Tag: Canton

Former Seahawks S Earl Thomas a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Former Seahawks S Earl Thomas a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

The semifinalists for the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class have just been announced, which include six players in their first year of eligibility. Fans of the Seattle Seahawks will certainly recognize one name in particular, which is none other than a founding member of the Legion of Boom: safety Earl Thomas.

Thomas was announced as a nominee in late September, alongside running back Marshawn Lynch. While it is unfortunate Lynch did not progress this far, it is impressive Thomas has. Joining Thomas as semifinalists in their first year of elibility are quarterback Eli Manning, kicker Adam Vinatieri, guard Marshall Yanda, and linebackers Terrell Suggs and  Luke Kuechly.

When Thomas was announced, I wrote about how from a football perspective it was a no-brainer he was a Hall of Fame caliber player. Overqualified, in fact. He was the best safety in the league during his prime, a Super Bowl champion, a member of the All-Decade team, and a key player on the best single season defense in NFL history.

I also mentioned his off the field/personal issues possibly could have hampered his first ballot status. So far, that does not seem to be the case. At least, as far as him making it to the semifinalists stage.

Like I said, the legacy of Thomas is complicated, especially since he has not reconciled with the franchise whatsoever after his departure prior to the 2019 season. Should Thomas make it to Canton, hopefully he and the Seahawks can mend fences, as it would be awkward to have a HOF’er who wants nothing to do with the team he built his career with.

The next step will be a finalists round, which will feature 15 total players and it will be announced later this year. Eventually, the Hall of Fame selection committee will make their decision on the 2025 class before Super Bowl LIX in February.

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Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch nominated for the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch nominated for the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class

It is never too early to start thinking about who should be Canonized in Canton, Ohio. On Wednesday morning, the initial list of nominees to be considered for the 2025 Hall of Fame class was released. Among the 167 players nominated, there are several first time nominees, including a face quite familiar to fans of the Seattle Seahawks.

Beloved running back Marshawn Lynch, for the first time, has been nominated as a potential enshrinee in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In order to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player needs to be at least five full seasons removed from when they last played in the NFL. For Lynch, who last took the field for the Seahawks for the final three games (one regular season, two playoff outings) of the 2019 season, this certainly meets the eligibility requirement.

Lynch played for three teams, but should he make it to Canton he will undoubtedly go in as a Seattle Seahawk. Of the 12 years of his career (fitting, isn’t it?) he was certainly best known for his seven in Seattle. He was the undispited face of the franchise, the man who put the new-era Seahawks on the map with his iconic “Beast Quake” run in the 2010 playoffs… only to do it again in the 2014 season with another similar run.

During his career, Lynch barreled his way to 10,413 yards, 85 rushing touchdowns and nine more through the air. In the playoffs, Lynch accoutned for another 970 yards on the ground with 12 (again, fitting) touchdowns. Lynch has also technically received some recognition from Canton, as he is a member of the 2010’s All-Decade Team.

Lynch’s 10,413 regular season yards are only 29th all time in the league for rushing yards, but they are more than other Hall of Famers in Joe Perry, Earl Campbell, Jim Taylor, Larry Csonka and Terrell Davis. I am also of the belief raw statistics alone should not be the only qualifying factor to make it to Canton. The Hall of Fame isn’t just a way to honor legends, it is a museum, a monument to the history of professional football. How one contributes to the overall story of professional football should absolutely be factored in. With that in mind, it is simply impossible to tell the story of the NFL without mentioning Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch also joins fellow Seattle Seahawks legend Shaun Alexander, who is once again a nominee for the Hall of Fame. I have been on the record for years that Alexander is more than deserving of enshrinement and remains one of the biggest snubs in recent memory.

Hopefully, the day will come where Lynch and Alexander will both have busts in Canton, as both have clearly earned it.

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Watch: Bryant Young welcomes Patrick Willis to Hall of Fame

Tears will be shed when you see this.

One of the coolest parts about the Pro Football Hall of Fame is how new inductees are informed of their honor. There are a few methods in which to do so, but the one that has grabbed most people’s attention in recent years is the knock on the door behind which the new Hall of Famer is. It used to be the door of a hotel room, but it now is the door of the new inductee’s home.

