There will be no Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year. With the COVID-19 pandemic, they have pushed the festivities to next year, making it a two-day event, instead of just one.
No Raiders made the Centennial class, but the hope is that clearing the backlog will help open the doors for others. Here are ten who I think should receive consideration.
HC Tom Flores
Tom Flores spent most of his NFL career with the Raiders as a player and returned as a coach. In total, he won three Super Bowls with the Raiders, one as an assistant coach and two as head coach. He was the first Hispanic head coach in the NFL and the first minority head coach to win the Super Bowl.
Flores just turned 83 and watched what could have been his best shot to make the Hall go by with yet another snub. But if you choose to see the potential bright side, with Jimmy Johnson getting the nod, Flores becomes one of just two head coaches in NFL history to win two Super Bowls and not get in (George Seifert is the other). So, perhaps Flores’s time is coming.
WR Cliff Branch
Branch and Flores were among the finalists for the Centennial class and it looked like at least one of them could get in. Then neither did. Branch retired with the most career postseason receptions in NFL history. He was part of all three Raiders Super Bowl teams. His fellow receiver, Fred Biletnikoff, is in the Hall of Fame. It’s a real mystery how Branch has been denied for so long. Even if he gets in now, he passed away last year, so he won’t get to enjoy it.
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