The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process is more political than a campaign button.
Nominators vouch for candidates to the other electors. It takes seconds to announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Dan Marino,” but unfortunately, few choices are that cut-and-dried. Discussions usually last longer than a booth review in a playoff game, so a persistent, well-spoken and even obnoxious pitchman is every bit as valuable as career accomplishments.
Here are the most underappreciated NFL players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many of them should have used Judge Judy to make their arguments.
30. Rickey Jackson
John Swart / AP Photo
Position: Linebacker
Career: 15 seasons (1981-95)
Teams: New Orleans Saints (1981-93), San Francisco 49ers (1994-95)
Induction year: 2010
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls
Key statistics: 227 games played, 136.0 sacks, 29 fumble recoveries
Bottom Line: Rickey Jackson
Larry Salzman / AP Photo
Fifteen years wasn’t an excessive Hall of Fame wait, but Rickey Jackson should have received the call sooner.
Because the guy spent his athletic prime with lesser teams, he was routinely snubbed Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro selections. That didn’t help his case any.
29. Andre Reed
Mark Duncan / AP Photo
Position: Wide receiver
Career: 16 seasons (1985-2000)
Teams: Buffalo Bills (1985-99), Washington Redskins (2000)
Induction year: 2014
Honors: 7 Pro Bowl selections
Key statistics: 951 pass receptions, 13,198 pass yards, 88 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Andre Reed
Don Larsen / AP Photo
OK, we get it. Andre Reed was never a Super Bowl champion or led the league in a major category. But he ranks among the top 18 in career pass receptions, yards and touchdowns, which puts him in a select class.
The guy was one of the elite run-after-catch guys as evidenced by his 13.4 yards per ball touch (20th in league history). Yet he knocked on the Hall of Fame door multiple times before it was finally opened.
28. Claude Humphrey
Clem Murray / AP Photo
Position: Defensive end
Career: 13 seasons (1968-74, 1976-81)
Teams: Atlanta Falcons (1968-74, 1976-78), Philadelphia Eagles (1979-81)
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 171 games played, 130.0 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries
Bottom Line: Claude Humphrey
AP Photo
Claude Humphrey didn’t play with many winners, so he was overlooked throughout his career. It may even come as a surprise that he ranks 24th in sacks since the 1960 season.
But his career wasn’t without historical significance. He overcame a serious knee injury to become a leader of the 1977 Grits Blitz defense, which allowed the fewest points per game in one season.
That said, it still took four cracks as a Hall of Fame finalist before Humphrey made the cut.
27. Chris Hanburger
AP Photo
Position: Linebacker
Career: 14 seasons (1965-78)
Teams: Washington Redskins
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 187 games, 19 interceptions, 17 fumble recoveries, five total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Chris Hanburger
Charles Harrity / AP Photo
Chris Hanburger wasn’t a physical marvel. Rather, the career overachiever was exceptionally consistent and had a knack for big plays.
The Hall of Fame didn’t call his number until four decades after retirement, but it was a wonder that the 18th-round pick was recognized at all.
26. Donnie Shell
Position: Safety
Career: 14 seasons (1974-87)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers
Induction year: 2020
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 200 games played, 51 interceptions, 19 fumble recoveries, 4 Super Bowl championships
Bottom Line: Donnie Shell
Donnie Shell didn’t start until his fourth season and was largely an afterthought in the Steel Curtain glory days. But 70 turnovers in 201 games? Yowza.
Moreover, Torpedo Shell also didn’t receive enough credit for his stellar special teams play.
25. Dave Wilcox
Robert H. Houston / AP Photo
Position: Linebacker
Career: 11 seasons (1963-73)
Teams: San Francisco 49ers
Induction year: 2000
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro selections
Key stats: 153 games played, 36.5 sacks, 14 interceptions
Bottom Line: Dave Wilcox
AP Photo
For years, Dave Wilcox was one of the best-kept secrets in football. His five postseason appearances came late in his career.
Fact is, the guy was one of the best strong-side linebackers almost from the start.
A 27-year wait for Hall of Fame honors was a bit much.
24. Tom Mack
AP Photo
Position: Offensive tackle
Career: 13 seasons (1966-78)
Teams: Los Angeles Rams
Induction year: 1999
Honors: 11 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro selection
Key statistics: 246 games played
Bottom Line: Tom Mack
Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection / UCLA / Wikimedia Commons
Tom Mack was a Pro Bowler in all except two of his 13 seasons; he started every game in all except three of them; and his team ranked among the top 10 in yards gained in all except one of them.
