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HOF 2011: Senior Nominees, preliminary options

Posted by Chase Stuart on February 17, 2010

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One of the most successful things we've done at the P-F-R blog has been the series chronicling the 2010 Hall of Fame selection process. The series was so successful because of the significant amount of quality contributions from our commenters. We appreciate and recognize how lucky we are to have so many knowledge, every-day readers, and we tried to show our appreciation by inviting some of the commenters to a roundtable discussion the week before the 2010 HOF Class was announced. As it turned out, the comments to that post were again terrific, and spawned a new idea.

Along with me and Jason, many of our readers were disappointed with the senior candidates selected by the Hall of Fame Committee. The rules surrounding the seniors committee choices are simple: any player or coach who has been retired for at least 25 seasons is eligible for induction via the seniors route. While Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little are now Hall of Famers, many of us felt that there were more deserving players who retired decades ago and still have yet to be enshrined.

Tom Martens pointed out that perhaps we could come up with suggest candidates for the seniors comittee for the Hall of Fame Class of 2011. Patrick W agreed with Tom, before Jason threw cold water on everyone. Since I fully agree with Jason's comment, I'm reprinting it below:

Thanks for the praise, but we're just regular guys who are learning about football history every day, thanks to those that comment here. People can have differing opinions and place different weight on post-season success, award recognition, or counting stats, but the key is to actually weigh and debate it.

I don't think we are thought leaders and that the voters should automatically listen to us, but I do think that the PFR blog and its readers can do something in regard to the next Veteran's committee picks. According to the Hall's website, anyone can nominate a player for consideration by writing a letter to the Hall, and then the committee will consider that player. I am sure that many individuals do so every year.

This spring, I think that we can organize a post where the blog commenters who are interested vote on veteran's picks to nominate to the committee. We come up with a short list of names, and then Chase and myself, (along with comments from others) put together drafts of nomination letters for three or four players, similar to the profiles here, (which we also post on the blog) and people can choose to join in the letter. I suspect that if the committee got a nomination letter with fifty names supporting it, it would have more impact than if one individual wrote in about their favorite player.

As Jason noted, we're just a couple of guys who enjoy learning more about the history of pro football. One of the ways we do that is by researching players and eras in league history and then writing about them on this blog. But could we at the P-F-R blog actually influence who the seniors committee selects for its two senior candidates for next year's HOF class? Probably not. But for us, the fun comes from the process, not the result. And as JT pointed out, the work of him and his peers at the Mile High Report Denver Broncos Hall of Fame Committee may have helped get Floyd Little selected by the seniors group this year. Regardless of what you think of JT's committee's name or of Little's merits, it would be inspiring if the internet age had begun to permeate Canton.

So where does that leave us? Jason and I are planning on a four-step process over the next few months:

1) Today, we're releasing a preliminary list of 54 players to be considered as seniors nominees for the Hall of Fame Class of 2011.

2) Based on reader comments, we'd like to whittle that list down to 10-15 players.

3) We'd then profile those 10-15 players over the next few months.

4) After the last player has been profiled, P-F-R takes a straw poll from you, the readers. The four candidates that you guys most want to support will then be chosen as our four player suggestions. P-F-R will then spruce up those four profiles and ask for signatures from you, the reader, on these profiles. We'll then mail the four profiles and the signatures to the Pro Football Hall of Fame sometime in June.

Why four and not two? The more options we provide the Committee, the more likely we'll select players from different eras and positions, and the more likely the Committee will find a candidate (or two) they like.

Preliminary list

Going through the list of productive players who retired by 1985 was a daunting task; initially I had a list of well over 200 players. I struggled with how to present a list of players -- a huge list would be overwhelming and would likely cause readers to simply ignore the list. On the other hand, I wanted to at least have a nice cross-section across position and eras and remind everyone of at least a few of the stars you may have forgotten about. I settled on the number 53, the size of an NFL roster, but then JKL convinced me to add one more.

What now? Please post in the comments which players you think would be deserving of a profile. If someone you like isn't on the list below, don't hesitate to write in that candidate and explain why you think he deserves a choice. Remember, to be eligible, a player must not have been active after the conclusion of the 1985 season.

The list of 54 is presented below in chronological order based on a player's first season. I've also listed the same players in the second table sorted by position. There are many deserving players not on the list below, so please throw their names out if one of your top 10 or 15 guys isn't on the list below. Otherwise, please list the 10-15 players you think we should profile and (if you so desire) your reasons for choosing said players.

