List of the most famous (American) football centers in the history of the sport, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. There have been many legendary centers in the NFL and NCAA, and you'll find all of them on this list below. Some of these men are considered to be the best centers to ever play the game, and if you're looking for a specific football player you can look for them by using the "search" function on this list. These amazing centers may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. This list of the top centers in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football.
List items include Gerald Ford, Dick Butkus and many more.
This list answers the questions, "Who is the greatest center of all time?" and "Who are the best centers of all time?"1
Dick Butkus
Linebacker, CenterBirthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Age: 73
Teams: Chicago Bears
Richard Marvin Butkus (born December 9, 1942) is an American former football player, sports... more2
Chuck Bednarik
Linebacker, CenterBirthplace: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Age: 90
Teams: University of Pennsylvania football
Charles Philip Bednarik (May 1, 1925 – March 21, 2015), nicknamed Concrete Charlie, was a... more3
Bruce Matthews
Tackle, GuardBirthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina
Age: 59
Teams: Tennessee Titans
Bruce Rankin Matthews (born August 8, 1961) is a former American football offensive lineman... more4
Mike Webster
CenterBirthplace: Tomahawk, Wisconsin
Age: Dec. at 50 (1952-2002)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs
Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 – September 24, 2002) was an American football player... more5
Jim Otto
Linebacker, CenterBirthplace: Wausau, Wisconsin
Age: 82
Teams: Oakland Raiders
James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938) is an American former professional football player who... more6
Lee Roy Jordan
Linebacker, CenterBirthplace: Excel, Alabama
Age: 79
Lee Roy Jordan (born April 27, 1941) is a former American football linebacker. After attending... more7
Mel Hein
Linebacker, CenterBirthplace: Redding, California
Age: Dec. at 83 (1909-1992)
Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992), sometimes known as "Old... more8
Tom Nalen
Offensive Lineman, CenterBirthplace: Foxborough, Massachusetts
Age: 49
Teams: Denver Broncos
Thomas Andrew Nalen (born May 13, 1971) is a former American football center who played for... more9
Jesse Sapolu
CenterBirthplace: Laie, Hawaii
Age: 59
Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961) is a former football player in the National Football... more10
Chris Myers
Offensive Lineman, GuardBirthplace: Miami, Florida, United States of America
Age: 39
Teams: Denver Broncos, Houston Texans
Christopher Myers Jr. (born September 15, 1981) is a former American football center. He... more11
Richie Incognito
GuardBirthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
Age: 32
Teams: Oakland Raiders
Richard Dominik Incognito Jr. (born July 5, 1983) is an American football offensive guard for... more12
Kevin Mawae
Offensive Lineman, CenterBirthplace: Savannah, Georgia
Age: 49
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, LSU Tigers football, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans
Kevin James Mawae (; born January 23, 1971) is a former American football center who played in... more13
Olin Kreutz
CenterBirthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Age: 38
Teams: New Orleans Saints, Washington Huskies football, Chicago Bears
Olin George Kreutz (; born June 9, 1977) is a former American college and professional... more14
Dwight Stephenson
CenterBirthplace: Murfreesboro, North Carolina, United States of America
Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is a former professional American football... more15
Matt Birk
CenterBirthplace: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Age: 44
Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings
Matthew Robert "Matt" Birk (born July 23, 1976) is a former American football center. He was... more16
Barret Robbins
CenterBirthplace: Houston, Texas
Age: 47
Teams: TCU Horned Frogs football, Oakland Raiders
Barret Glenn Robbins (born August 26, 1973) is a former American football center who played... more17
Jay Hilgenberg
Offensive Lineman, CenterBirthplace: Iowa City, Iowa
Age: 56
Jay Walter Hilgenberg (born March 21, 1959) is a former American football player in the NFL.... more18
Nick Mangold
CenterBirthplace: Centerville, Ohio
Age: 36
Teams: New York Jets, Ohio State Buckeyes football
Nicholas Allan Mangold (born January 13, 1984) is a former American football center. He played... more19
Todd McClure
CenterBirthplace: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Age: 43
Teams: Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Todd McClure (born February 16, 1977) is a former American football center who spent his... more20
Jeff Saturday
CenterBirthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Age: 40
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, North Carolina Tar Heels football, Green Bay Packers
Jeffrey Bryant Saturday (born June 18, 1975) is a former American football center. He played... more21
Jeremy Newberry
Tackle, GuardBirthplace: Antioch, California
Age: 44
Teams: Oakland Raiders
Jeremy David Newberry (born March 23, 1976 in Antioch, California) is a former center in the... more22
Peter Konz
Guard, CenterBirthplace: Neenah, Wisconsin
Age: 31
Teams: Atlanta Falcons
Peter Konz is an American football guard and center for the Atlanta Falcons of the National... more23
Bulldog Turner
Offensive Lineman, LinebackerBirthplace: Plains, Texas
Age: Died at 79 (1919-1998)
Clyde Douglas "Bulldog" Turner (March 10, 1919 – October 30, 1998) was an American football... more24
Mark Stepnoski
Offensive Lineman, CenterBirthplace: Erie, Pennsylvania
Age: 53
Mark Matthew Stepnoski (born January 20, 1967) is a former American football offensive lineman... more25
Dominic Raiola
Offensive Lineman, CenterBirthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Age: 37
Teams: Detroit Lions
Dominic Raiola (; born December 30, 1978) is a former American football center. He was a... more
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