NFL Greatest Unsung Heroes In History of All 32 Teams
By Erik Lambert
Tennessee Titans
. LB. Houston Oilers. Gregg Bingham . 31. player. 35
When people think about the 1978 and 1979 Houston Oilers, the same name comes up quite often. That’s running back Earl Campbell. People had not seen somebody like that Texas powerhouse in a long time and he became an instant sensation. He won Rookie of the Year. He won league MVP. The Oilers were all about that Campbell action.
This made it easy to overlook veterans like Gregg Bingham. Men who’d worked tirelessly to dig that team out of the pit it had been stuck in during the early 1970s. He was one of their best, most reliable defenders, a versatile linebacker who could strike as a tackler but was also a danger in coverage, which was rare for that period.
He proved that in the 1978 playoffs where he delivered an interception in not one but two games, both victories to help send the Oilers to their first AFC championship. They were also the first playoff win the team had experienced since 1961. A year later he paced their win over Denver with another interception. It’s sad all his efforts never got him to the Super Bowl.