There are many amazing performers waiting to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 is set. Contributor Bill Nunn, Senior Committee nominee and wide receiver Drew Pearson and coach Tom Flores certainly waited their turn.
In terms of the modern-era players, first-time eligibles such as quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and defensive back Charles Woodson are joined by long-time standouts such as guard Alan Faneca and safety John Lynch.
Many of the following 30 players were semifinalists and for some, finalists for the Class of 2021. And there’s also some names that have waited an awfully long time to get the call. And there will be a smattering of other mentions as well.
30. T Tony Boselli
He was the first player selected by a franchise in its first season in the league. Imposing Southern Cal tackle Tony Boselli was the second-overall pick in the1995 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. His tenure in the league did not last as long as some would prefer as injuries took its toll.
But for the brief time Boselli suited up for Tom Coughlin’s club, he was one the more dominant players at his position during his stay in the NFL. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro’s resume isn’t long but is certainly distinguished. Consider he was the primary starting left tackle for the team for just six seasons.
29. LB Bill Bergey
Rangy Bill Bergey began his career with the Bengals and would finish it with the Eagles. A second-round pick in 1969 from Arkansas State, he picked off nine passes and recovered six fumbles in five seasons with the club and earned a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie. In seven years with the Birds, there were 33 takeaways – including 18 interceptions.
In a dozen seasons, Bergey was named to five Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors in 1974 and ’75. Bergey also took the field for six playoff games – three of those coming in 1980 when head coach Dick Vermeil guided Philadelphia to a date with the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV.
28. T Richmond Webb
Protecting one of the game’s greatest pure passers is quite the responsibility. And left tackle Richmond Webb did his job for the Miami Dolphins for 11 seasons. The ninth overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, the former Texas A&M standout was highly reliable for the majority of his career.
In Webb’s first eight seasons, the 6-foot-6, 325-pound standout was a 16-game starter all but one year. The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro suited up for 164 regular-season contests for the club and made 163 starts. There were also 13 playoff contests for Webb, who helped make life a lot easier for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
27. WR Wes Chandler
It’s not a name you hear a lot when it comes to Hall of Fame omissions. Originally the third-overall pick in the 1978 draft, wide receiver Wes Chandler spent three-plus seasons with the Saints before being dealt to the Chargers in ‘81. One of his amazing claims to fame was during the 1982 strike-shortened season.
The league was limited to nine games and Chandler played in eight of them. He finished with 49 receptions for 1,032 yards and nine scores. His career would conclude in 1988 with the 49ers. But the talented four-time Pro Bowler’s 11-year resume included 559 catches for 8,966 yards and 56 touchdowns with three different clubs.
26. ILB Sam Mills
The New Orleans Saints became a member of the NFL in 1967. And over the course of their first 20 seasons in the league, they failed to produce a winning campaign. But that would all change during the strike-shortened/replacement player season of 1987. Two-time USFL championship head coach Jim Mora was hired by the franchise in ‘86. And one of his key additions was a stout inside linebacker named Sam Mills.
A five-time Pro Bowler with the Saints and eventually the Panthers, he wound up with 11 picks, 23 fumble recoveries and part of a great linebacking corps led by Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson.
25. WR Torry Holt
There are a total of 22 players in NFL history that have totaled at least 900 receptions. Torry Holt ranks 21st in league annals with 920 grabs, good for 13,382 yards (16th in NFL history) and 74 scores. The seven-time was part of one of the great offensive seasons in NFL annals and he did it during his debut year.
Holt was the sixth-overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft by the then-St. Louis Rams, who were coming off two underwhelming seasons under head coach Dick Vermeil. The talented wideout scored the team’s first touchdown in the Rams’ eventual 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.
24. CB Eric Allen
Some players simply have a nose for the ball. And in the case of veteran cornerback Eric Allen, that nose was evident in stints with three different teams in the NFL. Originally a second-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, the standout cornerback played seven seasons in the City of Brotherly Love – totaling 34 interceptions while being named to the Pro Bowl five times.
It was then on to the New Orleans Saints for three years and eventually the Oakland Raiders, where he spent final four seasons. All told, Allen finished with 54 interceptions (8 for touchdowns) and a total of 61 takeaways in 14 NFL campaigns.
23. WR Sterling Sharpe
He was the seventh overall pick in a strong 1988 draft for wide receivers. The then-Los Angeles Raiders selected Notre Dame’s Tim Brown with the sixth choice. At No. 11, the Cowboys took Miami Hurricanes’ playmaker Michael Irvin.
