Larry Csonka Tribute

Larry Csonka former professional football fullback and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the Dolphins he won the Super Bowl in 1973 and 1974.

[@Mike-sd9we]

Csonka never fell backwards. One of the only running backs to be flagged for unnecessary roughness.

[@terryking8192]

THE TOUGHEST SOB OF A RUNNING BACK IN NFL HISTORY ONLY ONE EVER CAME CLOSE WAS MIKE ALSTEAD OF TB BUT NO ONE WAS AS TOUGH AS CSONKA AND I'M GLAD I GOT TO SEE HIM EVERY SUNDAY BACK IN THE DAY . THANKS ZONK !

[@mitchellellis1437]

A train a beast

[@ssnobrakesable]

Grew up on Miami in the 70's........What a great time for the Dolphins. Csonka was an animal.

[@razzledazzle8631]

Before Derrick Henry there was Larry Czonka . He is the God father of the power running backs.

[@frankensteinlives5451]

Great role model for any kid wanting to be an excellent ball player. I found him to be an inspiration. The man was a tank.

[@newriver8940]

Shula wanted him on the field for every play.He made to game exciting none of the showboating of today!

[@princez413]

I think I remember this sport...Ya I think they called it FOOTBALL.

[@dutdut2.059]

it’s still around bud

[@princez413]

@@dutdut2.059 No... Not it's not.

[@nala3038]

@@princez413 yeah it is

[@princez413]

@@nala3038 No It's Not.

[@joycedickens6729]

He’s saying how the game of football use to full of men but now the game is soft which is true idiot.

[@gregcoles4341]

My favorite player of all time. Shula even named his dog after him. he would get the tough yards and eat up the clock.

[@marksmith4346]

People don't realize how much Shula was a clock guy...long first drive each half for a TD, get a turnover here and there, and the game was over before the other team could get their act together. Zonk getting 4 yards and not fumbling was a huge part of that.

[@Padoinky]

I was a Syracuse kid who grew up watching Syracuse FB and played Fullback as Zonk was my hero … went to Syracuse University in 83 and walked on the FB team (thanks Coach Mac!)… never got to letter nor a scholarship, but got to participate as much as I could in pursuing my dream and the pathway of my boyhood heroes… also got to know another of Syracuse’s greatest Fullbacks, Darryl “Moose” Johnston, another upstate NY native.

[@carloschavez5368]

I remember those days still. Csonka eating up the clock and punishing the defense. Shula's game plan to dominate a ball game. Csonka's passion for playing football loved to punish the opponents just like the big bully on his block. Thanks for the awesome memories . our hearts go out to the Shula family . R.I.P. coach.

[@BassManDan69]

Larry csonka and Mike alstott, best fullbacks to ever play...period.

[@purplesword5536]

Jim taylor, Christian okoye, john riggins,

[@richardcarden4161]

@@purplesword5536 Earl Cambell?

[@purplesword5536]

@@richardcarden4161 i consider campbell a hybrid type back..

[@waltwilliams7063]

duh, jim brown.....!

[@brian436]

I love those throwback players like Csonka, Barry Sanders and Walter Payton. Tough running backs and no stupid dancing after every play. Those 3 played with class and grit. I can't stand the current NFL players.

[@brian436]

@@frankbrennan3812 You're 100% correct! He played the game with heart, and was a man's man on and off the field. A very humble person. It was equivalent to watching a rhinoceros playing football. Tough as nails.

[@Neonator08]

Barry Sanders was a totally different style. He didn't run over anyone, he ripped their pants off and then ran past them. Same talent level but different expressions. i get the idea tho

[@ralphshelley9586]

Packers Jim Taylor! John Riggins!

[@bobby-jackbrewer7395]

Outstanding! - great choice of music ..perfect!

[@kiwanishinton9410]

now this is a fullback, Zonk was a wrecking ball

[@54321yrrag]

That was one dude that didn't try to avoid any contact!!

[@kiwanishinton9410]

called for unsportman penalty for giving a DB a forearm to the helmet. Zonk was a man and played with an attitude

[@afterlife6821]

Kiwanis Hinton my favorite football player of all time

[@eliduttman315]

Years ago, Jim Brown said that Larry Csonka is the best pure fullback. Nuf said!

[@richardcarden4161]

@@kiwanishinton9410 Knocked him out cold too!

[@keithbaker944]

Perfect music selection

[@elflaco658]

the epitome of a football player! him and his peers were tough guys who were underpaid and played for the love of the game. todays players would never have made it back then.

