The Pro Football Hall of Fame Seniors Committee has a tough job when it comes to offensive linemen. Going back into the history of the league to determine which offensive linemen should be nominated for the Hall of Fame can’t be easy, so it’s a big deal when one of them makes it. It’s an even bigger deal when that player is a guard, like Dick Stanfel, formerly of the Detroit Lions and Washington.
Dick Stanfel Hall of Fame speech: ‘Yes, he belongs in the Hall of Fame’
Stanfel was one of two former players inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame this year.
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Stanfel, who passed away in June 2015 at the age of 87, was one of the most consistent players on a vastly underrated Lions team in the 1950s. The team didn’t win a Super Bowl, but Stanfel was one of the best blockers in the league at the time.
On Saturday, Stanfel was presented into the Hall by Marv Levy, himself a Hall of Fame coach.
“I have spoken with several great Hall of Famers from that era,” Levy said. “They all told me that he was the greatest offensive lineman ever. That was their opinion, and I’ve never seen anybody execute better than he did, with such enthusiasm and with such love of the game.”
Mike Ditka added that Stanfel was really well respected by his opponents. Stanfel just stood out.
“He was the only offensive lineman who was selected as the MVP of a championship team in 1953,” Levy said.
Ditka said that when he got the Bears head coaching job, keeping Stanfel on staff was a priority.
“I could have brought in other people, but he was the first guy that I made sure we kept,” Ditka said. “Dick was special, and he related to his players, but he got the best out of them.”
Levy affirmed that Stanfel deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
“Beyond his great teaching ability, his great playing ability, he was a person of high character,” Levy said of Stanfel. “Great family guy, great sense of humor. He was fun to be around. I could go on and on. Yes, he belongs in the Hall of Fame.”
Stanfel took a long time to get into the hall, and it was likely due to his lack of longevity in the sport. He spent four seasons with the Lions and three seasons with Washington, but in that time he was named to five Pro Bowls and was a five-time first-team All-Pro player.
Stanfel was also an offensive line coach for many years in the league, coaching with the Super Bowl XX-winning Chicago Bears.
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