10 biggest Pro Football Hall of Fame snubs.
Some have waited longer than others. And to make it clear, the focus of this piece is more than the older stars who in some cases will have to wait.
There are so many outstanding performers that have yet to get the call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And in these instances and with no disrespect to coaches, general manager, scouts and the numerous other contributors to the sport, the focus here is indeed on the players.
This year, the Hall’s membership will swell to 346 as the Class of 2020 includes a total of 20 individuals, including the 15-member Centennial Class. And narrowing this list down to 10 players is not an easy task. Superstars such as versatile running back Roger Craig, ageless linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., safety John Lynch and special teams standout Steve Tasker didn’t make this cut but are certainly no less deserving.
10. Hall of Fame snubs: Joe Jacoby
One of the great nicknames in football was given to the offensive line of the Washington Redskins of the 1980s and early ‘90s. The “Hogs” paved a way for Pro Football Hall of Fame running back John Riggins for years, one-hit-wonder Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII and Joe Gibbs’ numerous starting quarterbacks while he was at the helm.
In 2010, guard Russ Grimm was accorded Pro Football Hall of Fame honors. The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro was part of all three of the team’s Super Bowl title clubs and also played in Super Bowl XVIII, a loss to the Los Angeles Raiders. He was the team’s primary left guard for 11 seasons.
Next to him on the strong side for many years was massive tackle, Joe Jacoby. He like Grimm played in four Super Bowls with the Redskins. The imposing 6-foot-7, 305-pounder was twice named All-Pro and also earned four invitations to the Pro Bowl. These days, many feel that tackle Joe Jacoby is worthy of being enshrined in Canton, Ohio. A three-time finalist from 2016-18, the former undrafted free agent from the University of Louisville did not earn that distinction the past two years. Will his time ever come?
9. Hall of Fame snubs: Chuck Howley
He’s the answer to one of the most frequent football trivia questions. Name the only player to be named Super Bowl MVP for a team that lost the game? The answer is Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker Chuck Howley, who had a big afternoon at the Orange Bowl in the club’s 16-13 loss to the then-Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V.
Of course, that very interesting factoid should not take away from a career that deserves serious consideration when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Originally the seventh overall pick in the 1958 NFL Draft, Howley spent two seasons in the Windy City. He missed the entire 1960 season due to injury and just when it appeared his football days were done, he was dealt to the Cowboys in ’61 – a franchise in just its second year of existence.
He would go on to play the next 12 seasons for Tom Landry’s club and just one contest in 1973. Including his days with the Bears, the rangy performer totaled 25 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries. He also totaled a combined six takeaways in 11 postseason contests, including a pair of interceptions in Super Bowl V.
The former University of West Virginia product earned six Pro Bowl invitations and was named All-Pro five times – all during his days with the Cowboys.
8. Hall of Fame snubs: Ken Riley
The NFL record for interceptions in a career is owned by Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Paul Krause. He picked off a total of 81 passes during his days with the Washington Redskins (28) and more prominently, the Minnesota Vikings (53). But it is worth noting that it took the 16-year veteran an awfully long time to earn his place among the greats in Canton Ohio. His final season in the league was 1979 and he wasn’t inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
But Krause is in, which is a lot more than supporters of former Cincinnati Bengals’ cornerback Ken Riley can say. Perhaps it is the fact that the 15-year veteran was never named to the Pro Bowl and didn’t earn All-Pro recognition until his final seasons in 1983. He has as many interceptions as Charles Woodson (who could be in the Class of 2021) and the only four players with more picks are already in the Hall of Fame.
Riley played in 207 games and stole 65 passes, five of which he returned for touchdowns. He also picked up 18 opponent’s fumbles, giving him 83 takeaways in 15 seasons. But still no bust in Canton.
7. Hall of Fame snubs: Tommy Nobis
These days, the Atlanta Falcons are more known for a certain meltdown in Super Bowl LI than for their earlier history. Of course, the club that was born in 1966 didn’t reach the playoffs until 1978. Their franchise has made two Super Bowl appearances during its tenure in the NFL but came up short both times and in totally different ways to the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, respectively.
In ’66, the expansion Falcons used the first overall pick in the draft to select linebacker Tommy Nobis from the University of Texas. He toiled for 11 seasons with the franchise and was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three pro campaigns as well as five of his first seven years in the league. He saw his seasons in 1969 and ’71 both cut short due to injury. All told, he started 132 of the 133 games he played in and showed his nose for the football courtesy of 12 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries.
Nobis’ final year came in 1976, which means he never played in a postseason game. But he was one of the great players at his position and a major factor before injuries began to take their toll.
6. Hall of Fame snubs: Joe Klecko
A Pro Bowler at three different positions. Enough said.
It didn’t matter what the defensive front looked like for the New York Jets. Be it the four-man “Sack Exchange” when Abdul Salaam and Marty Lyons manned the inside and he and Mark Gastineau and brought the heat from the end spots. Or inside at either defensive tackle or nose tackle in the 3-4. And there’s at least one member of the Hall in Canton who believes a certain sixth-round draft choice in 1977 from Temple University deserves some recognition.
“I think it’s time for Joe Klecko to get that nod. I really believe that,” said former Raiders’ defensive end, Howie Long, to the Jets official website in 2019. “This is not something I’ve been saying over the last four or five years. It’s something I said in the year 2000 when I was inducted. I am a big believer in his impact on the game, and that he was dominant, and that he did it at three different positions is pretty remarkable.”
