Eagles legend Chuck Bednarik loses his 'hero,' Steve Van Buren
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Eagles legend Chuck Bednarik loses his 'hero,' Steve Van Buren
Les Bowen
Eagles legend Chuck Bednarik describes Steve Van Buren as "the best football player I ever saw." (Mel Evans/AP file photo)
Eagles legend Chuck Bednarik spoke of his memories of Steve Van Buren Friday, the morning after Van Buren passed away in Lancaster at age 91. Bednarik was a rookie on the 1949 NFL championship team led by Van Buren.
"When I was a rookie I was quoted somewhere as saying that Steve Van Buren was my hero and Steve never let me forget it. For years he would joke and say to me 'Chuck, am I still your hero?' I'm 87 years old and my answer today is same as it always been, 'Yes Steve, you are my hero.' Steve Van Buren was the best football player I ever saw.
"Over the last few years whenever we got together he would point at me and say 'You're the best.' I'd tell him, 'No, you're the best.' This would go back and forth and we'd settle it by agreeing that he was the best runner and I was the best tackler. At any stage in life it's sad to lose your hero, and Steve Van Buren was mine. You get a lot of personalities in a locker room, but there was nobody who didn't look up to and admire Steve."
Comments (27)
The current team could use guys like these.— tpizza- Well stated, tpizza. RIP Steve.— dlscholt
- Dlscholt, I'm not quite old enough to have seen SVB play but definitely remember Concrete Charlie. If Charlie admired SVB I don't need to know anything else.— tpizza
- jeez look at chuck's pinky on his right hand. that must have been broken or dislocated a half dozen times, you think?— zwarte piet
- That's right, look @ that pinky...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Chuck and his colleagues NEVER dogged it worrying about their health, so that they could cash in on a payday.
Fast forward to today's player. The scrawny punk that basically admitted he was more concerned about being healthy and cashing in, and then has the audacity to blame the media for twisting the words that came directly from his own air-hole...
Give me the Old School player anyday.— somertonspartan - somerton, that is exactly why Concrete Charlie has so much disdain for today's players. Do a quick wiki on Charlie, see what he did for his country, see what he had to do to play football and how he played both ways and it's easy to understand what he thinks of this spoiled, pampered mess of divas we follow so closely and root for. Then throw in the fact that today's players do so little for the players who paved the way for them and I'd be angry too. Charlie's life belongs in the movies. Said so before.— tpizza
- This is one longtime Eagles fan (remember both Van Buren and Bednarik) who will state categorically that they were the two best players to ever wear the Midnight Green!— jocko
- I wish I could have seen them play Jocko, I doubt you will get much debate on those two being the best ever. RIP SVB, even those who didn't see you loved you.— willbert31
- I met Steve Van Buren (RIP) when I was a cub scout in 1962. He came to our meeting and showed us old Eagles films (1948 championship game for one). My Father (also RIP) introduced me to him as the greatest Eagle of all time.....it was like it was yesterday.....he was the greatest....— SkipinWV
- Agree that Van Buren and Bednarik were two of the best but they did not wear the midnight green. They wore Kelly Green. Take a look at the picture of Bednarik and you'll see.— Al Wilson
- A classy comment about the greatest player in Eagles history from the second greatest player in Eagles history.— VitoCorleone
- My dad and I had season tickets for the birds from '57 - '67. I was 10 when I saw the last championship they won in '60. My dad also saw the '49 game. I was almost named Steve but my mom didn't like the name, he gave her a '49 rooster and she picked Jay . I also have a ball signed by the '60 championship team . My son now has it. I saw Chuck's last 60 minute game , wish I could have seen Steve play. (HTML deleted)— jaybryan
- Prayers to Van Buren's family and friends...and a nice tribute from Concrete Charlie
...as far as the comparison between yesterday's and today's NFL players, there was good and bad in both eras. Van Buren & Bednarik just happened to be the good, the very good. But there was the bad back then as well - the injustices that were perpetrated against Black players being the worst of the bad. And since someone decided to bring up DJax's name, regardless of whether you didn't like his decision to protect his investment for the future - himself - the guy has a big heart. I mean, he did start up a charity from the ground up off of a rookie contract and continues to take a hands on approach to that charity. Anybody with that kind of compassion is O.K. in my book...and as far as some of the prominent players of today; from what I read, Van Buren is a fan of Michael Vick's.— Reality Speaks - Sorry, you can't write a check to pay for an honorable reputation. It doesn't matter if he supported 10 charities. His mouth betrayed him and his lack of self-control, and he can't take that back. All he can do now is begin to build a new reputation that will take years to accept. His father, to whom the charity was dedicated, would probably agree. — Bob1
- Bob1, don't confuse writing checks with really caring about something enough to where you actually take action to help fix it. He's not just "supporting" charities, he started one in honor of his Dad and is very active with the charity itself. It's not like a phony Bill Gates thing where he is investing in charity just for his reputation's sake.
