Pro Football Hall of Fame
Class of 2000
As published in print July 24, 2000
|
| On July 29 in Canton, Ohio, Howie Long, Ronnie Lott, Joe
Montana, Dan Rooney and Dave Wilcox will become the 38th class inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame. Howie Long | Ronnie Lott | Joe Montana
Dan Rooney | Dave Wilcox
Howie Long
Defensive end |
| Oakland / L.A. Raiders, 1981-93 |
| The facts: Was drafted out of Villanova in the second
round (48th overall) in 1981. … Possessed an unusual blend of size, speed, explosive
quickness, strength and intensity. … Started NFL career with a strong showing,
leading the Raiders in sacks with 7½ in ’81 … Credits longtime NFL DL coach
Earl Leggett for making him into the standout player he became. … In ’83, Long
had a career-high 13 sacks, including five in one game vs. the Redskins. The Raiders would
go on to defeat Washington in Super Bowl XVIII after that season. Long had four solo
tackles and one assist in the game. … Long was named All-Pro for the first time
following the ’83 season, when he also earned the first of his eight Pro Bowl
invitations. … Had three consecutive seasons with double-digit sacks (1983-85).
… The NFL Alumni named him NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year in ’84. … Was
voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year in ’86 by fans and a national media panel.
… Was named to the 1980s All-Decade team. … Finished 179-game career with 84
official sacks, which does not include the 7½ he posted as a rookie. (The NFL did not
officially start keeping sack stats until ’82.) Also had two career interceptions for
84 yards. The quote: "There are guys who are bigger, guys who are
stronger, guys who are meaner. But none of them puts it together the way he does. Nobody
has his blend. He does everything." — former teammate Matt Millen
Top of page |
Ronnie
Lott
Defensive back |
San Francisco 49ers, 1981-90
L.A. Raiders, 1991-92
N.Y. Jets, 1993-94 |
| The facts: Considered one of the hardest-hitting players
to don an NFL uniform. Took pride in being compared to throwback players such as Dick
Butkus, Ray Nitschke and Sam Huff. … Was selected by the 49ers with the eighth pick
in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft. … Immediately helped upgrade the San
Francisco defense, as the 49ers posted a 13-3 record in Lott’s rookie year. Lott had
seven interceptions that season. He returned three of them for scores, tying the NFL
rookie record. The team marched all the way to the Super Bowl that season, defeating the
Bengals 26-21. First of four world titles. … Made 10 Pro Bowls at three different
positions — cornerback, free safety and strong safety. … Led the league in
interceptions in ’86 (10) and ’91 (eight). … Finished career with 63
interceptions, good for fifth in NFL history. … Surpassed the 1,000-tackle barrier in
’93. Had five seasons with at least 100 tackles. … Started 20 NFL playoff games,
recording nine picks, 89 tackles and two touchdowns. The quote:
"That guy’s going to Canton on roller skates. I’ve seen my share of him
first-hand. He’s one of the best guys that has ever played. … He epitomizes what
a defensive player should be, and he has an effect on everyone on his team." —
former NFL head coach Bill Parcells
Top of page |
Joe
Montana
Quarterback |
San Francisco 49ers, 1979-92
Kansas City Chiefs, 1993-94 |
 |
Joe Montana
|
The facts: When he came out of Notre Dame, many scouts questioned his
arm strength and durability. As a result, Montana wasn’t taken until the third round
of the ’79 draft. Three QBs — Jack Thompson, Phil Simms and Steve Fuller —
were selected ahead of him. … Was considered a master of late-game comebacks.
Orchestrated 31 fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victories in his career. Was on the
passing end of "the Catch," Dwight Clark’s game-winning TD reception vs.
the Cowboys in the January ’82 NFC championship game. Also threw game-winning TD pass
in Super Bowl XXIII. … From ’81, Montana’s first season as a starter,
through ’90, the team won the division every season except two. … Montana led
the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories in four tries, posting an 11-0 TD-interception
ratio. Was named Super Bowl MVP three times. Was selected to eight Pro Bowls. … When
he retired after the ’94 season, Montana ranked fourth all time in passing yards,
attempts and passing TDs. His 3,409 completions ranked third all time, and his career
passer rating of 92.3 still ranks second in NFL history.