If that kind of performance and durability doesn’t meet the Hall of Fame standard for 21 years, then what is the standard exactly?
23. Fran Tarkenton
AP Photo
Position: Quarterback
Career: 18 seasons (1961-78)
Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1961-66, 1972-78), New York Giants (1967-71)
Induction year: 1986
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls, 1 Most Valuable Player selection, 1 All-Pro selection
Key statistics: 246 games played, 47,003 pass yards, 342 pass touchdowns
Bottom Line: Fran Tarkenton
AP Photo
Yeah, Fran Tarkenton deserved his share of blame for two Super Bowl disasters, but those Vikings teams had fatal flaws.
Let’s not forget that scramblin’ Fran was as good a quarterback as there was over a four-year period (1973-76), when he won 81 percent of his starts in the regular season.
22. Steve Atwater
Barry Sweet / AP Photo
Position: Safety
Career: 11 seasons (1989-99)
Teams: Denver Broncos (1989-98), New York Jets (1999)
Induction year: 2020
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 167 games played, 24 interceptions, 8 fumble recoveries, 2 Super Bowl championships
Bottom Line: Steve Atwater
Gary Stewart / AP Photo
Steve Atwater and John Lynch were pretty much the same big hitters except for this: Lynch became a Hall of Famer seven years earlier.
What’s up with that?
21. Rayfield Wright
AP Photo
Position: Offensive tackle
Career: 13 seasons (1967-79)
Teams: Dallas Cowboys
Induction year: 2006
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 166 games, 2 Super Bowl championships
Bottom Line: Rayfield Wright
AP Photo
In his best seven-year period (1970-76), Rayfield Wright was the top offensive lineman with a perennial Cowboys contender. Yet the Hall of Fame yahoos made him wait 27 years for the inevitable to happen.
Hey, how many tackles can say they caught a touchdown pass from Don Meredith?
20. Jimmy Johnson
Position: Cornerback-safety-flanker
Career: 16 seasons (1961-76)
Teams: San Francisco 49ers
Induction year: 1994
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 213 games played, 47 interceptions, 40 pass receptions
Bottom Line: Jimmy Johnson
AP Photo
When greater emphasis was placed on athleticism at the cornerback position in the early 1960s, Jimmy Johnson moved to the front of the line.
As if that wasn’t enough, the one-time flanker was well familiar with the nuances of that position as well.
The guy wasn’t a big hitter or chest-thumper, though, and for that reason, he tended to play under the radar.
19. Ron Yary
Harry Cabluck / AP Photo
Position: Offensive tackle
Career: 15 seasons (1968-82)
Teams: Minnesota Vikings
Induction year: 2001
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pro selection
Key statistics: 207 games played
Bottom Line: Ron Yary
Jim Palmer / AP Photo
Ron Yary was a six-time Pro Bowl selection. Only Anthony Munoz owns more at the position, and he has a Hall of Fame bust.
Please explain why it took 19 years for Yary to finally get his due.
18. Alan Faneca
Andrew J. Cohoon / AP Photo
Position: Guard
Career: 13 seasons (1998-2010)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (1998-2007), New York Jets (2008-09), Arizona Cardinals (2010)
Induction year: 2011
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pro selections, 2 Super Bowl championship
Key stats: 206 games, 4 holding penalties accepted, 1 Super Bowl championship
Bottom Line: Alan Faneca
Ed Reinke / AP Photo
By almost any metric, Alan Faneca is on the very short list of best guards in pro football history.
So, who were the lunkheads who made him wait 11 years to receive a Hall of Fame pass?
We want names, people.
17. Mel Renfro
AP Photo
Position: Cornerback-safety
Career: 14 seasons (1964-77)
Teams: Dallas Cowboys
Induction year: 1996
Honors: 10 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro selection
Key stats: 174 games played, 52 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries
Bottom Line: Mel Renfro
AP Photo
Mel Renfro was a Pro Bowler in 10 consecutive seasons — six at safety, four at cornerback — and he accounted for a ridiculous 54 turnovers in that span.
Why it took 19 years to get into the Hall of Fame beats us.
16. Dan Hampton
John Swart / AP Photo
Position: Defensive end-tackle
Career: 12 seasons (1979-90)
Teams: Chicago Bears (1979-90)
Induction year: 2002
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 157 games played, 82.0 sacks, 1 Super Bowl championship
Bottom Line: Dan Hampton
Charles Bennett / AP Photo
The ability of Dan Hampton to stuff the run or collapse the pocket at either of two positions made the vaunted 46 Defense unique and effective.
As defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan once said, “Nobody has played tackle better than Hampton. And surely no one has played it with more heart. Dan’s my hero.”
He shouldn’t have had to wait 12 years to get a bust in Canton.
15. Leroy Kelly
JRT / AP Photo
Position: Halfback-running back
Career: 10 seasons (1964-73)
Teams: Cleveland Browns (1964-73)
Induction year: 1994
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro selections
Key Stats: 236 games played, 7,274 rush yards, 90 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Leroy Kelly
AP Photo
No man could replace the great Jim Brown in the Browns backfield, but Leroy Kelly came about as close as possible.
In his first three seasons as a starter, he averaged 107.9 total yards and 1.2 touchdowns per game.
He should have been in the Hall of Fame sooner.
14. Lou Creekmur
Position: Offensive tackle-guard
Career: 10 seasons (1950-59)
Teams: Detroit Lions
Induction year: 1996
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 116 games played, 3 NFL championships
Bottom Line: Lou Creekmur
Le Creekmur had the back of star quarterback Bobby Layne for nearly a decade, one of the biggest pressure jobs in all of sports. God help the left tackle who didn’t have his back.
So, please explain to us why a six-time All-Pro has to wait four decades to be recognized for it.
13. Lenny Moore
William A. Smith / AP Photo
Position: Halfback-flanker
Career: 12 seasons (1956-67)
Teams: Baltimore Colts
Induction year: 1975
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro Selections, 1 NFL Most Valuable Player
Key statistics: 143 games played, 11,123 yards from scrimmage, 113 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Lenny Moore
AP Photo
Lenny Moore was Marshall Faulk before Faulk was a thought, a one-time league Most Valuable Player who took the runner-receiver role to otherworldly heights.
Um, shouldn’t Spats have been in Canton the nanosecond that he was eligible?
12. Jack Butler
Position: Safety-defensive halfback-offensive end
Career: 9 seasons (1951-59)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers
Induction year: 2012
Honors: 4 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 104 games played, 52 interceptions, 19 fumble recoveries, 9 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Jack Butler
At the time when offenses dug the long ball, Jack Butler and Jimmy Patton were the class of the free safety position.
It took 53 years for Butler to be Cantonized finally. Even harder to believe, Patton is still waiting.
11. Joe Perry
AP Photo
Position: Fullback-halfback
Career: 14 seasons (1950-63)
Teams: San Francisco 49ers (1950-60, 1963), Baltimore Colts (1961-62)
Induction year: 1969
Honors: 3 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 183 games played, 9,723 rush yards, 84 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Joe Perry
AP Photo
Joe Perry was the NFL’s all-time ground gainer for five years before Jim Brown moved past him. Perry was also the 49ers’ all-time leader for nearly 60 years until Frank Gore moved past him.
Mind you, Perry’s career totals didn’t include two stellar seasons with the Niners in the AAFC before they became an NFL team. And only three Pro Bowl appearances for all that?
Really?
10. Jack Ham
AP Photo
Position: Linebacker
Career: 12 seasons (1971-82)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers
Induction year: 1988
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 6 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 162 games played, 32 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries, 4 Super Bowl championships
Bottom Line: Jack Ham
AP Photo
For smarts, fundamentals and athleticism, Jack Ham has this vote as the best to play the outside linebacker position. The guy had no weakness.
But the Steel Curtain had so much talent and so many characters, the extent of his greatness was taken for granted too often.
9. Harry Carson
Bill Kostroun / AP Photo
Position: Linebacker
Career: 13 seasons (1976-88)
Teams: New York Giants
Induction year: 2006
Honors: 9 Pro Bowls
Key stats: 173 games played, 14 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, turnovers, 1 Super Bowl championship
Bottom Line: Harry Carson
AP Photo
While Lawrence Taylor got almost all the sacks and media attention, Harry Carson (and Carl Banks) quietly did most of the grunt work.
Bet you didn’t know that Carson counted for five more turnovers (25-20) than Taylor in 11 fewer games, did you?
Yet it took 18 years for the Hall of Fame committee to come to its senses.
