There are eleven players who have worn #41 for the Denver Broncos. For younger fans, like myself, the first thing that jumps off the screen is the position of Eric Crabtree and Jerry Tarr. FL means flanker and E means end. Today, the flanker is affectionately labeled the slot receiver. An end is exactly what it is today. However, in the past, Jerry Tarr wasn't called a defensive end or a tight end. He was only called an end because he played both the defensive end and tight end positions. Before writing this article and searching google, I didn't know that.
Here's the list of all eleven players who have worn #41 for the Denver Broncos:
Cassius Vaughn CB 2010-
Karl Paymah CB 2005-08
Johnathan Reese RB 2004
Deon Strother RB 1994
Greg Lewis RB 1991
Rob Lytle RB 1977-83
Leroy Mitchell CB 1971-73
Eric Crabtree FL 1966-68
George Burrell S 1969
Jerry Tarr E 1962
Cassius Vaughn went undrafted in 2010 but went on to appear in 13 games for the Denver Broncos. He recorded 8 tackles.
Karl Paymah was drafted in the third round (76th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He played 4 years with the Broncos and notched 101 tackles and 3 INTs. After being released following the 2008 season, he was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings. In 2010, he was signed by the 49ers and never played a down with them. He was released in September of 2010 and was picked up by the Houston Texans who ended the year ranked 32nd against the pass.
Johnathan Reese was a runningback out of Columbia (the Ivy League college, not the country) who bounced around the NFL for a few years before ending his career with the Denver Broncos. He broke just about every Columbia record, rushing for 1,330 yards and 18 TDs while also posting an impressive 36.8 yard average on kickoff returns.
Deon Strother was a RB out of USC. He appeared in 2 games for the Broncos, but posted no statistics. 1994 was his only year in the NFL.
Greg Lewis was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 5th round (115th overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft after an impressive college career in Washington. He played two seasons for the Denver Broncos, appearing in all 32 games and starting six of them. He rushed 172 times for 644 yards, a 3.7 average and 8 touchdowns. He also caught 6 passes for 39 yards and returned a kickoff for 20 yards. If you're thinking to yourself "he played two seasons, but at the top of the article he is listed only for 1991". The reason is because he switched numbers. You may remember him from "Denver Broncos Greats... By The Numbers: #20".
Rob Lytle was drafted in the second round (45th overall) of the 1977 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. During his seven seasons with the Broncos, he rushed for 1,451 yards, had 61 receptions for 562 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He was the only player to score a touchdown for the Broncos in Super Bowl XII. Unfortunately, on November 20th, 2010 after suffering a heart attack. A few excellent memorial pieces on Rob Lytle can be found here and here.
Leroy Mitchell was drafted by the Boston Patriots in the 11th round (283rd overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft out of Texas Southern. After spending two years in Boston and a year with the Houston Oilers, he joined the Denver Broncos, where he accumulated 7 INTs for 70 return yards and a defensive touchdown playing the left corner position.
Eric Crabtree was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 13th round (112th overall) of the 1966 AFL Draft and by the Baltimore Colts in the 11th round (170th overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft. Since he had offers from both the AFL and NFL, he decided to go with the Denver Broncos, where he played 3 seasons and had 82 receptions for 1,355 yards and 10 TDs. He then spent 2 and a half seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and half a season with the New England Patriots.
George Burell played one season with the Denver Broncos where he played in all 14 games, returning 6 kickoffs for 108 yards and 5 punts for 56 yards. He also had 2 interceptions for 65 return yards and a defensive touchdown.
Jerry Tarr was drafted in the 17th round of the 1962 AFL Draft. He had 8 receptions for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns in his only NFL season.
Read more about Jerry Tarr 1962 Stats - 1962 Jerry Tarr Season Stats - Fantasy Football Challenge by www.fantasyfootballchallenge.com
Bob McNamara played 2 seasons for the Denver Broncos and had 7 interceptions for 143 yards and a defensive touchdown.
The Greatest Bronco to wear #41 is...
Rob Lytle RB 1977-83
All of us at MHR would like to extend a Mile High Salute to Rob Lytle for being the greatest Bronco to wear #41.
Go Broncos!
