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NFL: 25 best players to never make a Pro Bowl

By Hans Themistode

Wide receiver for the New England Patriots Julian Edelman (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Wide receiver for the New England Patriots Julian Edelman (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Jethro Pugh
Jethro Pugh (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

25 best players to never make a Pro Bowl: 20. Jethro Pugh, DT

Career stats:

  • 95.5 total sacks
  • 14 fumbles recovered
  • 2 safeties

Best season 1968:

  • 15.5 sacks

Back when the draft would last for what felt like forever, Jethro Pugh was picked up in the 1965 draft in the 11th round. Unlike most players who are given a chance to stick to the position they were drafted as, Pugh was forced to move from defensive end to defensive tackle after spending just one year in the league.

The move ultimately proved to be worth it as Pugh was a menace when it came to chasing down quarterbacks in the 60s and 70s. His efforts were rewarded with two Super Bowls and two selections to the All-Pro second team but he was never officially chosen as a Pro Bowler no matter how dominant he was.

The case for Pugh gets increasingly difficult as time marches forward. Although he is credited with 95.5 sacks over the course of his career, quarterback sacks were not an actual statistic during his heyday.

Despite that, he still went out every Sunday and terrorized opposing signal-callers. From 1968-1973, Pugh averaged 12.5 sacks per season. During a stretch that started from 1968 and ended in 1972, Pugh led his Dallas Cowboys in sacks.

Pugh may have been a dominant force whenever he stepped foot on the field, but it wasn’t enough to give him a Pro Bowl appearance.

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