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The Best of the 1980s NFL

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Wide receivers are some of the flashiest and most exciting players in the NFL. They can very quickly turn the tide of a game with one spectacular catch. When talking about 80s wide receivers, there are plenty of great players to make this list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-nfl-wide-receiver/ranker-sports?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best wide receivers</a> of the 80s! This was a decade of remarkable talent at the wide receiver position. So take a look at this list of 80s WRs and vote for up favorites!When looking at 1980s wide receivers, is Jerry Rice your favorite? Is it Michael Irvin? Or is it somebody else that really played at high level during the 80s? Take a look at the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-wide-receivers-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top wide receivers</a> of the 1980s and vote up the players you think left an&nbsp;indelible&nbsp;mark on the game of football.Who are the greatest wide receivers of the 80s?&nbsp;

1980s NFL Wide Receivers, Ranked by Fans

The Best NFL Wide Receivers of the '80s

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Jerry Rice

Jerry Lee Rice Sr. (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Due to his numerous records, accomplishments, and accolades, he is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.Rice is the career leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers, including receptions, touchdown receptions, and receiving yards, once being the leader for total yards and touchdowns in a season. He has scored more points than any other non-kicker in NFL history with 1,256. Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, 1998, 2002) and named All-Pro 12 times in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders. As of 2017, Rice holds over 100 NFL records, the most of any player by a wide margin. In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history. Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Rice was also inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and in that same year  inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Steve Largent

Stephen Michael Largent (born September 28, 1954) is an American former football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former Republican politician, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma, from 1994 until 2002. Prior to his political career, Largent was a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League for his entire 14-season professional football career. He held several all-time receiving records when he retired.

Cris Carter

Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is a former American football player in the National Football League. He was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–89), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). After starting for the Ohio State University Buckeyes, Carter was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft. While in Philadelphia, head coach Buddy Ryan helped to coin one of ESPN's Chris Berman's famous quotes about Carter: "All he does is catch touchdowns."  He was let go by Ryan in 1989, however, due to off-the-field issues. Carter was signed by the Vikings and turned his life and career around, becoming a two-time first-team and one-time second-team All-Pro and playing in eight consecutive Pro Bowls. When he left the Vikings after 2001, he held most of the team career receiving records. He briefly played for the Dolphins in 2002 before retiring.Since retiring from the NFL, Carter has worked on HBO's Inside the NFL, ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, and online at Yahoo Sports. He also works as an assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where his son played wide receiver. In 2017, Carter began co-hosting First Things First with Nick Wright on FS1. Carter resides in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the brother of former NBA player and coach Butch Carter.After six years, and five finalist selections, Carter was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2013.

Andre Reed

Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills (1985–1999) and one with the Washington Redskins (2000).  After being eligible for eight years, Reed was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Reed is currently a Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) Ambassador after being inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2015. In addition, he leads up a literacy program for underprivileged youth in the BGCA, called Read with Reed 83 Challenge. 
Reed currently ranks eighteenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.  At the time of his retirement, Reed was second all-time in career receptions. In 2009, Reed was elected to the Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-Time Team.

Art Monk

James Arthur Monk (born December 5, 1957) is an American former football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Monk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
He is a relative (first cousin once removed) of jazz pioneer Thelonious Monk.

John Stallworth

Johnny Lee Stallworth (born July 15, 1952) is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is considered to be one of the best wide receivers in NFL history. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships, and went to four Super Bowls. His career statistics included 537 receptions for 8,723 yards and 63 TDs. Stallworth's reception total was a franchise record until being surpassed by Hines Ward in 2005. Stallworth played in three Pro Bowls and was the Steelers' two-time MVP. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

Dwight Clark

Dwight Edward Clark (January 8, 1957 – June 4, 2018) was an American football wide receiver  and executive. He played nine seasons for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 to 1987,  which included San Francisco's first two Super Bowl championship teams.
He caught the winning touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Joe Montana in the NFC Championship Game in January 1982 against the Dallas Cowboys. The play, immortalized as "The Catch", propelled the 49ers to their first Super Bowl championship. Clark played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the 49ers in the tenth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He served as the general manager of the 49ers from 1995 to 1998 and in the same capacity with the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2001.

