Sammy Baugh is considered by some sports historians to be the pioneer of modern passing in professional football.

Born in Temple, Texas, in 1914, Baugh’s real love as a young man was baseball, and he thought his skill might earn him a college scholarship in the sport. That hope was dimmed when he injured his knee in a baseball slide. After high school, he received an offer from Texas Christian University to play baseball, basketball, and football. While playing offense, defense, and punting for the TCU football team, he became a two-time All America and two-time bowl game winner, finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 1936.

After a frustrating minor league career for the St. Louis Cardinals, Baugh signed a professional football contract in 1937 with the Redskins, who had just moved from Baltimore to Washington. He made an impact immediately, setting a record for passes completed by a rookie. His record for most passing yards in a playoff game by a rookie stood for 75 years until it was broken by Russell Wilson in 2012.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Sammy Baugh's 1949 helmet.

Bobby Layne was born in Santa Anna, Texas, in 1926. He exceled in high school as a football player at Highland Park High School where he was teammates with fellow Texan and Hall of Famer Doak Walker.

Layne played college football at the University of Texas at Austin. He is considered one of the best quarterbacks ever to play for the Longhorns. After missing much of the 1945 season while serving in the Merchant Marines, Layne returned in 1946 to lead Texas to a victory over Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, in one of the best single-game performances in college football history. During that game, Layne set 12 NCAA and Cotton Bowl records, some of which still stand today.

Layne was simultaneously drafted into pro football by the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Colts of the All America Football Conference in 1948. After the Steelers traded him, Layne landed on the Chicago Bears roster where he struggled to earn playing time. He eventually requested a trade, even trying to arrange a deal with the Green Bay Packers himself. In 1950, Layne found success with the Detroit Lions, guiding them to three NFL championships. He returned to the Pittsburg Steelers in 1958 and retired from football after the 1962 season.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Bobby Layne's 1950s jersey.

Born in Trinity, Texas, in 1930, Ollie Matson started his football career at City College of San Francisco before transferring to the University of San Francisco where he would lead college football in rushing and touchdowns. Prior to starting his NFL career, Matson competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, where he won a bronze medal in the 400-meter and a silver medal as a member of the U.S. 1,600-meter relay team.

Matson was drafted first overall by the Chicago Cardinals in 1952 and played for the team until 1958 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Three seasons later, Matson went to the Detroit Lions for one season. In 1966, Matson retired from football after two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. During his 14-year pro career as a running back, six-time Pro Bowler Matson trailed only Jim Brown in all-purpose yards gained.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Matson's 1959 trade telegram.

Raymond Berry, born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1933, was an average high school athlete who didn't start on his high school football team until his senior year. With limited experience under his belt, he played one year after high school at Schreiner Institute before transferring to Southern Methodist University in Dallas where he caught only 33 passes in his three-year career. 

Selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 20th round of the NFL draft in 1954, Berry became an outstanding receiver, known for his tremendous hands. In the 1958 NFL Championship game against the New York Giants―still referred to by football afficianados as “The Greatest Game Ever Played” ― Berry famously made 12 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. He dropped the ball only twice in his career, a statistic many consider unmatched in football history. Berry spent his entire 13-season career with the Colts, retiring as a player in 1967.

But his football career wasn't over. In 1978, Berry joined the New England Patriots as an assistant coach. He became head coach in 1984 and is credited with improving the Patriots organization nearly instantly, bringing the team a winning record in 1984, and a 1986 Super Bowl XX appearance where they lost to the Chicago Bears. Berry retired from professional football after the the Patriots' 1989 season.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see the game plan for the 1958 Championship game in which Berry set a then-NFL record of 12 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown.

Born in Lufkin, Texas, in 1944, Ken Houston attended Dunbar High School as a two-sport athlete in basketball and football. Prairie View A&M and Bishop College offered Houston football scholarships, but when Bishop College withdrew its initial offer, Houston went to Prairie View A&M where he played defensive back.

In 1967, Houston was drafted into the NFL in the 9th round by the Houston Oilers and earned a starting position by the third game of the season. He was traded to the Washington Redskins in 1973 where he spent the remainder of his career, retiring as a player in 1980.

Throughout his 14-season career, Houston was known for having a “nose for the football” by grabbing interceptions and knocking down passes. Often ranked among the top 100 pro football players of all time, Houston was highly regarded by his peers and was named to the NFL Pro Bowl for 7 consecutive seasons.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Ken Houston's Oilers jersey.

Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1927, Doak Walker was a collegiate athlete at Southern Methodist University where he exceled as a running back, earning both the Heisman Trophy and the cover of LIFE magazine in 1948.

In 1950, Walker was drafted third overall by the Detroit Lions, the only team he played for in his six-season career. Walker holds the record for being the Texan with the shortest professional career (1950-1955) currently enshrined in the Hall of Fame. In that relatively short career, he was voted an NFL All-Pro four times and won two NFL championships with the Lions in 1952 and 1953.

Since 1990, the Doak Walker Award has been given to the nation's top collegiate running back. To date, six players from Texas universities have won the award.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Doak Walker's 1950s letterman jacket.

Joe Greene, born in Elgin, Texas, in 1946, became one of the most popular and dominant defensive linemen in NFL history as the feared anchor of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 1970s defensive unit called the “Steel Curtain.”

Before his storied NFL career, Greene played three seasons as a powerful and speedy defensive tackle for North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). In 1969, Green was drafted 4^th overall in the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers where he spent his entire career. He earned the well-known nickname, "Mean Joe Greene," because Steelers fans mistook his college team's nickname, “the Mean Green,” as belonging to Joe Greene himself.

Green was a dominant defensive player throughout his career, often drawing triple-team blocking. His career sack statistics, however, are unofficial because the NFL didn't keep official sack records until 1982, after Greene had retired.

Green retired as a player in 1981, after winning numerous league honors and four Super Bowls. He held assistant coach positions with the Steelers, Dolphins, and Cardinals before becoming a special assistant for the Steelers in 2004 and winning two more Super Bowl rings. In tribute to their outstanding defensive player, the Steelers retired Mean Joe Greene's #75 in 2014.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Joe Greene's 1970s helmet.

Easily recognizable by his signature fedora, Tom Landry made history in the NFL as both a player and as the 29-year head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Born in Mission, Texas, in 1924, Landry was a successful high school fullback, leading his team to an undefeated season in his senior year. Declining a scholarship from Southern Methodist University which he felt was too far away from his family, Landry played for one season at the University of Texas at Austin before leaving to serve in the Eighth Air Force in Europe where he flew at least 30 B-17 missions.  Landry returned to UT in 1946 and helped the Longhorns win the 1948 Sugar Bowl and 1949 Orange Bowl games. After college, Landry played professional football for one year with the AAFC New York Yankees. In 1950, he joined the NFL New York Giants where he played left defensive halfback for five years, winning All Pro honors in 1954.

Landry’s biggest football successes, however, came after he retired as a player and became a coach. In 1956, Landry began a three-year career as the defensive coordinator for the NFL Champion New York Giants. In 1960, he became head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and developed the players into “America’s Team,” a nickname he was said to resent because he believed that name caused other teams to play even harder against them. Landry was considered a defensive innovator for creating the “4-3” defensive system, a formation still used today. During his years as head coach, Landry led the Cowboys to an NFL record 20 consecutive winning seasons which included 270 victories, 13 division titles, 18 playoff appearances, and two Super Bowl championships.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, seeTom Landry's famous fedora.

Mike Singletary, born in Houston, Texas, in 1958, was a standout athlete at Evan E. Worthing High School before becoming a game-changing All America linebacker for Baylor University. He once recorded a remarkable 35 tackles in a game, and as a senior in 1980, helped Baylor to their first 10-win season in school history.

Singletary was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bears in 1981 and earned a starting role halfway through his first season. His nickname, “The Minister of Defense,”referred to both his role as a key defensive player and to his life as an ordained minister outside of football.  In addition to being the Bears' leading tackler for much of his 12-season career, he was also a locker room leader, often tasked with delivering rousing pre-game speeches to the defense.

Eight-time All Pro and ten-time Pro Bowler Singletary retired as a player after the Bears' 1992 season. He was an assistant and position coach for several NFL teams before serving as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2008 to 2010.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Mike Singletary's Super Bowl XX jersey.

Born in Sealy, Texas, in 1960, Eric Dickerson was already used to scoring multiple touchdowns per game by the time he was in junior high school. Throughout college and an NFL career, he became one of the most accomplished running backs in professional football history.

After committing to Texas A&M for his college ball, Dickerson instead signed with Southern Methodist University where the two-time All America broke records for yards, attempts, and touchdowns, finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting in his senior year.

In 1983, Dickerson was selected 2^nd overall in the NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. His rookie season honors included All Pro, Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, and Pro Bowl selection. In his second season, Dickerson broke the single-season rushing yards record with 2,105 yards― a record that still stands today.

