Christiansen, "Jack" (John L.)
Football
b. Dec. 20, 1928, Sublette, KS
d. June 29, 1986
Christiansen's left arm was badly injured in a shooting accident during his senior year in high school, so he temporarily gave up football to concentrate on track and field as a freshman at Colorado State University in 1947.
Because of his speed, he was persuaded to come out for football as a sophomore and he became a three-year starter at safety. At 6-foot-1 and only 185 pounds, Christiansen was generally considered too slight to play pro football, but he made the Detroit Lions in 1951 as a kick returner and was a defensive starter before the season ended.
An All-Pro from 1952 through 1958, his final season, Christiansen was always a threat to score returning interceptions or punts. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 with 12 and in 1957 with 10, and was tops in yards per punt return in 1952 with an average of 21.5.
In his 8 seasons, he intercepted 46 passes and ran them back for 717 yards, a 15.6 average, and 3 touchdowns. Christiansen returned 85 punts for 1,084 yards, a 12.8 average, and 8 touchdowns, and he ran back 59 kickoffs for 1,329 yards, a 22.5 average. He also rushed for 143 yards on 20 attempts, a 7.2 average, and scored 2 rushing touchdowns.