James Lofton

James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is an American former football player and coach.  He is a former coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers (1978–1986), Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1988), the Buffalo Bills (1989–1992), Los Angeles Rams (1993) and Philadelphia Eagles (1993).  He was also the NCAA champion in the long jump in 1978 while attending Stanford University.  Lofton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sterling Sharpe

Sterling Sharpe (born April 6, 1965) is an American former American Football wide receiver and analyst for the NFL Network. He attended the University of South Carolina, and played from 1988 to 1994 with the Green Bay Packers in a career shortened by injuries.

Michael Irvin

Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is a retired American football player, actor, and sports commentator. Irvin played college football at the University of Miami, then for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for his entire pro athletic career (1988-1999), which ended due to a spinal cord injury. Irvin was nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his college and pro careers. He is one of three key Cowboys offensive players who helped the team attain three Super Bowl wins:  he is known as one of "The Triplets" along with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. In 2007, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He competed in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars in 2009. Irvin was the ninth contestant to be eliminated.

Mark Duper

Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former football wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State University and was selected by the Dolphins in the 2nd round of the 1982 NFL draft.  He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
Nicknamed "Super Duper", he played 11 seasons for the Dolphins where his best years came while teamed with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and fellow wide receiver Mark Clayton, the other half of the "Marks Brothers" wide receiver tandem. Duper, who wore #85, was a 3-time Pro Bowl selection in 1983, 1984 and 1986. His best season was 1984, when he had 71 catches, 1306 yards and 8 touchdowns, and in 1986, when he tallied 67 catches, 1313 yards and 11 touchdowns. Duper had four 1,000-yard seasons, with the final one coming in 1991 at age 32, when he posted 1085 yards. In 1990, Duper became only the second Dolphins player to surpass 7,000 career receiving yards. On July 17, 1993, the Dolphins released Duper, after re-hauling their receiving corps bringing in O.J. McDuffie, Irving Fryar, and Mark Ingram Sr., and letting go of the Marks Brothers.Duper was also a track star, he won in the finals of the 400-meter relay at the 1981 NCAA track and field championships at Northwestern State University, and from the 1980 Olympic trials finished seventh in the 200-meter dash and reached the semifinals of the 100. he competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters, posting personal bests of 10.21 seconds and 20.77 seconds, respectively.
In 11 NFL seasons, he caught 511 passes for 8,869 yards and 59 touchdowns. In 1994, he also appeared in two games with the Miami Hooters of the Arena Football League.
On November 8, 2013, Duper revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).Duper was inducted (with Mark Clayton) into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll on December 15, 2003.

Tim Brown

Timothy Donell Brown (born July 22, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Notre Dame, where he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award. He spent sixteen years with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the NFL's most prolific wide receivers. Brown has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2015, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Irving Fryar

Irving Dale Fryar, Sr. (born September 28, 1962) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons.  Fryar played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was recognized as an All-American.  He was selected with the first overall pick of the 1984 NFL Draft, becoming the second wide receiver to be taken number one overall, the first being Dave Parks in 1964. Fryar played professionally for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins of the NFL.

Charlie Joiner

Charles B. Joiner Jr. (born October 14, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. He is best known for his career with the San Diego Chargers, with whom he spent 11 seasons. Before joining the Chargers, he played for the Houston Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals each for four seasons. He retired with the most career receptions, receiving yards, and games played of any wide receiver in NFL history. Joiner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Gary Clark

Gary C. Clark (born May 1, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins (1985–92), Phoenix Cardinals (1993–94), and Miami Dolphins (1995).

John Taylor

John Gregory Taylor (born March 31, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. Taylor attended Pennsauken High School and was one of six NFL players to come from PHS during the 1980s. Taylor attended Delaware State College and was a member of their football team, the Hornets. He was a member of the 49ers teams that won Super Bowls XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX.

Harold Carmichael

Lee Harold Carmichael (born September 22, 1949) is an American former football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played 13 seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1983) and one season for the Dallas Cowboys (1984). Carmichael was the Director of Player Development and Alumni for the Eagles from 1998−2014, and a Fan Engagement Liaison from 2014−2015, before retiring again in 2015.