[@ralphshelley9586]

Bob Lilly was paid 48k and he found out butkis and Sayers were being paid 120 and held out till he got 88k. He was robbed! Hear that Kapernick?

[@markclark7178]

When football was football

[@dutdut2.059]

lol. imagine this guy trying to run into aaron donald or khalil mack...they’d show him real football

[@markclark7178]

@@dutdut2.059 ha Mack isn’t shit . Zonk would run over todays players

[@garystone3476]

Amen.

[@garrison6863]

One of the best inside power runners ever. Its almost funny watching DB's trying to take him down.

[@abestone60]

Straight ahead head down legs grinding fighting for every inch he gained! They don't make them like him anymore!

[@markclark7178]

Captain of the greatest team ever !

[@dynodonfb7]

I can watch this video again and again and again (I have). Pure power running, punishing the tackler. No east or west, just upfield. The guy was a beast and played the position like a linebacker.

[@actionmcbride372]

Beautiful

[@zigmonger6646]

Excellent ...when I saw that it was music I thought I was going to have to mute it but then imagine one of my favorite bands CCR John Fogerty....that's right!!! Love Csonka 1970s Dolphins!!!Shula !!!

[@georgefleenor5446]

Zonk brought it on every play the rest of the NFL can thank him and JimKiick and Paul Warfield for the money they make now

[@MrNaturalSez]

2:18 The only player in NFL history to be flagged for unnecessary roughness when they had possession of the football.

[@MrNaturalSez]

"He may be the only running back to receive a personal foul for unnecessary roughness while running the ball, when, in a game against the Buffalo Bills in 1970, he knocked out Safety John Pitts with a forearm shot that was more like a right cross."

[@markeaves6293]

In Jr High, I read a book about the Dolphins perfect season. The one thing that stands out in my mind from the book, is we all know Zonk was one tough player but Jim Kick got his nose busted and was standing by Zonk in the huttle and dripped blood on Zonks shoe and he passed out.... LOL

[@Vezzo55]

Excellent Footage....Great Music

[@davidnick5]

What an experience it was to watch every Sunday this all time NFL legend bulldoze defenders.

[@kelvinkloud]

Jack tatum said he was the hardest hitting guy to tackle.

[@RWildekrav66]

The four people who had the thumbs down were no doubt Cowboy d-linemen after Zonk kicked their asses

[@BogWraith1]

GET. THE. FUCK. OUTTA. MY. WAY! That is what my favourite player's brushing running style seemed to convey whenever he carried the ball. That was Larry Csonka. The best fullback of all time... PERIOD!!!!!

[@masercot]

He was a joy to watch.

[@carlosa.sanchez896]

My dad and I saw him many times in the OB. I think his nose was broken 17 times, LOL. One MNF game against the Bears, Zonk knocked Dick Butkus on his ass and ran right over him. the final score was ~51-10!

[@carlosdelacadiz6658]

Great player.

[@kelvinkloud]

epitome of old school labor intensive strength. the density of his bone plate structure & natural muscle was a literal brick wall when he hit you. study this film, excellent big lb's just bounced off of him when in full contact. amazing headache producing impact power. two standout. check out :44 against the great steeler D & also at 2:44, his blow literally pulls the defender clean off of his feet. reminds me of the impact of how when george foreman hit people. scary. Ive seen faster fb's & some great ones like riggens who combined quickness & power. but no one hit you square up w/ the same power as csonka. & his quickness is underrated in the box.

[@Motoicon]

Sheesh! What a beast....

[@MrNaturalSez]

Larry Csonka: Proud Member of the 'Lite Beer from Miller' Hall of Fame!

[@spencercline101]

He was a human battering ram! Great!

[@garypellerin5576]

I remember watching those games. You knew there would be one of those runs every game. The opposing defense did to.

[@kiwanishinton9410]

an absolute monster

[@actionmcbride372]

Thanks for choosing my old number !!!

[@geeskin5750]

This is what a linebacker would look like if he ran the ball

[@InChristalone737]

Loved it

[@deanfry1466]

A not one stupid azz dance in the end zone.

[@henrysmith5472]

love me some csonk

[@WayJay22]

Without Csonka, no undefeated season. He's the thumb of the hand.

[@kenmartin9106]

Great to see Larry run again loved watching him run over people.

[@fanboy2015]

Too bad I wasn’t old enough to see him play during his prime.

[@robertcabrera6232]

The original Beastmode!

[@hammer44head]

2:35 Roy WInston of my Vikes hit the Zonk so hard, hardest hit up to that point i ever seen, 1972 the Dolphins undefeated season. Vikes had them but the Dolphins came back and beat em in the end with a play action fake to Zonk and then a pass in the end zone to end it. I still cant believe Zonk came back in after that hit, it looked like he got shot with a deer rifle. The Zonk was one tough piece of leather. X -tra props for using a CCR song, great video.