In 12 NFL seasons, the first 11 with the New York Jets and the last with the Indianapolis Colts, Klecko made his presence felt to the tune of four Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro recognition in 1981 and ’85.
5. Hall of Fame snubs: Randy Gradishar
Those Denver Broncos’ defenses of the 1970s and early ‘80s were something to watch. The original “Orange Crush” that spearheaded the team’s appearance in Super Bowl XII in 1977 was loaded with talented performers who simply got the job done.
The unit that lined up against the Dallas Cowboys on Super Sunday that season was led by ends Lyle Alzado and Barney Chavous and nose tackle Rubin Carter. The secondary was manned by cornerbacks Louis Wright and Steve Foley and safeties Billy Thompson and Bernard Jackson. And a magnificent linebacking corps included Bob Swenson, Joe Rizzo, inspirational Tom Jackson…and tackling machine Randy Gradishar.
The latter was a first-round pick in 1974 from Ohio State. He would last 10 years in the NFL and wound up leading the Broncos in stops in every year but his rookie campaign. He picked off 20 passes, added 13 fumbles recoveries and scored four touchdowns off those takeaways. Gradishar never missed a game, was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and earned All=Pro honors in 1977 and ’78.
It’s hard to imagine a player with this kind of consistent production not being enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Perhaps the former Buckeyes’ day is on the horizon. He is certainly a notable omission.
4. Hall of Fame snubs: Ken Anderson
Before the NFL changed its offensive rules in 1978, the passing game was no doubt a factor in the league but quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends in particular really had to be on their toes as physical play dominated the NFL for so many decades.
So 42 years ago, the league opted to make life easier to throw the football. From pass blocking changes to no contact after five years, it was really the first step in the evolution of the current passing game. So a quarterback who managed to throw more interceptions than touchdown passes interceptions during those days deserves a lot of credit. And there are those who feel that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, the NFL MVP in 1981, certainly deserves a bust in Canton, Ohio, based on his consistent play.
In his first six years in the league from 1971-77, pre-rule changed, he threw 99 TD passes compared to only 69 picks. The four-time Pro Bowler and 1981 All-Pro remain the Bengals’ all-time leader in passing yards (32,838) and touchdown throws (197). Anderson guided the franchise to its first Super Bowl appearance (XVI) and had quite the career for a third-round pick from Augustana College (Illinois).
3. Hall of Fame snubs: L.C. Greenwood
He was part of one of the greatest defensive front fours in league history. Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” consisted of relentless defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene, who was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. He paired inside with Ernie “Fats” Holmes (or Arrowhead Ernie based on his hairstyle). On the outside were Dwight “Mad Dog” White and the golden shoes of L.C. Greenwood.
The latter was a 10th-round draft choice (from Arkansas-Pine Bluff) the same year Greene entered the league in 1969. The 238th overall pick would play for 13 seasons and according to the Steelers (because individual sacks were not an official NFL statistic until 1982), he logged 73.5 quarterback traps. He also recovered 14 opponent’s fumbles and did his share of swatting passes down at the line of scrimmage. Just ask Vikings’ quarterback Fran Tarkenton how his day went in Super Bowl IX.
The talented defender was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro in the 1970s. He consistently made big plays and got the very most out of his 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will feature three former Steelers’ in safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell (the latter Greenwood’s teammate) and head coach Bill Cowher. So when will Greenwood get the call?
2. Hall of Fame snubs: Zach Thomas
In 1996, head coach Jimmy Johnson’s first season in charge of the Miami Dolphins, the man with an eye for talent and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 used a fifth-round draft choice on Texas Tech linebacker Zach Thomas. And it wound up being one of his greatest decisions during his somewhat-brief tenure in the National Football League.
Thomas wound up being a highly productive player during his 12 seasons in South Florida. He finished with 125-plus tackles an imposing 10 times over that span and in 2000, he wound up with 99 total stops in just 11 contests. During his days with the ‘Fins, he picked off 17 passes and returned four of those thefts for scores. He also finished with seven fumble recoveries. The 5’11”, 228-pound defender earned seven trips to the Pro Bowl and was accorded All-Pro honors an impressive five times.
His final season in Miami saw him limited to only five games. But he still finished with 52 tackles and one sack. Thomas’ concluded his career in Dallas in 2008. He certainly made his mark with a Dolphins’ franchise that made five consecutive playoff appearances from 1997-2001, albeit without much success.
1. Hall of Fame snubs: Cliff Branch
The Raiders of both Oakland and Los Angeles (and now of Las Vegas) won three Super Bowl titles in and eight-year span from 1976-83. The first achieved that feat with Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler at the helm and the final two championships (XV and XVIII in 1980 and ’83, respectively) were with the assistance of veteran signal-caller Jim Plunkett. And wide receiver Cliff Branch was a pivotal part of those offenses.
One of the great deep threats in league history, the fourth-round pick from the University of Colorado in 1972 started slow (no pun intended) but exploded in 1974 in what would be the first of three straight All-Pro campaigns. There were 157 receptions, good for 3,096 yards and 34 scores in 42 outings. Branch averaged nearly 20 yards per catch over that three-year stretch.
One of the things that stands out the most about Branch is that imposing 17.3 yards per reception. He hauled in 501 passes and reach the end zone 67 times in 183 regular-season games. That and the fact that in 22 postseason contests, he totaled 73 receptions for 1,289 yards and five scores.