Chuck Bednarik was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on May 1, 1925. His parents came from Slovakia. His father worked at Bethlehem Steel. Bednarik went to SS. Cyril & Methodius School, Bethlehem Catholic, and Liberty High School. He left school early to serve in World War II. He joined the U.S. Air Force. He flew 30 missions as a B-24 waist gunner over Europe.
After the war, Bednarik enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. He played football as both center and linebacker. He became a two-time All-American. In 1948, he finished third in Heisman voting and won the Maxwell Award.
He joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1949 as the top NFL Draft pick. He played both offense and defense for 14 years. He won two NFL championships, in 1949 and 1960. He played 58 minutes in the 1960 title game. He was known for a strong tackle on Frank Gifford in 1960.
He was called “Concrete Charlie,” partly due to his offseason job in concrete sales. Bednarik was named to multiple NFL anniversary teams. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
He remained connected to Bethlehem throughout his life. He met his wife at a local Croatian hall. His legacy lives on through the Bednarik Award, given to top college defenders. He died in 2015. Bednarik is remembered as one of the last two-way NFL players and as a football legend from Bethlehem.
