Larry Csonka Larry Richard Csonka ( born December 25 , 1946 ) is a former college and professional American football fullback and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Childhood . One of six children , Csonka was born in Stow , Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family . He weighed almost ten pounds at birth , 150 pounds at the age of 12 , and 220 pounds at the age of 16 . High School career . Csonka began his football career at Stow High School as the starting tailback on the 1963 Stow Bulldogs squad that won the Metropolitan League of the Akron , Ohio , area championship under coach Dick Fortner . He played for Stow from 1960 – 1963 . Csonka became a running back by accident . Because of his size , he played defensive end on the varsity team as a sophomore . In the last game that year , he was sent in as a substitute on the kickoff return team . The ball just happened to go to him and he took off running with it . Wrote Csonka , Even so , the next year Csonka had a tough time before the start of the season convincing his teammates and coaches that he could play running back . They said he was too big and too slow ; however , there were doubts about his abilities , though he did well in the first game of the season . College career . Csonka was recruited by Clemson , Iowa , Vanderbilt , and Syracuse . He chose Syracuse , where he played middle linebacker in his first season before being switched to fullback from 1965 – 67 , the position where he was named an All - America n . He established many of the school ' s rushing records , including some previously held by Ernie Davis , Jim Nance , Floyd Little , and Jim Brown . In his three seasons at Syracuse , Csonka rushed for a school record 2 , 934 yards , rushed for 100 yards in 14 different games , and averaged 4 . 9 yards per carry . From 1965 to 1967 , he ranked 19th , ninth and fifth in the nation in rushing . He was the Most Valuable Player in the East – West Shrine Game , the Hula Bowl , and the College All - Star Game . In 1989 , he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame . Professional career . Miami and the Super Bowl years . Csonka was the # 1 pick by the American Football League ' s Miami Dolphins in the 1968 Common Draft , the eighth player and first running back drafted in the first round . He signed a three - year contract for $ 20 , 000 the first year , $ 25 , 000 the second , $ 30 , 000 the third , plus a $ 34 , 000 bonus , including a car . Csonka ' s pro career got off to a shaky start . In the fifth game of the 1968 season , versus Buffalo , he was knocked out and suffered a concussion when his head hit the ground during a tackle . He spent two days in the hospital . Three weeks later , versus San Diego , he suffered another concussion , plus a cracked eardrum and a broken nose . There was talk he might have to give up football . He missed three games in 1968 and three more in 1969 . Writes his teammate Nick Buoniconti , Over the next four seasons , Csonka never missed a game , and he led the Dolphins in rushing the next five seasons . Writes teammate Jim Langer , " Csonka had the utmost respect of every player on the team , offense and defense . " By the 1970s he was one of the most feared runners in professional football . Standing 6 ft 3 in ( 191 cm ) and 235 lb ( 107 kg ) , he was one of the biggest running backs of his day and pounded through the middle of the field with relative ease , often dragging tacklers 5 – 10 yards . He was described as a bulldozer or battering ram . His running style reminded people of a legendary power runner from the 1930s , Bronko Nagurski . Said Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jeff Siemon after Super Bowl VIII , " It ' s not the collision that gets you . It ' s what happens after you tackle him . His legs are just so strong he keeps moving . He carries you . He ' s a movable weight . " He rarely fumbled the ball or dropped a pass . He was also an excellent blocker . Stories abound about Csonka ' s toughness . He broke his nose about ten times playing football in high school , college , and the pros , causing it to be permanently deformed , and he would remain in the game with blood pouring out of it . 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 . In a close game against the Minnesota Vikings in the perfect season of 1972 , Csonka was hit in the back by linebacker Roy Winston in a tackle so grotesque it was shown on " The Tonight Show " . Csonka thought his back was broken and he actually crawled off the field . Once on the sideline , he " walked it off " and in a few minutes was back in the game . His return to the game was crucial , as the winning touchdown pass to tight end Jim Mandich was set up by a fake to Csonka . He was named the 10th toughest football player of all time in the 1996 NFL Films production " The NFL ' s 100 Toughest Players " . Dolphins ' offensive line coach Monte Clark was asked about Csonka ' s bruising running style , and he responded , " When Csonka goes on safari , the lions roll up " their " windows . " The Dolphins had one of professional football ' s best rushing attacks in the early 1970s . The Dolphins led the NFL in rushing in 1971 and 1972 , setting a new rushing record in 1972 at 2 , 960 yards . Csonka ' s 1 , 117 yards that season combined with Mercury Morris contributing exactly 1 , 000 yards made them the first 1 , 000 yard rushing duo in NFL history . That rushing attack led the Dolphins to Super Bowl s VI , VII , and VIII , with victories in the last two . Csonka ' s powerful running style set the tone for the ball - control Dolphins . He chose to run through defenders instead of around them , leading to three straight 1 , 000 - yard seasons ( 1971 – 1973 ) and two seasons ( 1971 – 1972 ) in which he averaged more than 5 yards per carry , amazing for a fullback . His 5 . 