Wes Chandler

Wesley Sandy Chandler (born August 22, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons during the 1970s and 1980s.  He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times, and ranked twelfth in NFL history in receiving yards and thirteenth in receptions when he retired. Chandler is a member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame. He played college football for the Florida Gators and was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Playing as a receiver in a run-oriented wishbone offense at Florida, Chandler set a school record with 28 touchdowns. He was named both an All-American and an Academic All-American in 1977. He was picked third overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 1978 NFL Draft. Over an 11-year NFL career, Chandler played for the Saints, the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers.  He holds the NFL record for most receiving yards per game in a season, set in 1982 with the Chargers.  After retiring as a player, he became a football coach, and served as the wide receivers coach for various teams at the professional and college level.

Al Toon

Albert Lee Toon Jr. (born April 30, 1963) is a former professional American football wide receiver player who played for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons.  A two-time First Team All-Big Ten pick at the University of Wisconsin, Toon set several school football records for the Wisconsin Badgers.  The three-time Pro Bowl selectee played his entire NFL career with the Jets (1985-1992), leading his team and the league in receptions during the late 1980s.  He is considered to be among the Jets' all-time greatest wide receivers and overall players in franchise history.   



Anthony Carter

Anthony Carter (born September 17, 1960) is a former American football wide receiver. He finished his college career as the University of Michigan's all-time leading receiver, and played professionally for thirteen years in the United States Football League and the National Football League. He is also known as 'AC'.

Cliff Branch

Clifford Branch Jr. (August 1, 1948 – August 3, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders during his entire 14-year National Football League (NFL) career. He won three NFL championships with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII. He was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Mark Gregory Clayton

Mark Gregory Clayton (born April 8, 1961) is a former American football wide receiver who played most of his career with the Miami Dolphins, entering the league in 1983 with the Dolphins and playing there until 1992. He finished out his career with the Green Bay Packers, playing a single season with them in 1993. He attended the University of Louisville.
A favorite target of Dan Marino, he paired with Mark Duper to form the popular "Marks Brothers". He was a five time Pro Bowl player in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1991. Clayton finished his 11-year career with 582 receptions for 8,974 yards, along with 108 rushing yards, 40 kickoff return yards, and 485 punt return yards. He also scored 85 total touchdowns (84 receiving and 1 punt return)
He is in the NFL top 50 in receiving yards (tied for 39th) and receiving TDs (tied for 13th). He holds Dolphins records for career pass receptions and TDs, as well as receiving yards in a single season. At one point in time, the Dan Marino-Mark Clayton tandem was the most prolific in NFL history.
His 1984 single season record of 18 touchdown catches was broken in 1987 by Jerry Rice and is still tied for the third highest total in NFL history.In 2003, he entered the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor, along with fellow "Marks Brother", Mark Duper on December 15, 2003. On June 20, 2014 it was announced that Clayton would be inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.In 2005, he helped punctuate Marino's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech by running through the crowd and catching one last pass from the legend thrown from the stage.
He is one of only three players in the history of the NFL who has caught a touchdown pass from both Dan Marino and Brett Favre during the NFL regular season. The others are Keith Jackson and Mark Ingram.
He now lives in Houston, Texas, with his son Mark Gregory Clayton II and Matthew Clayton.

John Jefferson

John Larry Jefferson (né Washington; born February 3, 1956) is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played three seasons in San Diego, where he became the first NFL player to gain 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. He was traded to the Green Bay Packers after a contract dispute with the Chargers, and later finished his playing career with the Cleveland Browns.



Lynn Swann

Lynn Curtis Swann (born March 7, 1952) is an American football player, broadcaster, politician, and athletic director, best known for his association with the University of Southern California and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served as the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania.
Swann was born in Alcoa, Tennessee. He attended USC and played football as a wide receiver of the USC Trojans, where he was a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 1974 NFL draft. With the Steelers, Swann won four Super Bowls, was selected to three Pro Bowls, and was named MVP of Super Bowl X. Swann was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

Kellen Winslow

Kellen Boswell Winslow Sr. (born November 5, 1957) is an American former football player in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1995), he is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the league's history. Winslow played his entire NFL career from 1979 to 1987 with the San Diego Chargers after being selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Missouri, where he was a consensus All-American. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2002). 
Winslow is the former director of athletics at Florida A&M University. He has previously held administrative roles at Central State University where he was athletic director, and the vice president for athletics and wellness at Lakeland College (Wisconsin)

Wide receivers are some of the flashiest and most exciting players in the NFL. They can very quickly turn the tide of a game with one spectacular catch. When ...