Former Notre Dame defensive tackle [autotag]Bryant Young[/autotag], a 2022 Hall of Fame inductee, recently was given the privilege of knocking on the door of Patrick Willis, a rookie during Young’s final season with the San Francisco 49ers. Here’s the big moment, and you might want to grab some tissues before you watch:

Those are the tears of a man whose years of hard work and sacrifice have paid off. Sure, a Super Bowl win is nice, but only 378 individuals are permanent residents of Canton, Ohio. When you earn that honor, nothing feels better other than getting married and becoming a parent.

Congratulations to Patrick and all the other members of the Class of 2024.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Is this the year Joe Jacoby finally enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Joe Jacoby moves one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Every year, there are snubs for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Almost every NFL team will tell you they have players who should be enshrined in Canton, whether it is true or not.

For fans of the Washington NFL franchise, there are multiple players who have arguments for entry into the Hall of Fame. The most glaring is offensive tackle Joe Jacoby.

This week, Jacoby got one step closer to entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame as he entered the next stage of consideration for the Hall’s 2024 class. Jacoby was one of 31 senior candidates selected for Hall of Fame consideration earlier this month, and that list was trimmed to 12 players Thursday.

The committee will next meet in August, where they will select up to three senior candidates. The seniors will then be a part of the 2024 Hall of Fame class if they receive at least 80% of the votes in January.

Jacoby was undrafted out of Louisville in 1981 by Hall of Fame general manager Bobby Beathard and Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. Jacoby became a starter at left tackle during his rookie and was an original member of the famed “Hogs.”

He would go on to play 13 NFL seasons — all with Washington — playing in four Super Bowls, with three championships. Jacoby was a three-time first-team All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler and a member of the 1980s All-Decade Team. He started 148 games for the Redskins, appearing in 170 games over the course of his career.

The Hall of Fame process has been disappointing for Jacoby and his longtime supporters. Hopefully, this is the year they do the right thing and make him a part of the class of 2024.

22 named to inaugural class of the National High School Football Hall of Fame

Today the names of 22 of them were chosen.

Last week we shared a list of 50 legends of the game that were eligible to be inducted into the inaugural National High School Football Hall of Fame class. Today the names of 22 of them were chosen to be enshrined.

According to a press release from Russell Johnson, here is the 2023 inaugural National High School Football Hall of Fame class.

1. RB Jim Brown: Manhasset High School Class of 1953
2. Coach Paul Brown: Massillon Washington High School Class of 1925
3. QB Bernie Kosar: Boardman High School Class of 1981
4. QB Archie Payton: Drew High School Drew Class of 1967
5. QB Peyton Manning: Isidore Newman High School Class of 1994
6. QB Eli Manning: Isidore Newman High School Class of 1998
7. QB Cooper Manning: Isidore Newman High School Class of 1992
8. RB Mike Doss: Canton McKinley High School Class of 1998
9. LB Chris Speillman: Massillon Canton, Ohio Class of 1983
10. Coach Thom McDaniels: Canton McKinley High School, Ohio
11. RB Kevin Mack: Kings Mountain High School Class of 1981
12. DB Ray Freeman: Warrensville Hts High School Class of 1981
13. RB Marcus Dupree: Philadelphia High School Class of 1981
14. RB Archie Griffin: Eastmoor High School Class of 1971
15. RB Greg Cameron: University High School Class of 1980
16. RB/LB Jerry Ball: Position West Brock High School Class of 1983
17. DT Horace Sheffield: Cass Tech High School Class of 1972
18. Coach Ted Ginn, Sr. Coach at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio
19. OT Lomas Brown: Miami Springs High School Class of 1983
20. ATH Greg Kampe: Defiance High School, Ohio Class of 1973
21. Coach Don Nehlen: Coach at Canton McKinley High School, Ohio
22. RB Marion Motley: Canton McKinley High Class of 1939

These individuals will be officially enshrined at the NHSFHOF in Canton, Ohio on Sunday, July 30th at the Timken Career Campus.

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See it: Bryant Young’s photos from Hall of Fame enshrinement

Congratulations to a Hall of Fame person on his Hall of Fame induction!

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman and San Francisco 49ers great [autotag]Bryant Young[/autotag] was officially enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.  Young gave an emotional enshrinement speech that meant for many tears in the audience upon his induction.

Watch:  Bryant Young’s full Hall of Fame enshrinement speech

Young played at Notre Dame from 1990-1993 before being drafted seventh overall in the 1994 NFL draft by the 49ers.  He played his entire 14 year career in San Francisco and is one of just two former Notre Dame players to win a Super Bowl in his first NFL season ([autotag]Ben Skowronek[/autotag], 2021 Rams).