The Packers opted for University of South Carolina wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. He would suit up for every regular-season game during his seven years in Green Bay, totaling 595 grabs for 8,134 yards and 65 scores. His career was cut short by injury. His brother Shannon, while being enshrined in Canton, referred to himself as “the second-best player in my own family.”
22. LB Mike Curtis
He earned the nickname “Mad Dog” and rest assured, he wasn’t a radio talk show host. Linebacker Mike Curtis was as fierce as competitor as any player who has ever taken the field in the National Football League. Opposing players, as well as one particular misguided fan, felt his wrath on the gridiron.
The 14th overall pick in the 1965 NFL Draft, Curtis was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro He finished his 14-year career with 25 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries, the vast majority of that in 11 seasons with the Colts. And his fourth-quarter interception in Super Bowl V paved the way to a 16-13 victory.
21. WR/ST Steve Tasker
Certainly not breaking news here but there are three phrases to the game of football: Offense, defense and special teams. When it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the third aspect has been somewhat ignored. There are only two pure placekickers, Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen, and it took heralded punter Ray Guy seemingly forever to get the call.
You could make a case that one-time Houston Oiler/turned Buffalo Bills Steve Tasker might be the greatest overall special teams’ performer (some may prefer Patriots’ nine-time Pro Bowler Matthew Slater). Tasker earned seven invitations to the Pro Bowl.
PITTSBURGH – DECEMBER 14: Linebacker Andy Russell #34 of the Pittsburgh Steelers tackles a Cincinnati Bengals runner with help from defensive linemen Dwight White #78 and Ernie Holmes #63 and defensive back Jimmy Allen #45 at Three Rivers Stadium on December 14, 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
20. S LeRoy Butler
He was the first to perform what is now commonly known as the “Lambeau Leap.” But there’s far more to Green Bay Packers’ safety LeRoy Butler than inventing a celebration. He was quite the football player and that’s what ultimately gets you into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Butler was a second-round draft choice of the franchise in 1990 from Florida State. He was a heady tackler and had a nose for the ball. The former Seminole played 12 seasons in “Titletown” and finished with 38 interceptions, 13 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries and 20.5 sacks. He was named to four Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors four times.
19. LB Andy Russell
Before there was a “Steel Curtain,” a legendary head coach, an “Immaculate Reception” and four Lombardi Trophies in six seasons in the 1970s, there was a savvy outside linebacker who played on some poor football teams in the Steel City. Andy Russell was a 16th-round draft choice by Pittsburgh in 1963 from the University of Missouri.
Russell was a starter throughout his dozen campaigns in the NFL (he missed the ’64 season due to a military obligation) and earned seven Pro Bowl invites. He would eventually team with Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert to form one of the great linebacking corps in NFL annals.
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 28: Richard Seymour
18. WR Reggie Wayne
He ranks 10th in NFL annals in both catches (1,070) and receiving yards (14,345), to go along with 82 touchdown receptions. The former Miami Hurricane is one of only 14 players in league annals with at least 1,000 receptions. He was part of an offense highlighted by a trio of Hall of Famers in newly-minted Peyton Manning, fellow wideout Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James (Class of 2020).
Reggie Wayne was the Colts’ first-round draft choice in ‘01 and the 30th overall pick that year. And 2021 marked the second consecutive year he was a Hall of Fame finalist. Could his time be coming sooner than later?
17. DL Richard Seymour
His arrival in New England coincided with the start of one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. Off a 5-11 finish in 2000 in Bill Belichick’s first year as head coach with the Patriots, the team used the sixth overall pick in the ‘01 draft to secure the services of University of Georgia interior defender Richard Seymour.
It was soon evident that he could play anywhere on the defense front and regardless of the scheme. He spent eight years with the organization and was part of three Super Bowl championships. The versatile seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro spent his final four NFL seasons with the Raiders.
ORCHARD PARK, NY – NOVEMBER 21: Offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg #67 of the Miami Dolphins blocks against the Buffalo Bills at Rich Stadium on November 21, 1982 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
16. G Bob Kuechenberg
He spent 14 seasons with the Dolphins from 1970-83 despite being a fourth-round draft choice by the Eagles in 1969. Bob Kuechenberg was a member of a team that was the first to reach three straight Super Bowls and Don Shula’s squad not only achieved perfection in 1972 but followed that with another Super Bowl title in ’73.
