Leading off with the snappers

Without further ado, here are the greatest centers in pro football history heading into the 2008-2009 season.

Rank, Center, Years, Total
1. Bulldog Turner, 1940-1952, 14731.3
2. Jim Otto, 1960-1974, 13951.9
3. Mike Webster, 1974-1990, 13828.3
4. Jim Ringo, 1953-1967, 12986.9
5. Mick Tingelhoff, 1962-1978, 12751.2
6. Frank Gatski, 1946-1957, 12692.1
7. Mel Hein, 1931-1945, 12665.7
8. Jim Langer, 1970-1981, 12260.8
9. Tom Nalen, 1994-2007, 12157.0
10. Dermontti Dawson, 1988-2000, 11811.5
11. Jay Hilgenberg, 1981-1993, 11768.3
12. Dwight Stephenson, 1980-1987, 11348.3
13. Bart Oates, 1985-1995, 11173.1
14. Rich Saul, 1970-1981, 11126.9
15. Mark Stepnoski, 1989-2001, 11116.5
16. Ray Wietecha, 1953-1962, 11091.4
17. Kevin Mawae, 1994-2007, 11080.0
18. Forrest Blue, 1968-1978, 10951.6
19. Len Hauss, 1964-1977, 10833.2
20. Jeff Van Note, 1969-1986, 9901.4

Since there are no individual statistics to crunch, to score well as an offensive lineman you have to have won a lot of honors, been on a number of winning even championship level teams and played for offenses that were among the top in the league in yards and points.

Turner fills every bill. He was first team all pro seven times. He played in four pro bowls and would have been in more if the game wasn't canceled for much of the 1940s.

His Chicago Bears suffered just two losing seasons in his 13 years, won four NFL titles and one runner-up finish, ironically in a year the team went undefeated.

Those Bears, with Sid Luckman at quarterback, perfected the T formation and Turner's teams lead the league in points in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946 and 1947 and in offensive yards in 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1947 and 1949.

Turner, who was a standout linebacker with 17 career interceptions, also played every game of every season, except 1945 when he played in just two of 10 games. Without Turner for most of the year, the Bears went 3-7.