See the best photos from Young’s memorable weekend in Canton below.

Watch: Bryant Young gives Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech

The Notre Dame alumnus tore at everyone’s heartstrings in his speech.

It took long enough, but former Notre Dame defensive tackle [autotag]Bryant Young[/autotag] finally is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As soon as his bust was unveiled in Canton, the longtime San Francisco 49er was ready to give the speech he undoubtedly has been preparing in his mind for years.

Notre Dame is allowed to share the spotlight as where he met his wife as well as teammate [autotag]Aaron Taylor[/autotag], with whom he became best friends. He also gives [autotag]Lou Holtz[/autotag] a shout-out.

Here’s the speech in full:

Young’s story about his son in particular really makes you think about the important things in life. You can tell he misses him greatly every day, and no family should have to go through what they did. At the same time, he clearly became a better person for it, and his faith never has been stronger.

Congratulations, Bryant. Enjoy everything that is to come.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Cowboys legends Daryl Johnston, Jimmy Johnson unbox Super Bowl LVII trophy in Canton for USFL championship

Johnston, the USFL’s EVP of football operations, helped to create a special visit for a group of players hoping to make the NFL one day. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Daryl Johnston won three Super Bowls as a key member of the Cowboys teams of the 1990s. Now, for the man they call “Moose,” it’s championship weekend once again.

Johnston, 56, has been the executive vice president of football operations for the newest incarnation of the USFL. As a way to keep costs down in the league’s first year, all eight teams played their games in Birmingham, Alabama. But when the Stars and the Stallions face off for the USFL Championship on Sunday, it will be in Canton, Ohio, on the hallowed grounds of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And Johnston can’t wait.

“It was out of necessity on our end,” Johnston admitted recently on the Hall’s The Mission podcast. The 2022 World Games (an international event for sports not included in the Olympics) was already booked to hit Birmingham in early July.

“We were able to finish our regular season, but we were not going to be able to get into our playoffs. So we were going to have to move,” Johnston said. “If you’re going to pack up and move, it doesn’t matter if you move five miles or 500 miles, you’re moving. So why not go all the way to Canton?”

The first round of the USFL playoffs took place at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium last weekend; the title game will happen this weekend.

Johnston brought the final four teams- a group of over 250 people- to tour the Hall last week. Ahead of the trip, Johnston maintained that the experience of taking in the game’s rich history in Canton would be “life-changing” for the players, most of whom are using the USFL as a second chance to one day land a job on an NFL roster.

To make sure they understood the importance of where they were, Johnston invited a special guest to personally address the group with a motivational talk.

His former Cowboys coach, and a new Hall of Famer himself, Jimmy Johnson.

“We’re trying to do anything we can to make this really, really special for our guys,” the ex-fullback explained. “It was one of those things that you’re like, ‘Yeah, I’ll give this a try, But gosh, this is a pretty big ask for a guy that probably has a million asks like this all the time.’ So we were so flattered and so thrilled when he decided to come.”

The group got an even bigger surprise when the former player-and-coach duo personally unboxed next season’s Lombardi Trophy and placed it inside the Hall’s Super Bowl Gallery.

“Coach, this represents the third one we would have won in a row if we had kept you in Dallas,” Johnston joked as he handed the iconic Tiffany-made sterling silver trophy to his ex-coach.

The trophy will reside in Canton for the duration of the 2022 regular season, but the last four standing USFL teams- and a few lucky Hall patrons- got to be the very first to see the NFL’s biggest prize.

Crystal Roth of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. was visiting the Hall of Fame for the first time. She just happened to be wearing an Emmitt Smith jersey that her late father had purchased for her nearly 30 years ago, having no knowledge of the ceremony that was planned for that afternoon. As told by Daniel May and Brendan Heffernan on the Hall of Fame website, Roth was overcome with emotion when she and her family caught a glimpse of two heroes from her favorite team.

“Maybe since Jimmy had his hands on it, we have a chance,” Roth said. “Lord knows we deserve it.”

A chance.

That’s what the Cowboys are after, a chance at adding a sixth trophy to the display case at The Star in Frisco.

But second chances are what Johnston’s spring league is all about.

