|
On Saturday, Aug. 3, the 2002 class will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in Canton, Ohio.
The five-member class will bring the total number of pro football heroes enshrined in
the Hall of Fame to 216.
| Dan Hampton |
Defensive lineman
Chicago Bears 1979 to ’90 |
The facts: Fourth overall player taken in 1979 draft. … Nicknamed
"Danimal" for his ferocious style of play. … Impact player as a rookie.
… Led team with 11½ sacks in ’80, when he also had 73 tackles, the most of any
DL on the team. … In strike-shortened ’82 season, led team with nine sacks.
… Named Defensive MVP by Pro Football Weekly in ’82. … Was a major
contributor on ’85 Bears defense that allowed just 198 points and shut out both
playoff opponents leading up to a 46-10 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
… A versatile player who played both defensive end and defensive tackle. …
Despite numerous injuries and surgeries, was first- or second-team All-Pro choice six
times.
Joel Buchsbaum says: "Great warrior. Great player. Just imagine how much better he
would have been if not for all the injuries. But he was a dominating player at both end
and tackle. And the thing that was most interesting about him is, this was a guy (who),
going into his senior year at Arkansas, was like 6-5, 243, 5.1 in the 40, and no one was
that interested in him. He kept getting bigger, strong and faster by leaps and bounds his
senior year, and still none of the (all-star) bowl games invited him, and he didn’t
make any of the all-conference teams. And then he ended up the fourth pick in the draft
and wound up being better than anyone taken in that draft."
| George Allen |
Coach
Los Angeles Rams 1966 to ’70
Washington Redskins 1971 to ’77 |
The facts: Compiled a regular-season record of 116-47-5. … Never had a losing
season in 12 years as an NFL head coach. … Went 49-17-4 in five regular seasons with
the Rams and 67-30-1 in seven regular seasons with the Redskins. … Led the Rams to
playoffs twice. … Led the Redskins to five playoff appearances, including a loss in
Super Bowl VII. … Began pro coaching career in 1957 with the Rams as end coach.
… Won Coach of the Year honors in ’67 and ’71. … Made 131 trades
during his 12 seasons as a head coach. … Was a Bears defensive assistant from 1958 to
’65, serving as George Halas’ right-hand man. … Was presented with a game
ball after Chicago’s 1963 NFL championship victory, which featured five defensive
turnovers. … Died Dec. 31, 1990.
Joel Buchsbaum says: "One of the greatest, most innovative coaches of all-time.
His defenses were light years ahead of almost everyone else’s. He was the first coach
to hire a special-teams coach and realize it was one third of the game. Plus, with the
Bears, he was a tremendous drafter. He had the Sayers-Butkus draft for them. He had the
Ronnie Bull draft, and he ended up with the Rookie of the Year four or five times when he
was drafting for the Bears before he went to the Rams, which is something that people
don’t realize."
| Jim Kelly |
Quarterback
Buffalo Bills 1986 to ’96 |
 |
Jim Kelly
|
The facts: First-round draft choice of the Bills in 1983. … Originally signed with
the USFL’s Houston Gamblers, playing two seasons. … Joined Bills prior to
’86 season. … Became fourth fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 30,000
passing yards. … Led Bills to unprecedented four straight Super Bowl appearances.
… Named to four Pro Bowls. … When he retired, his 84.4 passer rating ranked
sixth all-time; 35,467 career passing yards ranked 10th; 2,874 completions ranked eighth;
and 237 touchdowns ranked 13th. … Led AFC in passing in ’90 and ’91.
Joel Buchsbaum says: "A tremendously prolific passer. An all-time tough guy. He
played with a swagger; had great confidence. He was at his best in the no-huddle offense,
where he could call the plays at the line of scrimmage. If he had a flaw, he had too much
confidence in his throwing ability and would take some foolish chances at times. But
considering that he played in Buffalo his entire NFL career, what he accomplished is
remarkable considering the weather there. … Some people felt he would have gone a lot
higher if he had fully committed to the NFL early. But both he and Dan Marino were playing
around with the USFL. To a degree, not winning a Super Bowl takes away a bit from
Kelly’s legacy. But the way I look at it is, if Scott Norwood makes the kick against
the Giants, that’s off Kelly’s back."
| Dave Casper |
Tight end
Oakland/L.A. Raiders 1974 to ’80, ’84
Houston Oilers 1980 to ’83
Minnesota Vikings 1983 |
The facts: Second-round draft pick of the Raiders in 1974. … Nicknamed "The
Ghost." … Used mostly on special teams his first two seasons. … Won
starting TE spot in ’76 and finished with 691 yards and 10 touchdowns. … His
outstanding play contributed to the Raiders’ success and 32-14 victory over the
Vikings in Super Bowl XI. … Considered an outstanding blocker as well as receiver.
… Named All-Pro and All-AFC four consecutive years (’76 to ’79).
… Selected to play in five Pro Bowls, ’77 to ’81. … Was traded to
Oilers midway through the 1980 season for a first- and two second-round draft picks.
… Finished career with 378 catches for 5,216 yards and 52 touchdowns. … Appeared
in 147 games during his 11-year NFL career.
Joel Buchsbaum says: "One of the greatest tight ends of all-time. Very strong.
Very physical. Great hands. Great ability to run after the catch and knock people out of
the way to get open. He was an offensive lineman part of his career at Notre Dame, and he
blocked like one. He was just totally invaluable to the Raiders then. When Casper, Art
Shell and Gene Upshaw lined up on the same side of the line, you could put the Russian
Army across from them, and you wouldn’t stop those Raiders players."
| John Stallworth |
Wide receiver
Pittsburgh Steelers 1974 to ’87 |
The facts: Fourth-round pick in 1974 draft. … Caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards
and 63 touchdowns. … Played in six AFC championship games and four Super Bowls.
… Scored winning touchdown in Super Bowl XIV on a 73-yard reception. … Holds
Super Bowl records for career average per catch (24.4 yards), single game average (40.33
yards) in Super Bowl XIV. … Played in four Pro Bowl games. … Was a two-time
Steeler MVP. … Had 67-game pass-receiving streak from ’77 to ’82. …
Led AFC in receiving yardage in ’84. … Battled variety of fibula, foot, ankle,
knee and hamstring injuries during his career.
Joel Buchsbaum says: "Tremendous receiver. I think he had a better overall career
than Lynn Swann. Stallworth wasn’t as spectacular. But he played at a very high level
for a much longer time. He was a better blocker than Swann. He didn’t have the flair
and drama of Swann or the elusiveness, but he was a more powerful player. I don’t
know if you could be more competitive than Swann, but in some ways, in terms of things
like blocking, I think Stallworth was. Stallworth was a football player’s football
player. The Steelers took both those players in the same year, first and fourth round of
1974. It was one of the greatest first five rounds in the history of the draft. They also
took Mike Webster and Jack Lambert that year. They ended up with four Hall of
Famers." |
