The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their selections for enshrinement into the hall for 2009. Their selections…
Bob Hayes
Ralph Wilson, Jr.
Bruce Smith
Randall McDaniel
Derrick Thomas
Rod Woodson
Let’s have a word or two about each…
Bob Hayes played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965 to 1974 and for the San Francisco 49ers in 1975. Before football, Hayes was a gold medal sprinter in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Hayes was the first player (and at the time of this writing the only player) to win both Olympic gold and a Super Bowl ring. Hayes’ play forced the innovations of the zone and “bump-and-run” styles of defense, and was the first Cowboy to rack-up 1000 receiving yards in a season in ’65. Hayes will receive the award posthumously, as he died in 2002.
Ralph Wilson is the owner of the Buffalo Bills, as he has since their founding as an AFL team in 1960. The Bills won the AFL title in 1964 and 1965 and made four Super Bowl appearances. At 90 years old, he is among the senior of NFL owners.
Bruce Smith was one of Mr. Wilson’s players in Buffalo from 1985-1998 before moving to the Washington Redskins from 1999-2003, a total of 19 seasons. He was a feared defensive lineman throughout his career. He is one of the few first-overall draft picks to go on to a Hall of Fame career.
It’s hard for an offensive lineman – especially a guard – to have a Hall of Fame career because they have no stats…all they do is block for those that do. Randall McDaniel played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1988-1999, and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2000 and 2001, and is one of the few. He started all but two of his career games played.
Derrick Thomas led the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense as a linebacker from 1989-1999. His Hall of Fame career was cut short when he died after a car crash in February 2000. The Chiefs became a defense-oriented team during his time there and made 7 playoff appearances during that time. Prior to Thomas’ arrival, they had one playoff appearance from 1972-88.
And lastly but certainly not least…the Steeler. Rod Woodson wore #26 for the Steelers from 1987-1996. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1997, the Baltimore Ravens from 1998-2001, and the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003. Woodson, a defensive back, amassed 71 career interceptions for 1483 yards and 12 touchdowns – the latter two figures are NFL records, and the 71 INTs are the third-most in league history. I remember the 1995 season the most when it comes to Woodson. The Sunday before I got married, I was going back and forth between the Cleveland Indians – who were on the verge of locking-up their first postseason appearance in over 40 years – and the Steelers, who were opening their season at Three Rivers Stadium against the Detroit Lions. I heard Rod Woodson was hurt and later that he tore his ACL. In football terms, that means you’re out for the year. I thought the year was over, what with Woodson being their most prolific player. The Steelers worked and worked, and made Super Bowl XXX – and Rod Woodson played in that game ! Although the Steelers lost that Super Bowl – the only one they have lost (note that, Cardinals’ fans) – it was an amazing feat for Woodson to rehabilitate and play in the Super Bowl the same season as an ACL tear. Oh, and the prime rib special at Woodson’s restaurant at Station Square was unbeatable…but he could have kept the Brussels sprouts.
So the debate will rage on…did the selection committee do right ? This debate goes on every year after an announcement is made. This year’s debate will, I’m certain, revolve around two players that were passed on…
Wide receiver Cris Carter played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Miami Dolphins from 1987-2002. After having off-the-field issues in Philadelphia, he was released and latched on to the Minnesota Vikings, where he changed his attitude and his life choices, and made Hall of Fame consideration during his 12 years there. This is where the Cris Carter who played for Ohio State finally showed up in the NFL. He finished his career second in receptions (1101) and touchdowns (130) by a wide receiver (to Jerry Rice), but now is third behind Rice and Marvin Harrison.
Dermontti “Dirt” Dawson was one of the handful of Hall of Fame caliber players to have replaced a Hall of Famer. In Dirt’s case, he replaced longtime Steelers’ center Mike Webster in 1989 (he played on the same line as Webster in his rookie season 1988 but took over as center in ’89). He continued his excellence as the Steelers’ snapper until 2000, after a 13-year career. He only missed 3 starts in his career (184 games) and made 7 Pro Bowls. The likely argument against Dirt this year was Woodson’s “automatic” first-ballot entry, and the selection committee usually won’t induct two teammates the same year. I will, however, go on the record stating, not only as a Steeler fan but as a football fan, that Dirt’s exclusion in the Hall of Fame needs to end.
So there you have it…a brief recap of the six enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although they were announced yesterday and will be announced at the Super Bowl, as well as introduced at next week’s Pro Bowl, they will not be officially enshrined until this coming summer. Congrats to all that made it, and hopefully the two near-misses will make it next year.
