will the HOF let them conduct this special pre-60s election? This most recent article counted nine historians but these choices were mostly 1st round picks three years ago, except for Kotal and Hay. I think Vainisi was deserving as well but it rightly mentioned the players.
Good calls on the 2015-2024 All Mid-Decade team, John. Some very close calls, especially Hopkins over Evans--I might take Evans due to his TDs and SB ring. Yet, Hopkins got traded, that hurt his career, which wasnt his fault. He didnt have Tom Brady either. On Edge, Von Miller was close as well though he hasnt done much since the Rams championship in 2021. David was underrated but so was Dont'a Hightower, who only played six of the ten seasons but was a beast in the postseason for the Patriots, starting with the 2015 SB against Seattle.
I will be doing a more complete All Mid-Decade team next year, after the 2025 season ... I've always though 2015-2025 is better and then not be too picky as to what 10 years it is ,,, 2015-24 or 2016-2025 ---- so next year might separate some giuys
DeleteThanks for another great article, John.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to start by getting Mr. Christensen into the Professional Football Researchers Association's Hall of Very Good... a hall he hasn't been able to crack, either. And I would imagine for similar reasons; foremost among them that voters tend to vote for players they've seen rather than those from the "distant" past. The old "Recency Bias..."
Hopefully this article will be a step in the right direction that finally gives George Christensen his overdue due. Do you mind if I post a link to it on the PFRA forum?
Yes, agree. Sure, post a link wherever, but I have voted for Tarzan on HOVG, agree he's deserving ... and we should really get him and Kopcha in, I think
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