Kuechenberg, a six-time Pro Bowler, was part of a magnificent offensive that featured Hall of Famers Jim Langer and Larry Little. Of course, some may also make a very strong case for a pair of play-making safeties who were also part of that Dolphins’ “No Name” defense (via Clark Judge of SI.com).
15. DE Jim Marshall
The fabled “Purple People Eaters” were comprised of Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller. On the inside, there was Gary Larsen and eventually, Doug Sutherland. But the guy who played the most games for the club was defensive end Jim Marshall, who began his career with the Cleveland Browns but after one year was in the Twin Cities and spent the next 19 seasons with the Vikings.
Marshall played in an amazing 282 games and was part of all four of Minnesota’s Super Bowl teams. Known best for his wrong-way run with a fumble recovery vs. the 49ers, the positives outweighed the negatives for this notable iron man.
14. QB Roman Gabriel
He played in an era in which many of the greats at his position served up as many or more interceptions than touchdown passes. Roman Gabriel certainly had the size (6-foot-5,220) to handle the defenses and the rules of the 1960s and the vast majority of the ‘70s. He began his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and finished it with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former North Carolina State standout threw for 29,444 yards, 201 scores and 149 picks in 16 seasons. He also knew another way to the end zone, rushing for 30 scores. And the four-time Pro Bowler was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player with Los Angeles in 1969.
13. RB Roger Craig
He was the pivotal part of three of the San Francisco 49ers’ five Super Bowl titles. Running back Roger Craig was a third-round draft choice by the team in 1983 from the University of Nebraska. He made a splash in his second season in the league and it came on Super Sunday, when he became the first player to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl – that in the club’s 38-16 win over the Dolphins in XIX.
A year later, Craig became the first player to total at both 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. The four-time Pro Bowler’s 13,100 yards from scrimmage and 73 total TDs with three teams is impressive.
LOS ANGELES, CA: Clay Matthews of the Cleveland Browns circa 1986 against the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.. (Photo by Owen C, Shaw/Getty Images)
12. OLB Clay Matthews Jr.
Sacks became an official individual statistic in 1982, one year after an outside linebacker named Lawrence Taylor set the NFL on fire by spending vast amount of time in opposing backfields. A few years earlier, the Cleveland Browns made Southern Cal linebacker Clay Matthews the 12th-overall pick in the 1978 draft.
Matthews played an amazing 19 seasons with that team and later the Atlanta Falcons. Even minus totals from his first four seasons, he finished with an imposing 69.5 sacks. The four-time Pro Bowler also picked off 16 passes, recovered 14 fumbles and appeared in 278 regular-season contests with Cleveland and Atlanta.
11. DE Jared Allen
Speaking of sacks, there are few that did it better than defensive end Jared Allen, a first-time eligible in 2021 and a Hall of Fame finalist. But his time has apparently not yet come, unlike Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson. Allen certainly has the credentials as a five-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro.
In a total of 187 games with the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears and Panthers, the fourth-round pick by Kansas City in 2004 via Idaho State racked up 136 sacks, 32 forced fumbles, six interceptions and 19 fumble recoveries. Allen twice led the NFL in sacks, including 22 QB traps with Minnesota in 2011.
10. T Joe Jacoby
How can any running back or quarterback not feel safe when surrounded by an offensive line nicknamed “The Hogs?” The franchise now known as the Washington Football Team was a Super Bowl contender throughout most of the 1980s and the early ‘90s with head coach Joe Gibbs at the controls.
Regardless of which quarterback was leading the team and be it John Riggins or any other runner, there was a sturdy line in old D.C. While guard Russ Grimm is already enshrined in Canton, former undrafted free agent Joe Jacoby was solid at left tackle. But the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro also lined up elsewhere.
9. LB Chuck Howley
He remains the lone player in the first 54 years of the Super Bowl to capture MVP honors for a club that came up short in the game. And he has certainly been in many discussion when it comes to omissions and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Linebacker Chuck Howley began his 15-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears and would end it with the Dallas Cowboys, the latter where he spent 13 seasons. The six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and Super Bowl VI champion picked off 25 passes and recovered 18 opponent’s fumbles along the way. He added four more takeaways in 11 postseason contests with Tom Landry’s club.