The quote: "We say, ‘He’s the greatest quarterback I
ever saw,’ or, ‘He’s the greatest quarterback this and that.’ I say,
with no disclaimers, ‘This guy is the greatest quarterback who ever played.’
" — John Madden
Top of page |
Dan Rooney
Contributor |
| Pittsburgh Steelers,
1955-present |
| The facts: Rooney has been involved in virtually every
aspect of the Steelers and has been a part of the franchise nearly since birth. Like his
father and team founder, Art Rooney, Dan Rooney is being honored for his lifetime
dedication to both the Steelers and the NFL. … He began attending Steelers training
camp when he was 5 years old. By the time he was 13, he was handing out equipment and
running errands. … After graduating from college, Rooney entered the personnel
department. … One of Rooney’s most significant decisions was hiring Chuck Noll
as head coach. During Noll’s 23-year tenure, the team won four Super Bowls. … In
1975, Rooney was "officially" named president of the Steelers. … Rooney has
emerged as a leader among NFL owners. He is currently a member of the Management Council
Executive Committee, the Hall of Fame Committee, the NFL Properties Executive Committee
and the Player/Club Operations Committee. … Art and Dan Rooney become the second
father-son duo to enter the Hall of Fame. The quote: "It’s
great for me, and it’s great for my family. I hope it’s something special for
the fans of Pittsburgh. I really say, in all honesty, that their support through the years
has meant so much for the Steelers’ organization. I sort of take it that this is
indicative of them. Maybe they’re the ones who got me this." — Dan Rooney
Top of page |
Dave
Wilcox
Linebacker |
| San Francisco 49ers, 1964-74 |
| The facts: Selected in the third round of the 1964 NFL
draft. Was converted to linebacker after playing guard on offense and end on defense at
Oregon. … Became a starter as a rookie. … Known as a fierce hitter. Some
observers said that Wilcox’s hits could be measured on the Richter Scale. Eventually
earned the nickname "the Intimidator." … Also very effective in pass
coverage because of his speed and long reach. Intercepted 14 passes in his career. …
In the early 1970s, an informal poll of NFL coaches, players and scouts for the book
"Inside Pro Football" named Wilcox one of the 12 toughest men in the league.
… The 49ers graded all of their players at the end of each season. The typical score
for a 49ers linebacker was 750. Wilcox’s grade in ’73 was an astounding 1,306.
… Proved to be very durable. Despite dealing with various shoulder and knee ailments,
Wilcox played in every regular-season game except one during his 11-year NFL career.
… Considered by many one of the finest linebackers to play pro football. …
Was named to seven Pro Bowls. … Was named the 1973 NFL Players Association Linebacker
of the Year. … Named first-team All-NFL five times. The quote:
"I’m pleased to be going in with my fellow 49ers, Ronnie Lott and Joe Montana.
One good thing is that I won’t have to answer many questions. I figure Joe will get
most of them." — Dave Wilcox
Top of page
Also see: Jim Campbell's column on Dave
Wilcox |
|
|
 |
The Archives
2000 - 2001 Season |
| Online writers — features and
columns by our PFW staff, columnists, AFC reporters, NFC reporters and contributing
writers |
| College football — articles,
college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10 |
| Fantasy football — articles,
injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor, mock drafts,
draft boards, "In our opinion" daily fantasy columns |
| Free-agency |
| General features — Internet
features, features from our print edition, Hall of Fame features, team reports, training
camp reports |
| Handicapper's Corner —
staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL standings, weekly
handicapping columns, predictions |
| "A closer look" —
in-depth analysis of general football topics |
| "In our opinion" daily columns
— opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins" —
short-takes on current events |
| Joel Buchsbaum
— college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage, NFL notepad,
NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing editor |
| NFL Draft — player evaluations,
printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron Pollack —
articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in review —
the 2000-2001 NFL season |
| XFL — the inaugural year |
|