“I had one of the coaches in the USFL share with me something that’s really changed my way of looking at this,” the 11-year veteran said. “These guys have been to the NFL before. They’ve had that opportunity. But they didn’t stay there. So our job is not to get them there. Our job is to make sure, when they have that opportunity the next time, that they stay there. And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The USFL is reportedly primed to make the most of its second chance, too. According to the CEO of Fox Sports, the league will return in 2023 for a second year. It will remain at eight teams (though there is a plan to expand for 2024), but it looks to play in two to four home markets next season.

Johnston hopes, though, that the championship being held at Hall of Fame Stadium becomes an annual tradition.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed that it does,” he said. “It’s a lot of heavy lifting for a lot of people to pull this off, but I think the reward on the back side is going to be tremendous, and I cannot wait.”

Johnston, of course, has seen first-hand what makes Canton so special. He visited as a youth on a family vacation. He played in the Hall of Fame Game with the Cowboys in 1999, his final season. He went back to attend the induction ceremonies for many of his Dallas teammates, and he had more than one call him out by name during their enshrinement speeches.

“I am going to be watching these guys, championship weekend as they go through the Hall and the tours,” Johnston said, “as they just kind of soak in the history that is there. I am so excited for our guys to be able to have this experience.”

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‘The wait is over!’ Cowboys legend Drew Pearson revels in Hall of Fame moment

The legendary wide receiver gave an impassioned acceptance speech, spotlighting teammates and coaches while reminding everyone where he was. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Drew Pearson, the legendary wide receiver for the Cowboys of the 1970s and early ’80s, admitted last week that he’s been mistakenly introduced as a Hall of Famer for years. His stats and place in the league’s history have certainly warranted his place there ever since retiring from the game in 1983.

But now that Pearson can officially be called a member of the club, he was clearly excited to, as he put it, “wear it out.” Pearson said the words “Pro Football Hall of Fame” 15 times (and added the abbreviated “Hall of Fame” another eight times) in just 11 minutes at the mic at Tom Benson Stadium on Sunday evening.

Pearson’s long wait- and near-misses- for making the Hall had been well-documented, making his speech one of the most anticipated of the weekend. And the fiery Pearson didn’t disappoint, shouting, “The wait is over!” to open his remarks; spotlighting his bronze bust for having “the biggest Afro in NFL history;” pulling up his pant legs to show off the skinny legs that carried him all the way to Canton; even taking a friendly dig at fellow Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

After paying tribute to Cowboys founding fathers like Clint Murchison, Tex Schramm, and Gil Brandt, the original member of the 88 Club honored many of his star teammates and coaches by name for the role they each played in his football journey. Ditka, a former Cowboys standout before going on to become the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl-winning coach, got a special mention.

“Thank you, Mike Ditka, my first receivers coach in the NFL,” Pearson said. “Mike was an All-Pro tight end, which means he taught me nothing about running pass routes as a wide receiver.”

The crowd ate it up.

“But, Mike,” he continued, “you taught me how not to just be a pro, but be a professional. And you did that by the passion you showed and that you brought to the Dallas Cowboys.”

Pearson, as expected, brought plenty of passion to his enshrinement remarks, just as he had to his playing days. He spent considerable time thanking his family members, both those in attendance and those who were, in his words, “gone too soon.”

But he also took the occasion to give a shout-out to a relative unknown named Otto Stowe. Stowe was a wide receiver who played just seven games for the Cowboys in 1973, Pearson’s debut season in the league. Pearson emulated Stowe early that year, and it was Stowe’s season-ending injury that opened the door for Pearson to start as a rookie and never give the job back.

“I learned so much from you, Otto,” Pearson said Sunday. “And I would not be here today without you.”

But the person Pearson is most closely linked to professionally is his longtime quarterback, Roger Staubach. Staubach presented Pearson Sunday night, the culmination of a prolific pairing that’s most famously remembered for the 50-yard touchdown versus Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs that served as the NFL’s original “Hail Mary” pass play.

But Pearson was a key figure in several other Cowboys milestone moments, too. He snagged the opening touchdown in Super Bowl X. He threw the final block that sprang Tony Dorsett on his record-setting 99-yard touchdown run in 1983. He caught the game-winning touchdown from Clint Longley in the team’s famous 1974 Thanksgiving comeback. And were it not for a one-handed horse-collar tackle, Pearson would likely have negated Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” in 1981’s NFC Championship Game with a late catch and run into field goal range.