(Photo by Bob Verlin/Getty Images)
8. CB Ken Riley
Having a nose for the football is something that can’t always be taught. There are certainly players who simply have better instincts than others. In the 101-year history of the National Football League, there have been just 39 performers who have intercepted at least 50 passes.
Only four players in NFL annals – Paul Krause (81), Emlen Tunnell (79), Rod Woodson (71) and “Night Train” Lane (68) – have picked off more passes than Ken Riley. His 65 picks are tied with Charles Woodson, a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Yet, he was never named to a Pro Bowl and earned All-Pro honors in his final NFL season.
7. LB Tommy Nobis
In 1960, the National Football League welcomed the Dallas Cowboys. One year later, the Minnesota Vikings first took the field. And in ‘66, it was the Atlanta Falcons that joined a league that was not long for merging with the rival AFL. Linebacker Tommy Nobis was the first-ever draft choice in the franchise’s history and he would earn five Pro Bowl invitations in his first seven years in the NFL.
During his 11 seasons with the Falcons, the club never reached the postseason. But he carved his niche as one of the great middle linebackers in league annals, finishing with a dozen interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries.
ANAHEIM, CA – DECEMBER 12: Randy Gradishar #53 of the Denver Broncos in action against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFL football game December 12, 1982 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. Gradishar played for the Broncos from 1973-83. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
6. DL Joe Klecko
Versatility is such a big part of today’s NFL. A lot of that has to do with teams looking for players who can do multiple things in the salary cap era. But well before there was free agency in the NFL and the cap began in 1994, there was New York Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko.
A sixth-round draft choice in 1977 from Temple University, he spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Green and White and made his mark as the cornerstone of the fabled “Sack Exchange” which featured Mark Gastineau, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam. More significantly, he earned Pro Bowl berths at three different positions on the defensive front.
5. LB Randy Gradishar
He with a tackling machine and that would be an understatement. Linebacker Randy Gradishar was the 14th overall pick in the 1974 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. The former Ohio State Buckeye spent 10 seasons in the Mile High City and was one of the most consistent and productive players to ever line up at his position.
Gradishar was a key cog on the fabled “Orange Crush” defense that paved the way for a trip to Super Bowl XII and featured standouts such as fellow linebacker Tom Jackson and defensive backs Billy Thompson and Louis Wright. The seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro finished with 33 takeaways.
4. QB Ken Anderson
In 1971, the Cincinnati Bengals use a second-round pick on Augustana (IL) quarterback Ken Anderson. He played the vast majority of his career when the rules favored defenses. But it was in 1981 when he not only earned NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors but was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and guided the franchise to Super Bowl XVI.
Anderson finished his unsung career with 32,838 yards through the air – hitting on 59.3 percent of his throws – and totaled more TD passes (197) than interceptions (160). A four-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in ’81, Anderson has often been a hot topic in regards to omissions.
3. DE L.C. Greenwood
He was one of the premier pass-rushers of his era, earned six invitations to the Pro Bowl and was named All-Pro twice. Individual sack numbers did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982. But the Steelers credit defensive end L.C. Greenwood with 73.5 quarterback traps during his 13 seasons with the franchise. And that does not include his contributions during the team’s eight-year playoff run from 1972-79, which included four Lombardi Trophies.
A member of the 1970s All-Decade Team, he was more than just a guy who could get after the quarterback and was a tone setter on one of the best defenses in NFL annals.
2. LB Zach Thomas
In 1996, the first year following the Don Shula Era with the franchise and the first under Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson, the latter used a fifth-round draft choice that year to secure the services of an interior linebacker that would become one of the best at his position in the game. Zach Thomas had a nose for the football and that didn’t just mean making stops.
In 12 seasons with Miami and one year with the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas finished with 25 takeaways and 20.5 sacks. And the seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro surely earned the respect of Hall of Fame Class of 2019 offensive lineman Kevin Mawae.
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1. WR Cliff Branch
He was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams with the Silver and Black during his 14-year stay with the franchise. He was one of the greatest and most reliable deep threats in the game during a career that saw him named All-Pro three times and also earned four Pro Bowl invitations.
Cliff Branch was a fourth-round draft choice by the Raiders in 1971 and his speed made him a nightmare even before the rules changed in 1978. He finished with 501 catches, a 17.3 per reception average for his career and 67 scores. In 22 postseason contests, there were 73 catches for 1,289 yards and five touchdowns. Quite the resume.