[@bigelile07]

3:42 I've never seen that...well, maybe I did I just don't remember. He once said that he always got up slowly so the other team would never know if he was hurt. Brilliant!

[@Stacie45]

Guys like Csonka and Jim Taylor played a game called football, I vaguely remember it. No offense to Tom Brady, he seems like a nice guy. I would say the same about Kobe Bryant...

[@frontier6937]

what a team - dominant - all pros at every position - Csonka was an absolute beast.

[@carloschavez5368]

The Zonk wrecking ball , only running power back to be charged with a penalty for unnecessary roughness for punching a linebacker. Great games watching him play i remember those days really well. Perfect Season 1972

[@OnTheRoadWithDan]

A real man's running back, must have bee a nightmare trying to tackle him.

[@davidm1979]

If Larry Csonka would have switched to defence and played middle linebacker he would be in the Hall of Fame for that.

[@robertchambers5756]

They don't have any players like him and some of the other greats like Lawrence Taylor, john riggens , mercury Morris, Walter Payton and jack youngblood. People who actually wanted to win at any cost. They have ruined the game of football.

[@ellissmith4545]

U know he was born on Christmas

[@richardcarden4161]

He is from Stow Ohio.

[@felixmorales6527]

The original Beast Mode

[@garystone3476]

A beast!

[@afterlife6821]

Looking at him now it doesn’t seem like he has any long term ailments from the nfl and does not appear to have CTE so that’s good

[@bbbbb816]

Even at the end of his career with the Giants, Csonka was punishing defenses.

[@DexterHaven]

Good vid. Imagine a team with John Riggins and Csonk each playing in alternate sets of downs or quarters like Craig James and Dickerson did at SMU.

[@RWildekrav66]

Give me Csonka at FB , Campbell at TB then backups to them Alstott at FB and Bo at TB We will beat the hell out of anybody any day of the week twice on Sundays and Holy days of obligation

[@newriver8940]

There will never by another Zonk

[@richardwarner3705]

Runaway train!💥💫🐬

[@TheUtubus]

Csonka created the term "beast" for running backs

[@jimmorris3806]

I wish zonk would have been one of my uncles. My dad as a big tough viet nam vet but zonk seems like on a higher plain

[@georgecalder5175]

Hop on boys, and let's go for a ride 😮

[@lawrencebeardsworth1943]

Defenses hated playing the dolphins back in that era, Csonka punished them.

[@jamesfarrington9030]

He had a nice stride.

[@Vezzo55]

Brutal LOL

[@bobby-jackbrewer7395]

Once he made it through the D-line and into the open field, he had to be gang tackled by the smaller defensive backs. It's comical to watch him carry these D-backs 5-10 yards down the field. What a horse he was

[@kenwalters216]

I think Csonka is the only player to be flagged for unnecessary roughness while running the ball

[@jeffsmith3221]

I'm not racist, promise, love the great black RBs Jim Brown, Campbell, E.Smith, Sanders, Simpson, Dickerson, love Faulk!, but don't you just love to see these big white boys tear apart apposing defenses?!?! Csonka tore apart my team the Vikings in the SB, but still love him after all these years.....so smart, witty, and funny. How does he take and deliver all those hard hits and not show any diminished mental faculties?!?! Amazing with all the concussions going on these days!

[@rufusbrown8614]

Great👍👍👍💥💥💥

[@Rivenshield]

It's like..... he doesn't have any special talent or ability or anything, he doesn't even practice, it's just.... he just... weighs about three times more than anybody on the field and he just. Keeps. GOING. Through referees and cameramen and his own linemen if necessary. And yes. This is why this kid delighted in watching him in the 70's.

[@mitchellbaxter6314]

You're not giving him proper credit. Zonk weighed 238 lbs., about the same as linebackers, but less than linemen. As to practice, Shula's practices were brutal, and he didn't go easy on Zonk. His running wasn't just "going;" there's technique in how he would drop a shoulder, or get under a defender and drive through him.

[@radar0412]

He had more Talent than most people thought. He ran low to the ground like you're supposed to, and he could cut it upfield against the grain. Zonk had pretty good hands too, but Griese wasn't known for throwing to his running backs.

[@costumeninja1914]

Nah, if you make in the NFL, you are genetic freak. His combo of size, power, and speed makes him very special.

