How is it that one of the greatest two-way lineman in professional football history could barely make the opening kickoff of nearly every pro football game he ever played?
Joe Stydahar, the West Virginia University star and All-Pro player for George Halas’ dominant “Monsters of the Midway” Chicago Bears teams of the late 1930s and 1940s, was so nervous before games that he couldn’t play until he made a trip to the bathroom to relieve his nervous stomach.
His teammates called Joe’s stomach “Old Faithful” because they knew it was bound to erupt before each game. In fact, Stydahar rarely heard any of Halas’ final pregame instructions so the coach would often send one of his assistants in to see Joe to relay any last-minute messages he might have.