Top 30 NFL players not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

26. G George Kunz

The Atlanta Falcons were coming off a 2-12 showing in 1968 and had the second overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. The club opted Notre Dame tackle George Kunz.

The former Golden Domer was a 14-game starter as a rookie and earned Pro Bowl honors for Norm Van Brocklin’s team. Atlanta won as many games in 1969 as they did in their first three seasons combined (6-35-1 record).

Kunz was dealt to the then-Baltimore Colts in 1975. The club would win three straight AFC East titles during his first three seasons with the club.

“He was special,” once said by then-Colts’ head coach Ted Marchibroda (via Pro Football Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin). “You didn’t have to worry about him. He did the job in pass protection. He made your running game better. He was big and strong.

“He was a right tackle in an era when the Deacons Joneses were at that (left) defensive end. I don’t know how many offensive tackles there are in the Hall of Fame. It’s hard to rate those guys 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. But I’ll tell you what. George Kunz is among the top seven. He was that good. But somehow, he’s fallen through the cracks.”

Injuries caught up with the 11-year pro late in his career. Kunz was named to a total of seven Pro Bowls in his first nine seasons and earned All-Pro honors in 1975 with the Colts.