4 yards per carry average in 1971 led the NFL . Teammate Bob Kuechenberg said that Csonka was the best back he ever saw for turning a 2 - yard gain into a 5 - yard gain . " The line got him the start , he got the finish and it added up to 4 or 5 yards every time , " said Kuechenberg . During the 1972 season , the Dolphins became the only team since the AFL - NFL Merger to go undefeated , and Csonka was an instrumental part of the success , rushing for a career best 1 , 117 yards . Csonka led all rushers in Super Bowl VII with 112 yards on only 15 carries . Late in the third quarter , Csonka had a run that epitomized his style . After breaking several tackles near the line of scrimmage , he rumbled for 49 yards . Near the end of that run , Washington Redskins cornerback Pat Fischer , who was known as a fearless and gritty tackler , came up to try to tackle Csonka . Instead of trying to avoid Fischer , Csonka actually turned toward him and threw a forearm at him , brushing the 175 - pound Fischer aside . In 1973 , Csonka was voted Super Athlete of the Year by the Professional Football Writers Association . That season , the Dolphins won a second straight title and " Zonk " , as he was known , was the Super Bowl VIII MVP . Exploiting brilliant blocking by his offensive line , he rushed 33 times for two touchdowns and a then - record 145 yards . Csonka and his friend , Dolphins running back Jim Kiick , were known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . The August 7 , 1972 issue of " Sports Illustrated " featured a profile of Csonka and Kiick . This issue has become a collector ' s item because of the cover photograph of Csonka and Kiick by famed " Sports Illustrated " photographer Walter Iooss , with Csonka making an obscene gesture with the middle finger of his right hand . In 1973 , Csonka and Kiick , in collaboration with sportswriter Dave Anderson , wrote a book , " Always on the Run " . ( A second edition , with an additional chapter covering the 1973 season , Super Bowl VIII , and their signing with the World Football League was published in 1974 . ) Csonka and Kiick discuss their childhoods , their college football careers , their sometimes stormy relationship with Don Shula , their experiences as pro football players , and the sometimes outrageous behavior of their teammates . The book provides insight into the history of the Dolphins and the state of pro football in the late 1960s and early and mid - 1970s . Move to WFL . In March 1974 , Csonka , Kiick and Dolphin wide receiver Paul Warfield , announced they had signed contracts to play in the fledgling World Football League starting in 1975 . Csonka signed a three - year guaranteed contract for a salary of $ 1 . 4 million . While their signings are credited with giving the WFL credibility , the league was plagued by financial problems right from the start . The three played for the Memphis Southmen , but Csonka and the others had minimal success and the league folded midway through its second season . Csonka carried the ball 99 times for 421 yards for 1 touchdown for Memphis in 1975 . Giants and return to NFL . A free agent again , he joined the New York Giants in 1976 , along with Memphis coach John McVay . ( The Giants ' head coach at the time was Bill Arnsparger , who had previously been the Dolphins ' defensive coordinator . ) While hopes among fans were high that he could reverse the team ' s fortunes , these did not bear out . He tore ligament s in his knee , prematurely ending his first season there . He blamed the injury in part on Giants Stadium ' s artificial turf , and has been a vocal critic of the surface and its injury potential ever since ( The Giants currently use a newer , more flexible Fieldturf ) . When the Giants started the season 0 – 7 , Arnsparger was fired and replaced by McVay . Two seasons later , he was on the field for The Miracle at the Meadowlands , the play that for years epitomized Giants ' fans exasperation with the franchise ' s long - term mediocrity . On November 19 , 1978 , New York had apparently secured a 17 – 12 victory over the favored Philadelphia Eagles . However , with 31 seconds left to play and the Eagles out of timeout s , offensive coordinator Bob Gibson overruled quarterback Joe Pisarcik and called for the ball to be handed off to Csonka for a run up the middle , as Gibson felt Pisarcik was risking too much injury