8. Jack Youngblood
Anonymous / AP Photo
Position: Defensive end
Career: 14 seasons (1971-84)
Teams: Los Angeles Rams
Induction year: 2001
Honors: 7 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 202 games played, 151.5 sacks
Bottom Line: Jack Youngblood
Lennox McLendon / AP Photo
Jack Youngblood was John Wayne in shoulder pads. Or John Wayne was Jack Youngblood in a Stetson hat. Either way, the guy was fearless, lethal and virtually indestructible.
In Youngblood’s prime, he was either a Pro Bowler and/or All-Pro in seven consecutive seasons. His reward? A 17-year wait for Hall of Fame status.
7. Ollie Matson
AP Photo
Position: Halfback-fullback-flanker
Career: 12 seasons (1971-82)
Teams: Chicago Cardinals (1952-58), Los Angeles Rams (1959-62), Detroit Lions (1963), Philadelphia Eagles (1964-66)
Induction year: 1972
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 171 games played, 8,458 yards from scrimmage, 73 total touchdowns
Bottom Line: Ollie Matson
AP Photo
Ollie Matson was the Ernie Banks of the Chicago South Side, an outrageous talent who was dragged down by the jamokes beside him.
We would like to know how many touchdowns the guy had called back because of penalties.
Bet it’s near double figures.
6. John Mackey
AP Photo
Position: Tight end
Career: 10 seasons (1963-72)
Teams: Baltimore Colts
Induction year: 1992
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 3 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 139 games played, pass receptions, 331 pass receptions, 38 total touchdowns, 1 Super Bowl championship
Bottom Line: John Mackey
Harold Valentine / AP Photo
John Mackey ran like a Pro Bowl fullback, blocked like a Pro Bowl guard and competed like heck.
It should not take a bunch of, ahem, experts 20 years to realize this.
5. Herb Adderley
AP Photo
Position: Cornerback
Career: 12 seasons (1961-72)
Teams: Green Bay Packers (1961-69), Dallas Cowboys (1970-72)
Induction year: 1990
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 164 games played, 48 interceptions, 9 total touchdowns, 14-1 record in postseason games
Bottom Line: Herb Adderley
AP Photo
Is it possible that Herb Adderley is the GOAT of cornerbacks? We say yes.
Problem is, we might be the only one outside his family.
Get with it, people.
4. Bill George
Position: Linebacker-placekicker
Career: 15 seasons (1952-66)
Teams: Chicago Bears (1952-65), Los Angeles Rams (1966)
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 8 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 173 games played, 18 interceptions, 19 fumble recoveries, 1 NFL championship
Bottom Line: Bill George
Bill George may or may not be the first middle linebacker in pro football history.
What we do know is that he did more than anyone to redefine the position with his ability to clog the middle of the line, roam sideline to sideline and drop back in pass coverage.
For that, a lot of people owe the man.
3. Bob Brown
Position: Offensive tackle
Career: 14 seasons (1964-73)
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles (1964-71), Oakland Raiders (1971-73)
Induction year: 2004
Honors: 6 Pro Bowls, 5 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 126 games played, 124 games started
Bottom Line: Bob Brown
In all except his final season, Bob Brown was as dominant a right tackle as there was in pro football.
Somehow, it took 31 years for Boomer to gain Hall of Fame induction.
That’s just plain wrong.
2. Don Hutson
Position: Offensive end-defensive halfback-placekicker
Career: 11 seasons (1935-45)
Teams: Green Bay Packers
Honors: 8 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro selections
Key statistics: 116 games played, 488 pass receptions, 105 total touchdowns, 1 fumble
Bottom Line: Don Hutson
Don Hutson was a member of the original Hall of Fame Class of 1963, so he hardly was a forgotten man.
But as the years wear on, it’s easier to forget that The Alabama Antelope was eons ahead of his time.
He belongs in the GOAT discussion. Still.
1. Otto Graham
Julian C. Wilson / AP Photo
Position: Quarterback
Career: 10 seasons (1946-55)
Teams: Cleveland Browns
Honors: 5 Pro Bowls, 7 All-Pro selections, 3 Most Valuable Player Awards
Key statistics: 126 games played, 174 pass touchdowns, 3 league championships
Bottom Line: Otto Graham
Some people are so caught up in Patrick Mahomes mania that they forget Otto Graham was the greatest quarterback of the pre-expansion era beyond any doubt. That is, if they even heard of Automatic Otto at all.
Colin Cowherd has the guy one spot ahead of Sam Darnold on his all-time list. Well, we say any GOAT discussion should begin with Graham and proceed from there.
