As the Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF) Class of 2012 [Pittsburgh Steelers’ center Dermontti Dawson, Minnesota Vikings’ defensive end Chris Doleman, Seattle Seahawks’ defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, New York Jets’ running back Curtis Martin, Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive tackle Willie Roaf and Steelers’ cornerback Jack Butler (veterans committee selection)] prepares to join their 273 brothers of the “Gold Jacket” as enshrinees at the Canton, Ohio landmark, there still is a ton of debate going on around the country about who is not in the PFHOF.
As an esteemed member of the Pro Football Writers of America since 2006, one of my goals is to one day be part of the 44-person Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. The job is both an honor and a curse for the selectors as media and fans are always ready to give you their opinion about who belongs and doesn’t belong in Canton.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, a 20-year Selection Committee Member, recently had a great deal to say about the process in his February 14th Monday Morning Quarterback column. King wrote, “In 20 years, sitting on the panel has gone from an honor to equal parts burden and honor. I never got in this for pats on the back. I got in it to try to do the right thing by my conscience. Sitting in judgment of the all-time greats is an often-intimidating job, because you realize you’re acting as judge and jury to a man’s career. When Chris Doleman got in this year, he said that night that the only thing better in his life would be when he died and met his maker. Don’t think that’s lost on me. It’s an honor — with a heavy weight attached. And the weight gets heavier every year.”
So to continue the debate that will never end, I thought now would be a good time to list some players that I believe deserved to be enshrined. And who knows? Maybe we will see some of these greats in the PFHOF as many have stellar credentials.
Taking It to the House: Top 10 Pro Football Hall of Fame Deserving People
10. Cornerback Eric Allen – This silky smooth corner was one of the best one-on-one cover guys in the ‘90s. He may not have been as good as “Prime Time,” (Deion Sanders) but who is? Allen provided sticky coverage for the Reggie White-led Gang Green Defense while being a six-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro selection. He had 54 career interceptions and played on the Oakland Raiders’ Super Bowl team. As well as the Raiders, Allen played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints during his 14-year career.
9. Cornerback Lester Hayes – Mr. “Stick Um” from the Raiders’ glory teams of the 1980′s was unbelievable at taking away team’s receivers. With his teammate – cornerback Mike Haynes – already in, Lester needs to be as well. Did I mention that he made five Pro Bowls and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1980? Hayes played 10 years for Oakland, earning five Pro Bowls appearances and one All-Pro selection. He had 39 career interceptions.
8. Defensive Back Johnny Sample – This smooth corner from Maryland’s Eastern Shore paved the way for today’s tough, flamboyant cover corners. Sample was the Deion Sanders of the 50′s and 60′s who backed up his bravado with sticky coverage. This 11-year veteran played and won in the 1958 NFL Championship, which many call “The Greatest Game Ever Played” (he played for the then-Baltimore Colts in the win over the New York Giants) and Super Bowl III, which is said to be “The Greatest Upset Ever ” (the defensive end played then for the New York Jets in the win over the Colts). Some say it was Sample that helped Joe Namath make the prediction heard around the world. Had 41 interceptions in his career.
7. Punter Ray Guy – Guy should be the Hall’s first punter as I say no one had better hang time than this Raiders great. This punter was a “game changer” by showing the NFL what field position was all about. He was great athlete with a crazy strong leg. A seven-time Pro Bowler and nine-time All-Pro player, he averaged 42.4 yards per punt, his longest being 77. A former first-round pick out of Southern Mississippi, Guy played for the Raiders in 14-year career that saw him win three Super Bowls.
6. Defensive End Claude Humphrey – Many people may not remember Humphrey as a player, but he was a dominating defensive force from the great Tennessee State team of Coach John Merritt from the late 1960’s. Humphrey was a cat-quick defensive end that was equally stout against the run and pass. Selected in the first round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, Humphrey for years toiled for a defensive unit that did not get enough recognition around the NFL, in my opinion. He began his career strong, winning the 1968 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. The excellence continued for over 13 years, being selected to the Pro Bowl six times and being picked first-team All-Pro twice. I remember him coming to my hometown Philadelphia Eagles in 1979 to solidify Dick Vermeil’s defensive line. Even at the age of 35, he helped the Eagles reach their first Super Bowl in 1980. I am not sure the number of sacks that this legend put up, but who cares as he was a spectacular two-way end that deserves his spot in Canton.
5. Defensive End L.C Greenwood – Another cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain (defensive linemen Dwight White, Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, and Greenwood), this gold-shoed pass rusher produced six Pro Bowls, two All-Pro honors, and four championship rings. Greenwood needs to join Joe Greene in the Hall so that one of professional football’s greatest defensive lines will be better represented. A 13-year veteran, he played only for the Steelers.
4. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue – I believe that Tags isn’t in the Hall already due to the fact that some writers view him as a businessman first and a caretaker of the game second. Tagliabue made some tough decisions over the years that helped the league grow into it’s current billion-dollar form. But he may have also ruffled some feathers in the process. Look for the Commish that bridged the gap from NFL-famed architect and leader Pete Rozelle to present leader Roger Goodell to get in eventually. I think the writers just like to make the league’s former top lawyer and poster boy for bureaucracy squirm.
