General

Pro Football Hall of Fame Could Have Best Class Ever in 2010

Sep 20, 2009, 3:15 PM UTC

â†µâ†µThe Pro Football Hall of Fame announced a preliminary list of nominees for their 2010 class this weekend. This is only even vaguely exciting because the list includes Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Herschel Walker, and Paul Tagliabue, and that alone would very possibly be the Hall’s best haul yet.â†µ

â†µâ†µGo ahead, look at the list of inductees (you can sort by class) and find me a better one. The first class, inducted in 1963, is massive and star-studded, but draws inductees (Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, Sammy Baugh) from many more than five years before. There are several classes since then that have a few huge stars: â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥â†µâ‡¥1971: Jim Brown, Vince Lombardi, and Y.A. Tittle
â†µâ‡¥1978: Frank Gifford, Forrest Gregg, Gale Sayers, and Bart Starr
â†µâ‡¥1985: Joe Namath, O.J. Simpson, and Roger Staubach
â†µâ‡¥1993: Chuck Noll, Walter Payton, and Bill Walsh
â†µâ‡¥2000: Howie Long, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, and Dan Rooneyâ†µâ‡¥

â†µâ†µâ†µBut 2010’s class could easily eclipse them all. â†µ

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â†µWith just Rice, Smith, and Carter, and Brown, 2010 would have an absurd 619 total rushing and receiving touchdowns, 78,988 all-purpose yards, and 1,018 games played. Those four defined an era on the field, statistically. Walker's prowess as a runner is overshadowed by his significance to the team that traded him away, but he's no slouch. Tagliabue, of course, was a excellent shepherd of the game and league. And if Dick LeBeau, former cornerback and defensive whiz, gets in as a senior Rnominee, or if John Randle, Randall Cunningham, or Ken Anderson sneak in, the class could get even better.â†µ

â†µâ†µAlas, because the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s voters are capricious creatures (remember, Art Monk only got in last year), only Rice and Smith are gimmes, and the fun of “GREATEST EVER!” hyperbole could be spoiled by a bunch of faceless fuddy-duddies. â†µ

â†µâ†µIf you want to blame someone you recognize, though, you can conveniently blame Brett Favre: Had he called it quits after the ugly loss to the Vikings at home in the 2004 playoffs, he would be eligible for this class. I suppose being eligible for any class would be contrary to Favre’s ethos, though.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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