Former New York Giants star running back Ottis “O.J.” Anderson is not shy when it comes to his legacy.
Speaking to a reporter from TMZ Sports underneath scaffolding on a Manhattan street, Anderson said he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and that “one day they’ll figure it out.”
“If you check my credentials, I think I earned the right to be considered [a Hall of Famer],” Anderson says.
Ottis sneakily has a solid case for the honor … the 62-year-old rushed for 10,273 yards and 81 TDs in his 14-year career, and he added 3,062 receiving yards as well.
Plus, the dude IS a two-time Super Bowl champion … something plenty of Hall of Fame tailbacks can’t say themselves right now.
“Put me in,” Ottis says … “One day they’ll figure it out and, until then, we’ll just keep on enjoying what I accomplished as a 14-year vet.”
Not only was Anderson a two-time Super Bowl champ, he scored a touchdown in the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI victory over Denver then repeated the feat four years later against Buffalo. He was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXV.
The NFL just treleased their 100th Anniversary Team and Anderson was not on it. In fact, he was not even named a finalist. Anderson is the Cardinals’ all-time leading rusher and was the NFL Rookie of the Year with them in 1979.
10 years later, Ottis was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year with the Giants as was as reliable a runner as the Giants have ever had, fumbling just three times from 1987-1992.
It’s nothing new for Anderson to feel disrespected. He is not in either the Cardinals or Giants’ Rings of Honor and when he retired only seven players had more rushing yards than Anderson at the time.
[lawrence-related id=636890,636764,636829]