[@sturrrdy]

see what happens when u pay athletes millions of dollars people. over time they give less and less to their Game because either way they’re gonna get the million dollar checks, it’s common sense but overlooked. those *men* worked their tail off because they *had* to. they had to work and work and work just to ensure their families were living happily. it’s a shame to see how society has developed

[@guests5863]

Before there was the Diesel there was da'Zonk.. the only offensive football player running with The Ball that ever got flagged for a personal foul, unnecessary roughness when he knocked out a Buffalo Bill player in 1970 with a forearm, tighten up that chin strap when you're playing against da'Zonk

[@brisonrohrbach4619]

Looks like the biggest kid in the neighborhood out there.

[@user-ms1lf2hq1d]

BROTHER was made for BATTLE. 😅

[@DexterHaven]

He almost played linebacker, they say, but he ran so fast; so the coach said he's paying fullback instead. He would have made a good linebacker, though.

[@ericsloss3963]

Pretty cool. Surprised he didn't get hurt more with the punishment he took and dished out.

[@radar0412]

Zonk took and gave a lot of punishment, but for the most part he had a fundamentally good running style. Low to the ground, instead of a straight up runner. Straight up running fullbacks get hammered.

[@joehertz466]

Can you please find the footage of the play (I believe vs the Vikings in 1974) where Csonka was flagged for unnecessary roughness while he was running with the ball?

[@monteroed]

It was against Buffalo... At 2:17.

[@joehertz466]

Is there a longer cut of it?

[@afterlife6821]

One of the only fullbacks in the HOF unfortunately. But hopefully Lorenzo Neal and mike alstott join him in canton eventually

[@margaretdinardo4456]

This is peter Dinardo I never saw csonka run out of bounds running backs now run out of bounds 1 yard short of first down not to get hit csonka did the hitting

[@JohnDoe-xm3sd]

At 2:18 Csonka only runner EVER penalized for ( unnecessary roughness on a tackler) !!!!!!!!!

[@billlawrence1899]

True that, There's a clip of John Riggins doing the EXACT same thing to a tackler. Knocked the poor guy ass over tea kettle about 5 yards. Only difference is Riggins didn't get called for it. Another clip of Big John blocking for another ball carrier. Hit a guy so hard he not only flew back a few yards but his helmet flew off. Check it out at 1:41 and 1:44 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHysl2Bvm6agbqM

[@actionmcbride372]

That was ...........

[@waltwilliams7063]

that hadda be jeff siemon nailing csonka @2:34.

[@6412mars]

The Devils on the loose!

[@waynenoll1967]

The only guy who came close was Mike Alstott

[@garystrittmater8258]

My favorite four players are, in alphabetical order are Dick Butkis, Larry Csonka, John Riggins and Lawrence Taylor! They were STUDS!

[@mylittlepitbull3143]

I met Larry Csonka. Poor guy was in a wheelchair. Couldn't walk.

[@richardpeetrinpeetrin9817]

Was Larry "The Zonk" Csonka the best "Power-Back" there ever was??? Better than Jim Brown, John Riggins, Earl Campbell, Ottis("O.J."), Anderson, Jerome Bettis, and Mike Alstott????? "The Zonk" is #1.......

[@finaoo1167]

I loved Csonka and his style of running, but if I could pick any fullback in his prime I would take Christian Okoye.

[@rogernapier3448]

NOT EVEN CLOSE ! CSONK WAS THE BEST ! PERIOD !

[@finaoo1167]

@@rogernapier3448 - So, I can't pick Okoye?

[@waltwilliams7063]

there used to be this syracuse grad named jim brown........

[@gwmcklintock]

@@finaoo1167 no...

[@finaoo1167]

@@gwmcklintock - Thanks for clarifying. So, I guess I'll pick Csonka.

[@Boggs1993]

He Got Hurt By Minnesota's #60

[@tedhicks5431]

Is he still alive

[@jakesnake66]

Where are the brutal, punishing power runners these days? I don't buy the idea that "they don't make 'em like that anymore." Of course "they" do! lol. Players are bigger and stronger these days, if not faster, too. Has the game changed so much that power runners like Brown, Riggins, Csonka, Campbell, and Bettis just aren't valued anymore? Sure is a shame.

[@davanmani556]

jakesnake66 back then you had LB who liked to tackle high and upfront like Lee Roy Jordan or Chris Hansburger. Team tackling and the 46 defense eliminated the Big bruisers. Lawrence Taylor going after backs on the handoff and DB’s going after their knees at the line of scrimmage.

[@idx1941]

The rules favor passing. Teams prefer to pass, even on short yardage they pass. It's a very different game now.

[@CraigHorton-b5y]

Beautiful.