name	years	teams	pos
Duke Slater	1922--1931	rii-mil-crd	T
Verne Lewellen	1924--1932	gnb-nya	B
Lavvie Dilweg	1926--1934	mil-gnb	E
George Christensen	1931--1938	det	T-G
Riley Matheson	1939--1948	ram-det-sfo	G
Al Wistert	1943--1951	phi	T-G-DT
Bucko Kilroy	1943--1955	phi	G-MG-T-DT
Mac Speedie	1946--1952	cle	E
Pat Harder	1946--1953	crd-det	FB-LB
Charlie Conerly	1948--1961	nyg	QB
Tank Younger	1949--1958	ram-pit	FB-LB-HB
Don Colo	1950--1958	bcl-nyy-dtx-cle	DT
Bobby Dillon	1952--1959	gnb	DB
Billy Howton	1952--1963	gnb-cle-dal	E
Bob Gain	1952--1964	cle	DT-DE-MG-T
Jimmy Patton	1955--1966	nyg	DB
Rick Casares	1955--1966	chi-was-mia	FB
Pete Retzlaff	1956--1966	phi	E-HB-TE
Del Shofner	1957--1967	ram-nyg	E-DB
John Brodie	1957--1973	sfo	QB
Jerry Kramer	1958--1968	gnb	G
Alex Karras	1958--1970	det	DT
Erich Barnes	1958--1971	chi-nyg-cle	DB
Chuck Howley	1958--1973	chi-dal	LB
Lionel Taylor	1959--1968	chi-den-oti	E-WR-FL
Eddie Meador	1959--1970	ram	DB
Dick Schafrath	1959--1971	cle	T-G-DE
Johnny Robinson	1960--1971	kan	DB-FL-HB
Larry Grantham	1960--1972	nyj	LB
Maxie Baughan	1960--1974	phi-ram-was	LB
Jim Marshall	1960--1979	cle-min	DE
Don Perkins	1961--1968	dal	FB-HB
Jerry Mays	1961--1970	kan	DE-DT
Ron McDole	1961--1978	crd-oti-buf-was	DE-DT
Mike Stratton	1962--1973	buf-sdg	LB
Cornell Green	1962--1974	dal	DB
Mick Tingelhoff	1962--1978	min	C
Daryle Lamonica	1963--1974	buf-rai	QB
Walt Sweeney	1963--1975	sdg-was	G
Winston Hill	1963--1977	nyj-ram	T
Len Hauss	1964--1977	was	C
Jerry Smith	1965--1977	was	TE-SE-FL
Chris Hanburger	1965--1978	was	LB
Curley Culp	1968--1981	kan-oti-det	DT-NT-G
Claude Humphrey	1968--1981	atl-phi	DE
Harold Jackson	1968--1983	ram-phi-nwe-min-sea	WR-FL
Larry Brown	1969--1976	was	RB
Bill Bergey	1969--1980	cin-phi	LB
Lemar Parrish	1970--1982	cin-was-buf	DB
Isiah Robertson	1971--1982	ram-buf	LB
Harold Carmichael	1971--1984	phi-dal	WR-TE
Riley Odoms	1972--1983	den	TE
Randy Gradishar	1974--1983	den	LB
Robert Brazile	1975--1984	oti	LB

name	years	teams	pos
Charlie Conerly	1948--1961	nyg	QB
John Brodie	1957--1973	sfo	QB
Daryle Lamonica	1963--1974	buf-rai	QB
Larry Brown	1969--1976	was	RB
Pat Harder	1946--1953	crd-det	FB-LB
Tank Younger	1949--1958	ram-pit	FB-LB-HB
Rick Casares	1955--1966	chi-was-mia	FB
Don Perkins	1961--1968	dal	FB-HB
Verne Lewellen	1924--1932	gnb-nya	B
Harold Jackson	1968--1983	ram-phi-nwe-min-sea	WR-FL
Harold Carmichael	1971--1984	phi-dal	WR-TE
Lavvie Dilweg	1926--1934	mil-gnb	E
Mac Speedie	1946--1952	cle	E
Billy Howton	1952--1963	gnb-cle-dal	E
Pete Retzlaff	1956--1966	phi	E-HB-TE
Lionel Taylor	1959--1968	chi-den-oti	E-WR-FL
Del Shofner	1957--1967	ram-nyg	E-DB
Jerry Smith	1965--1977	was	TE-SE-FL
Riley Odoms	1972--1983	den	TE
Duke Slater	1922--1931	rii-mil-crd	T
George Christensen	1931--1938	det	T-G
Al Wistert	1943--1951	phi	T-G-DT
Dick Schafrath	1959--1971	cle	T-G-DE
Winston Hill	1963--1977	nyj-ram	T
Riley Matheson	1939--1948	ram-det-sfo	G
Bucko Kilroy	1943--1955	phi	G-MG-T-DT
Jerry Kramer	1958--1968	gnb	G
Walt Sweeney	1963--1975	sdg-was	G
Mick Tingelhoff	1962--1978	min	C
Len Hauss	1964--1977	was	C
Jim Marshall	1960--1979	cle-min	DE
Jerry Mays	1961--1970	kan	DE-DT
Ron McDole	1961--1978	crd-oti-buf-was	DE-DT
Claude Humphrey	1968--1981	atl-phi	DE
Don Colo	1950--1958	bcl-nyy-dtx-cle	DT
Bob Gain	1952--1964	cle	DT-DE-MG-T
Alex Karras	1958--1970	det	DT
Curley Culp	1968--1981	kan-oti-det	DT-NT-G
Chuck Howley	1958--1973	chi-dal	LB
Larry Grantham	1960--1972	nyj	LB
Maxie Baughan	1960--1974	phi-ram-was	LB
Mike Stratton	1962--1973	buf-sdg	LB
Chris Hanburger	1965--1978	was	LB
Bill Bergey	1969--1980	cin-phi	LB
Isiah Robertson	1971--1982	ram-buf	LB
Randy Gradishar	1974--1983	den	LB
Robert Brazile	1975--1984	oti	LB
Bobby Dillon	1952--1959	gnb	DB
Jimmy Patton	1955--1966	nyg	DB
Erich Barnes	1958--1971	chi-nyg-cle	DB
Eddie Meador	1959--1970	ram	DB
Johnny Robinson	1960--1971	kan	DB-FL-HB
Cornell Green	1962--1974	dal	DB
Lemar Parrish	1970--1982	cin-was-buf	DB

Note: After some deliberation, we've decided to leave Jim Tyrer off the list. Tyrer's resume is Canton-worthy, but after his murder-suicide in 1980, he has never come close to garnering any Hall of Fame support. The goal of this project is to get players on the ballot who were deserving but have been forgotten. Tyrer has not been forgotten, and it's difficult to imagine 80% of the committee ever voting for Tyrer or even choosing him as a seniors candidate. Therefore, he's not going to make our cut.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 8:11 am and is filed under Announcements, HOF. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.