# How would Andre the Giant have done as an NFL running back? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494 "2001-10-25T06:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/1 "2001-10-25T06:41:13Z")
Okay, his center of gravity was kind of high and he would be quite slow for a running back, but it would take a lot to bring him down. Or maybe they could have just brought him in to block on short yardage situations. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/2 "2001-10-25T12:26:20Z")
Terribly. Andre was an alcoholic who suffered many physical ailments. I saw a match from Georgia in 1979 when he was probably in his early 30s and after 5 minutes of basically doing nothing he could barely stands up. Granted he’d be hard to bring down, but he might be good for only 1-2 short yardage gimmick plays per game, and very likely would get injured in one of those. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/3 "2001-10-25T13:04:06Z")
Very badly. He’d be easy to bring down. He’s slow, so just go for the knees. The human body wasn’t meant to carry that much bodyweight. Granted he was strong, but not proportionately. He was 2-3 times the size of a norman man, but not 2-3 times as strong. IMHO, had he taken care of his body, he’d have lasted probably a dozen more years before his heart gave out. Maybe as a blocker on short yardage, but he’d be sucking a LOT of oxygen on the sidelines after a few plays. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/4 "2001-10-25T14:06:09Z")
IIRC, he was at one point offered a contract from an NFL team to be an offensive lineman but he declined, he didn’t want to take the pay cut. (Not saying this as 100% truth, but it is a story I heard back in the late 1970s). ---
**Author:** ![blur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dbc845/32.png) [@blur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blur)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/5 "2001-10-25T14:26:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GrizzRich \* > \*\*Very badly. > He’d be easy to bring down. He’s slow, so just go for the knees. > > The human body wasn’t meant to carry that much bodyweight. Granted he was strong, but not proportionately. He was 2-3 times the size of a norman man, but not 2-3 times as strong. > > IMHO, had he taken care of his body, he’d have lasted probably a dozen more years before his heart gave out. > > \*\* Actually, Andre’s form of gigantism (sp?) was supposed to cause him to die before he hit 40. His body never stopped growing, causing his bones to begin to be crushed under his girth. By the time the late 70’s and early 80’s came around, he was actually shrinking in hight due to this. This is also why his head and hands looked so huge by the 80’s, because they never stopped growing. He knew this his whole life, which is why he didn’t bother to take care of his body. During the late 60’s, early 70’s, he was supposed to be incredibley strong and agile for someone his size, but like **GrizzRich** said, just take out his knees. The clips and pictures I’ve seen of him then lead me to believe that he could have made an alright linebacker, with some football training. I don’t think his career would last very long though, because his bones were weak, from the reasons above. ---
**Author:** ![Acco40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Acco40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acco40)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/6 "2001-10-25T14:33:22Z")
You know, I was thinking about this very topic the other day. I think he would be OK and used very sparingly; perhaps just short yardage situations. Also, I believe he’d be a left tackle and not a running back… he’s too slow to be a running back. (Then again, I’ve never seen him run.) Oh wait, I take that back… his best position would be nose tackle!!! Talk about run support! Just have him lay down across the line of scrimmage like a trench! Man this really has my imagination going, **philo**! ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/7 "2001-10-25T14:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \* > \*\*IIRC, he was at one point offered a contract from an NFL team to be an offensive lineman but he declined, he didn’t want to take the pay cut. > > (Not saying this as 100% truth, but it is a story I heard back in the late 1970s). \*\* Sounds like something a wrestling promoter made up to sell tickets. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/8 "2001-10-25T15:41:14Z")
Acco has the only position he could possibly play - nose tackle, home to Gilbert Brown, Ted Washington, etc. Hand ATG the ball 5 yds deep in the backfield, he’s gone. He could never play LT - too slow. Speed rushers would turn him into a turnstile. Even NT, tho - could he get out of the crouch fast enough? If he stood up, he’s chop blocked. If he’s low out of the crouch, they’ll ride him to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/9 "2001-10-25T16:36:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vinnie Virginslayer \* > Sounds like something a wrestling promoter made up to sell tickets. How would that help sell tickets? [This](http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/bios/andre2.html) page says: > [@](#): > > In 1973 Andre began wrestling in the World Wrestling Federation where he became a crowd favorite because of his size and demeanor. Known as “Andre the Giant”, his quickness and strength were so impressive that the Washington Redskins football team considered signing him for a tryout. [This](http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingAndre/home.html) page says: > [@](#): > > He (Andre) was courted by both the Montreal Alouettes and Washington Redskins to play pro football. [This](http://www.gerweck.net/facts.htm) page says: > [@](#): > > Washington Redskins head coach George Allen once offered Andre the Giant a contract to play professional football ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-andre-the-giant-have-done-as-an-nfl-running-back/89494/10 "2001-10-25T18:19:34Z")
I think he’d do horrible at Running Back… but he’d be a BAD ASS Defensive Tackle. He could play the Two-Man stop gap technique all by himself. NOBODY would run up the gut at him. You could use your other defensive tackles and two defensive ends almost purely as pass rushers then…