falling on the ball in an era before the quarterback kneel to run out the clock was allowed . However , Pisarcik botched the handoff and Eagles cornerback Herman Edwards returned the fumbled ball 29 yards for the winning touchdown . The Giants went into a tailspin afterwards , and finished 6 – 10 after a hopeful start . The Giants let McVay go after the season ended . Csonka ' s contract was up , too , and he returned to Miami the next year . He ran for over 800 yards , his best since their Super Bowl days , and scored 13 touchdowns . On that high note , and unable to come to terms with the Dolphins on a new contract , he retired after the year was over . In his 11 NFL seasons , Csonka carried the ball 1 , 891 times for 8 , 081 yards and 64 touchdowns . He also caught 106 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns . He was among the NFL ' s top 10 ranked players in rushing yards four times , in rushing touchdowns five times , total touchdowns three times and yards from the line of scrimmage once . He earned All - AFC honors four times and was named All - Pro in 1971 , 1972 , and 1973 . He was also selected to play in 5 Pro Bowl s . After football . Since his retirement , he has become a motivational speaker and has hosted several hunting and fishing shows for the NBC Sports Network ( formerly OLN and Versus ) . He worked for the United States Football League ( USFL ) Jacksonville Bulls in the mid - 1980s , first as director of scouting and then as General Manager . Csonka was also a color analyst for NFL games on NBC in 1988 , and an analyst on the syndicated show " American Gladiators " from 1990 – 1993 . Csonka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and his # 39 was retired by the Miami Dolphins in 2002 . Csonka was named a member of the Super Bowl Dream Team in an NFL Films production . Between 1985 and 1990 Csonka started spending time in Alaska , eventually spending most of the year in Anchorage . While observing the 1 , 161 - mile ( 1 , 962 - km ) 2005 Iditarod dog sled race he said , " when I was playing and practicing in that heat in July and August in Miami with shoulder pads on , it just vaporized me " . From 1998 through 2013 , 16 years Csonka was Producer and co - host of Napa ' s North to Alaska , before retiring the show . Csonka also did Csonka Outdoors , 1998 - 05 on ESPN - 2 and OLN . In early September 2005 , Csonka and five others were returning by boat to the village of Nikolski on Umnak Island in Alaska ' s Aleutian ' s after filming a reindeer hunt on the island for Csonka ' s TV show , " North to Alaska " . The boat was caught in a severe storm and nearly capsized . They rode out the storm for 10 hours before a U . S . Coast Guard helicopter could reach them and rescue them one - by - one in a basket . Csonka and North to Alaska chost Audrey Bradshaw currently live in Wasilla , AK . He also maintains a farm in Lisbon , Ohio , and operates Goodrich Seafood House in Oak Hill , Florida . Csonka currently appears in television commercials for the Alaska Spine Institute , an Anchorage - based physical rehabilitation center . In November 2013 , Csonka was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of “ Hometown Hall of Famers , ” a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport ’ s greatest coaches , players , and contributors with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities . Csonka was presented with a plaque during a ceremony in the Stow High School gym , where the plaque will stay permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school ’ s students and athletes . Media references and film appearances . Csonka appeared in a 1974 episode of the television series " Emergency ! " , playing a worker at a chemical factory who becomes violently unhinged and attacks the paramedics after inhaling toxic fumes . Csonka had a guest - starring role in 1975 on " The Six Million Dollar Man " as Larry Bronco ( a football player ) in the season 3 episode " One of our Running Backs is Missing " . Among his co - stars in this episode were former AFL / NFL football players Mike Henry , O . William Faison , Tom Mack , Dick Butkus , and Carl Weathers ( who went on to portray Apollo Creed in the " Rocky " movie series ) . Csonka had a non - credited role as " Cmdr . Delaney " in the 1976 film " Midway " . He also made periodic guest appearances on episodes of various TV series . Csonka is referenced frequently in Episode # 910 of the cult TV show " Mystery Science Theater 3000 " , which features the 1990 Canadian film " The Final Sacrifice " . The main character of the movie , Troy McGreggor , is searching for the circumstances surrounding the death of his father . The resemblance between his father ( seen only in one pre - credits sequence and then only in a framed photograph ) and Larry Csonka ( most notably their similar mustaches ) is an ongoing gag . Csonka is mentioned in MC Ren ' s " Same Ol ' . . . " , also New York rapper Action Bronson made a song titled " Larry Csonka " on his 2011 album " Dr . Lecter " . Csonka played a character named ' Det . Bronsky ' in the 1989 film " Snake Eater " .