The NFL is famous for producing some of sports greatest nicknames ever heard. Here is a list of some of the NFL's top nicknames and were they originated from...
Tony "Goose" Siragusa
William "The Refrigerator" Perry! His nickname says it all. His Super Bowl ring was a size 10! He was given the nickname by a friend who witnessed the Perry stepping out of an elevator and blocking out the entire doorway...
Darryl "Moose" Johnston of the Dallas Cowboys. Emmit Smith's primary blocker was given the nickname, Moose from backup quarterback, Babe Laufenberg because Johnston looked like a Moose running around a bunch of deer in the field. The deer being the Dallas Cowboy running backs.
Walter Payton aka "Sweetness" the Chicago Bears great running back. There are two different stories on how Payton ended up being called Sweetness.
Some say he earned the nickname way back at Jackson State because of his "sweet" running style...Other's claim he was given the nickname due to his "sweet" demeanor...Either way, Payton lived up to his nickname both on the field and off.
Christian Okoye, the "Nigerian Nightmare". Played for Kansas City Chiefs and earned his nickname due to his punishing style of running through tacklers. Teammate Irv Eatman is credited for the nickname.
Craig "Ironhead" Heyward earned his nickname in for both his massive head (size 8 3/4) and the way he would spear defenders with it.
Deion Sanders was "Prime Time" way before the NFL. Sanders was given the name by a friend after he scored 30 points in a Florida high school basketball game. Sanders was all-state in baseball, football and basketball while in high school.
Jerome Bettis was given his nickname by Notre Dame's school newspaper. Bettis could carry several tacklers on his back while carrying the football, just like a bus.
David "Deacon" Jones actually nicknamed himself. Jones believe that nobody would remember a player named David Jones, so this Hall of Famer nicknamed himself "Deacon" hoping people would remember him...
I never even knew his real name was David, so I guess it worked!
Jack Tatum was called "The Assassin" due to the way he played. Tatum was one of the hardest hitters ever to play in the NFL. Tatum wrote in his book that his hits "Bordered on felonious assaults".
Tatum is infamous for his hit on New England Patriot receiver, Darryl Stingley. Stingley was paralyzed from the hit and never walked again.