Tag: hall of fame class

Broncos great Randy Gradishar elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Randy Gradishar, the leader of the Broncos’ famous ‘Orange Crush’ defense, has finally been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

It’s long overdue but now finally official: Randy Gradishar is a Hall of Famer.

Gradishar has been elected as a member of the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, the league announced during NFL Honors on Thursday night.

A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Gradishar was the leader of the Denver Broncos’ famous “Orange Crush” defense that led the team to their first Super Bowl (XII in 1977). One year later, Gradishar won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Broncos credit Gradishar with 2,049 career tackles, 19.5 sacks, 20 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries and four defensive touchdowns during his 10-year career in the NFL.

Gradishar was a finalist three other times before finally being elected as a senior candidate this year. He will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio in August.

He becomes the 10th* former Broncos player to reach Canton, joining RB Floyd Little, QB John Elway, DB Steve Atwater, TE Shannon Sharpe, OL Gary Zimmerman, RB Terrell Davis, CB Champ Bailey, QB Peyton Manning and OLB DeMarcus Ware. Late team owner Pat Bowlen is also in the Hall of Fame, as are a few *other players who spent time in Denver.

Gradishar, 71, is already a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Now he’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well.

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Notre Dame Football: The Rocket Takes Off for Hall

I don’t know the rules of getting into the hall like I said, all I know is that Ismail is a guy you let in on the first day he’s eligible. 

I’ll start by saying getting into the College Football Hall of Fame is weird.

Need proof?

Raghib Ismail, “The Rocket”, perhaps the most exciting player to wear Notre Dame’s blue and gold since WWII was not officially a member until Tuesday night.

There are rules dependent on what you accomplish in college, what you retire from professional football and whatever else. The fact of the matter is you don’t have a College Football Hall of Fame if “The Rocket” isn’t in his first day of eligibility.

A member of the 1988 national championship team, a 1990 All American and the runner-up to Ty Detmer in the Heisman Trophy voting, Ismail went in with 14 other new members Tuesday night.

For the life of me I still don’t understand how a system quarterback in Ty Detmer beat out a legend but so-be-it. I guess that’s just like how Jason White beat out Larry Fitzgerald 13 years later.

I don’t know the rules of getting into the hall like I said, all I know is that Ismail is a guy you let in on the first day he’s eligible. If not your voters or rules, or both, stink.

Whatever the case – I’m glad he’s finally in a place he deserves.

Now enjoy some of his insane highlights from his three years at Notre Dame:

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