3. Defensive End/Linebacker Charles Haley – A dominating force at the defensive end position who won five Super Bowl rings, Haley was a two-way end that quarterbacks feared and who was equally stout against the run. Though quiet off the field, this former small school find (James Madison University) was a ferocious game-breaker who could get to the quarterback and make big plays. Though I still believe that Deacon Jones and Reggie White were the two greatest pass rushers of all time, Haley should join them as one of the greatest sack masters from the 1990’s. This two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year, five-time Pro Bowler, and two-time First-Team All-Pro finished his distinguished career with 100.5 sacks and 26 forced fumbles. So put him in. I think he deserves it more than guys like 2012 enshrinee defensive end Chris Doleman.
2. Wide Receiver Cris Carter – Have you been kidding me for the last four years??!! How could the man that ran the prettiest routes and had the stickiest hands in the ’90s not get into the Hall of Fame?? Hopefully in 2013, the voters will come to their senses and the doors in Canton, Ohio will open for one of my favorite players from head coach Buddy Ryan’s Philadelphia Eagles. Carter left the game in 2002 with 1101 catches, 13,899 yards, and 130 touchdowns in a career that spanned 16 years. The now-ESPN analyst is too humble to toot his own horn, but the man known for “just” catching touchdowns in Philly was an artist, especially on third down and in the red zone for the Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins. Carter was physical and could make any catch – low or high – for the many quarterbacks that he played, with including Hall of Famer, Warren Moon. With one of his pupils, Larry Fitzgerald (former Vikings ball boy), now starring in the NFL, it is only fitting that the Hall opens its doors to this eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro player. To me, Carter’s numbers and impact overshadow current Hall of Famer and former San Diego Chargers’ receiver, Charlie Joiner.
1. Former Head Coach Bill Parcells –Don’t give me his gruff nature, the fact he didn’t win a Super Bowl without (current New England Patriots’ head coach Bill) Belichick or that he was a job-hopper hoping for a comeback. Parcells is a three-time Super Bowl participant and two-time winner that deserves to be in Canton. The Big Tuna got the best out of players like Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor and “Average Joe” types (see Phil McConkey) in a 22-year career that included a record of 172-130-1 (a winning percentage of 57%). He was a master, making the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and New York Jets winners in a short period of time. With an playoff record of 11-8 and so many players around the NFL to vouch for him, put Parcells in. Heck, he will be in Canton this weekend to give the speech for 2012 inductee and adopted son, former star running back Curtis Martin.
Best of the Rest:
Quarterback Randall Cunningham – Cunningham is a three-time MVP and four-time Pro Bowler who is also the NFL’s career rushing leader for quarterbacks (4,928 yards). He passed for almost 30,000 yards and was the NFL’s ultimate weapon in the 90′s. The QB played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
Running Back Terrell Davis – T.D’s career was cut short by injuries, but who was better than he was during a brief career that produced two Super Bowl titles and a 2,000 yard season? Davis was a three-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection in his too-quick seven-year career who finished with 7,607 total yards. The running back played for the Denver Broncos after being drafted by the team in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.
Running Back / Kick Returner Herschel Walker – Everyone remembers that infamous trade from Dallas to Minnesota but the guy was one of the best all-around players in the NFL. This 12-year NFL veteran amassed 5,000 return yards and 13,000 yards from scrimmage. Plus let’s not forget his three-year career in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals, where the former University of Georgia Heisman Trophy winner produced a pro football single season rushing record 2,411 yards in 1985 and had a 5,562 total rushing yards. Walker played for the Generals (USFL), the Dallas Cowboys, the Minnesota Vikings, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.
Other former players to consider: Pittsburgh Steelers’ RB Jerome Bettis, Oakland Raiders’ WR Tim Brown, Buffalo Bills’ WR Andre Reed, New York Giants’ Quarterback Phil Simms, Green Bay Packers’ OG Jerry Kramer, Denver Broncos’ LB Tom Jackson, Denver Broncos’ LB Randy Gradishar, Detroit Lions’ DL Alex Karras, Miami Dolphins’ OG Bob Kuechenberg, Raiders’ QB Jim Plunkett, San Fransisco 49ers’ RB Roger Craig, Washington Redskins’ KR Brian Mitchell, New Orleans Saints’ LB Sam Mills, New England Patriots’ DL Jimmy Lee “Earthquake” Hunt, then-Los Angeles Rams’ RB Kenny Washington and TE Woody Strode (both NFL re-integration pioneers).
Other Non-Playing Contributors to Consider: Former San Francisco 49ers’ owner Eddie DeBartolo, Jr (won five championships and had 16 consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins), former NFL assistant and head coach Buddy Ryan, former Chargers’ head coach Don Coryell and former Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens’ owner Art Modell.
Fans are also invited to voice their choice for the PHOF in Van Heusen’s Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan’s Choice at www.fanschoice.com. But remember… fan votes only will matter to the contest’s sponsors as the 44-member committee has the only say.
Lloyd Vance is the Editor for Taking It to the House , who is also an award-winning member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), and a Contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. Lloyd can be reached via Twitter at @lloydvance