A quote attributed to legendary Coach Knute Rockne indicates the high regard college coaches had for coal region football players.

Rockne said that when recruiting, he would ask the farm boy how far it is to the next town. If the boy pointed his finger, Rockne said he drove on. If he picked up the plow and pointed with it, Rockne said he would sign him up.Chuck Bednarik, the pro football Hall of Famer who died last weekend at the age of 89, wasn't a coal region native, but being raised in a tough steel mill neighborhood of Bethlehem during the Great Depression and then serving as a gunner in a World War II bomber, prepared him for many obstacles and hard knocks of life.The last great two-way player in pro football, "Concrete Charlie" wore his reputation of being the toughest guy on the field as a badge of courage.About 10 years ago, I got to meet Bednarik and a number of other Philadelphia Eagles' legends including Tommy McDonald, Tom Brookshier, and Pete Retzlaff at a "Tribute to The World Champion 1960 Eagles" event in Bucks County. There were plenty of Bednarik stories circulating that day.A few years later I saw him at the Hometown Farmer's Market. Although then in his 80s, he still cut an imposing figure that seemed close to his 235-245 pound playing weight.Bednarik did carry a number of visible scars, the result of the 14 years he spent in the pro football trenches. The gnarled fingers, which seemed to point in different directions, were the result of numerous dislocations and broken bones in his football wars.Brookshier, who died in 2010, once joked that Bednarik would come into the huddle, point his hand at somebody and five of the guys would think, "is he talking to me?"Another distinguishing feature was his nose, which took the brunt of much punishment in those early pre-faceguard years.An old Philadelphia scribe once dubbed him Old Chief Flat Nose. Chuck resisted the calls to have plastic surgery done after his playing career ended.Physical appearance notwithstanding, few athletes have had the honor of having a bronze likeness representing three levels of personal achievement high school, college and professional.In 2011, a 7-foot bronzed statue of Bednarik was unveiled at Penn's Franklin Field, scene of his greatest moments for the Penn Quakers and later, the Philadelphia Eagles.In 2013, Liberty High School dedicated another statue in his honor at BASD Stadium.And in 1967, a bust of the legendary player was unveiled during his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Brookshier, who had a colorful broadcasting career after football, once posed the question: "Did anyone ever look more like a football player than Charlie Bednarik?"Probably not.Certainly, there was no one tougher or more feared on the field.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com