In 1987, Dickerson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts. During his career there, he became the record holder for reaching 10,000 yards in the fewest number of games (91). In 1992, Dickerson went to the Los Angeles Raiders and in 1993 finished his career with the Atlanta Falcons. To date, Dickerson still holds 16 active NFL rushing records.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see the football Eric Dickerson carried when he broke the single-season rushing record.

Born in Houston, Texas, in 1966, Thurman Thomas rose to prominence as part of the Buffalo Bills vaunted “no-huddle" offense in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Today, he is still considered one of the most versatile running backs in NFL History.

Thomas played his high school football at Willowridge High School in Houston, where he won a 4A state title in 1983. A knee injury late in his stellar college career at Oklahoma State Unversity jeopardized his status as a high draft pick, and he fell unexpectedly into the second round where he was drafted 40^th overall by the Buffalo Bills in 1988.

Although a running back, Thomas was known for his impressive versatility as both a runner and receiver, finishing his career with over 10,000 rushing yards and 4,000 receiving yards. He was also a part of the Buffalo Bills dynasty that reached four consecutive Super Bowls — unmatched in NFL history — though the team lost all four games. Thurman is the only running back in NFL history to be listed in the top 10 for playoff receptions.

After playing the 2000 season for Bills' rival Miami Dolphins, Thomas suffered a career-ending knee injury. In 2001, he signed a one-day contract with the Buffalo Bills, allowing him to officially retire as a member of the team where he spent most of his career. Thomas was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see the special-edition Wheaties box featuring Thurman Thomas.

Born in Angleton in 1943, Emmitt Thomas attended Bishop College in the 1960s where he played quarterback and wide receiver on one of the first desegregated teams the school ever fielded.

Thomas was undrafted in the 1966 NFL and AFL drafts, but made the Kansas City Chiefs squad after a free agent try-out. Green spent his entire 13-season career with the Chiefs and was named to five all-league teams and selected for five Pro Bowls. During his career, Thomas grabbed a then record-setting 58 interceptions. To date, he remains in the top 15 list in career interceptions, despite playing during a time when passing was a less prominent component of offensive strategies.

Thomas retired as a player after the Chiefs' 1978 season and began a second career as an NFL coach for numerous teams including the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons. In 2010, he returned to the Chiefs as a defensive backs coach. Unlike other Texas Hall of Famers, Thomas' 2008 selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame came from a nomination from the nine-member Senior Committee, a subset of the larger 46-member Selection Committee. The Senior Committee considers players whose active careers have been over for at least 25 years for Hall of Fame enshrinement.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see Emmitt Thomas's Kansas City Chiefs jersey.

Born in Mumford, Texas, in 1967, John Randle played high school football at Hearne High School and college football at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Although an All America defensive player at A&M, Randle wasn't selected in the 1990 NFL draft because he was considered too small for the NFL. However, his determination and skill landed him a job with the Minnesota Vikings after an impressive free agent tryout.

Randle’s 14-year NFL career included 11 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (1990-2000) and three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2001-2003). Noted for his pass rushing ability, Randle also created many records for sacks during a game. At the time of his retirement after the 2003 season, he was second overall in the NFL for most consecutive seasons (8) with ten or more sacks. Always considered a character, Randle became known over the course of his career for his face paint and heckling as well as his longstanding rivalry with the Packers' Brett Favre, whom he sacked more than any other quarterback.

Though Randle never won a Super Bowl, he was named to the NFL Pro Bowl seven times and is considered one of the most talented defensive linemen of the modern era.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see John Randle's shoulder pads.

Born in Houston, Texas, in 1971, Michael Strahan grew up in a military family and began his football career in Germany. Returning to Houston for his senior year, Strahan played one season for Westbury High School and earned a scholarship to Texas Southern University. Strahan’s power and athleticism made him a difficult match-up for most of his collegiate opponents but he wasn’t considered an NFL prospect until he was an upperclassmen. Strahan earned All-America honors as a senior defensive lineman and was listed by The Poor Man’s Guide (a football guide previewing underrated and unknown college stars) as the number one diamond-in-the-rough entering the NFL draft in 1993.

Strahan was drafted in the second round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the New York Giants where he played his entire 15-season career. In 2001, Strahan established a still-standing NFL single-season sack record of 22.5 in the final game of the season by sacking Packers' quarterback Brett Favre.

In 2007, Strahan played a critical role in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory against the undefeated New England Patriots. Following the game, Strahan retired as an NFL player and began a career in television and media.

In the Gridiron Glory exhibition, see the helmet Michael Strahan wore when he set the single-season sack record.