The Greatest Athlete To Wear #56 is an easy choice- Lawrence Taylor-the greatest defensive player in the history of the National Football League.

Notable #56’s- there are a number of #56’s worth mentioning- Chris Doleman is a recent Pro Football Hall of Famer. Joe Schmidt was one of the first great middle linebackers in the NFL. Pat Swilling was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1991. Darryl Talley had an outstanding career as a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and so did Andre Tippett with the New England Patriots. Bill Hewett was one of the last players in the NFL to play without a helmet before helmets became mandatory. He was an outstanding two way end. Hardy Nickerson was one of the most productive linebackers in the 1990’s. In baseball Jim Bouton had a few good years but will always be remembered for writing one of the greatest sports books of all time the iconic “Ball Four.” In hockey Sergei Zubov has had a fine career as an offensive defenseman.

The Greatest Athlete To Wear #56 was L.T. -Lawrence Taylor. LT was an immediate sensation in the NFL for the New York Giants. He made 9 straight Pro Bowls, he played in 10 total. He led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles. He was a 3 time Defensive Player of the Year. He changed the way the game was played. I can’t imagine being an offensive coordinator back in the 1980’s and having to figure out how to deal with this guy. He would end his career with 132.5 sacks. He was ranked by NFL.com as the 3rd greatest player of all times. He went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.