...and he doesn't have to "build a new reputation", it's only a few knuckleheads that are making a big deal over nothing that have the real problem. Most Eagles fans love the guy and know what kind of player he is. 2012-13 is gonna be a big year for DJax.
And again, much respect to Steve Van Buren. - Steve & Chuck played when Pro Football players were truly tough athletes, not the primadonnas of todays NFL. RIP Steve.— Bigbirch
- Let's look at it another way...the Eagles never won a championship before Van Buren and haven't won one since Bednarik. That should say something about the two best Eagles ever. RIP Champ.— Ballgame
- Thanks for the comments, Chuck. Two great Eagles. RIP Steve.— Eagle_1960
- Let's put it another way....the only championships we've won in The Eagles long history were led by Van Buren and Bednarik. That says a lot for the two best Eagles ever. I only saw Bednarik and wish I could have seen what I heard from my Dad about Van Buren. RIP Champ.— Ballgame
- Let's put it another way....the only championships we've won in The Eagles long history were led by Van Buren and Bednarik. That says a lot for the two best Eagles ever. I only saw Bednarik and wish I could have seen what I heard from my Dad about Van Buren. RIP Champ.— Ballgame
- Nice comments by all that shows the RESPECT the fan of today has for the pioneers of the game, the toughest of the toughs. My sincere respect for Steve and what he meant to this town, this team and this league, and my condolences to Steve's family.
There is no doubt the greatest respect an Eagles fan has is for those who laid it all out on the line and out in the open for all to see. Chuck and Steve will always be the greatest of our Eagles Legends. RIP, Steve.— DelawareRiverRat - In Chuck's book, he described the leg injury that ended Steve's career. Said players got sick looking at his knee. Best Bednarik story was told by Brookie a few years ago in an HBO special. Said someone stomped on Chuck's arm and tore bicep from his shoulder.Chuck wen to the sideline and slid the muscle back up and had the trainer wrap it with tape to hold it up, then went back into the game. Players today may be bigger and faster, but they don't have the guts those old guys had.— mike l
- They also won't have the arthritis and inability to truly enjoy their life after football like a lot of old school players too. I totally respect the old schoolers for playing like that, but to see what happened to most of them and then say that players should still follow that example? It's like saying they should go back to wearing no helmets. It's not healthy. 20 years from now don't be surprised if the game is completely different to cope with the increasing size of the monsters on the field; otherwise there won't be any starters left for the playoffs.— th
- I was born just before the last Eagles Title in 1960 so I never saw these 2 legends of the game. RIP Steve Van Buren . You were a class act .
I wanted to also mention that NFL Network has continued to run an incorrect name(Stan Van Buren) under its Sports news ticker. GET IT RIGHT !! SHOW SOME RESPECT !— mikedi08 - Hey Reality---way to bring race into it...so "typical".— somertonspartan
- Hey "spartan"--way to dumb down my point...so "typical" of some people when a subject makes them uncomfortable.
- My point is that not all of the players of yesteryear are the saints some people make them out to be...and not all current players are the "thugs" and "druggies" that some people try to make them out to be.
Sorry if the truth makes you uncomfortable, somerton.
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