But it’s the Hail Mary that has largely defined Pearson’s career over the years, the moment most fans want to talk about, the photo that he most often signs. Even though Staubach coined the term, Pearson is the one who personalizes his autographs with “Hail Mary to you.”

And that’s how he signed off his enshrinement speech.

“There’s so many special people in my life, but my time has run out. I don’t have a Hail Mary in my pocket, so I’ve got to wrap this up… Hail Mary blessings to you all.”

Pearson may be best remembered for that one miracle catch, but he racked up 555 others over his 11-year career. The Hail Mary was only one score; there were 55 others. And after 8,927 receiving yards (regular and postseason combined), three Super Bowl appearances, three Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods, a spot on the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, and a place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, Pearson can now add “Hall of Famer” to his resume.

Judging by how often he visibly enjoyed saying it Sunday night, that may well be how he signs autographs for the rest of his life.

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Cowboys legend Drew Pearson on Hall of Fame speech: ‘You know I’m going to cry’

The receiver known for his passion says his emotion will be on full display when he is officially welcomed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Drew Pearson has never been shy about showing his emotion. Whether he was chucking the legendary “Hail Mary” ball into the parking lot in Minneapolis in 1975, turning the announcement of a second-round draft pick into a goosebump-raising motivational speech in 2017, breaking down on-camera upon not being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, or breaking down (again) upon finally getting the call to Canton in February of this year, the Cowboys great has always worn his heart on his sleeve.

But now that sleeve will be in the Hall of Fame’s own proprietary shade of gold. The Original No. 88 says fans can expect his trademark flair for the dramatic when he makes his acceptance speech this weekend.

“I was reading my speech this morning crying! In the hotel room! You know I’m going to cry,” Pearson told NFL Network‘s Steve Wyche and fellow member of the Cowboys’ 88 Club Michael Irvin. “I’m not going to hold it in.”

The honor is a long time coming for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, who had to wait nearly four decades after hanging up his cleats for the recognition.

“You don’t really know how you’re going to feel once you get in and how it’s going to affect you,” the 11-year veteran said. “But after you get in and you feel the effect, oh man. First of all, as a Dallas Cowboy, you get respect. But now the respect’s at a different level when people come to you. It’s, ‘You deserve it,’ and, ‘It’s all about you.’ They ain’t talking about the team or nothing; it’s all about you. ‘You deserve it,’ ‘Waited too long,’ and all that kind of stuff. It’s everything I expected it to be.”

Pearson had already been to a pair of Pro Bowls before first-ballot selections Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson were even born. By the time bouncing baby Calvin Johnson entered the world, Pearson had been retired from the game for two years. Now they’ll all receive their gold jackets together.

“When we got together at the Super Bowl, my class, I’m there with three first-ballot guys and other great guys,” Pearson recalled. “But it didn’t seem any different; we’re all the same happy. We’re slapping the same fives. First-ballot, thirty-eight years; it didn’t matter. Because you’re in, and that’s all that matters.”

Due to the extra-large class size this year, the NFL has said they will enforce a time limit on acceptance speeches, which will be delivered over two days. Pearson knows it will be difficult to distill all of his emotion and passion for the game into just six minutes. (By way of comparison, tight end Tony Gonzalez went for 40 minutes during his 2019 enshrinement speech.)

“We’ve got limited time, but still, the emotion’s going to be there, especially when I talk about my mom and dad and my deceased brothers and sisters and stuff like that, wanting to get them involved. It’s going to be emotional, but it’s also going to be a celebration. And I’m going to focus on the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys- because they’re the reason I’m there- and my teammates that helped me get there.”

And even if the band has to cut Pearson’s speech short (at eight minutes), his place among pro football immortality will last forever. And he’ll finally be correctly referred to as a Hall of Famer… even if he’s already heard that unofficial tag for years.

“Before I got in, sometimes when I’d do a speech presentation, people would introduce me as a Hall of Famer. I’d say, ‘Do you know something I don’t know?’ Pearson joked.

He always felt he belonged in Canton. So, Irvin wondered, did Pearson accept the accolade anyway?

“Oh, I corrected them,” Pearson explained. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that until I’m in.’ But now you can wear it out. Wear it out, man.”

Pearson will lead Sunday evening’s speeches, beginning at 7 p.m. Pearson’s quarterback and fellow Hall of Famer Roger Staubach will introduce him.

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