Only Tyreek Hill and Jerry Rice have ever accomplished this feat.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill has been known as one of the most dominant receivers in the NFL for a while now. He’s shown the ability to not only reach the endzone catching passes, but also as a ball carrier. It’s something seldom done by receivers throughout NFL history.
During Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he reached a brand new career height. With a 10-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, Hill joined an all-time great for an exclusive touchdown milestone.
According to NFL Research, there are only two players since the 1970 merger who have recorded 35 or more receptions touchdowns and five or more rushing touchdowns during their career. Those two players are Pro Football Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice and Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill.
Since the 1970 merger, there are 2 WRs with 35+ rec TD & 5+ rush TD…
The GOAT, Jerry Rice… And with his 10-yard rush TD in the 2nd quarter, Tyreek Hill#ChiefsKingdom
Hill also became just the third player in franchise history to score at least one rushing or receiving touchdown in each of the team’s first five games to start the season. He matches Jamaal Charles and Chris Burford as the only others to do so according to Chiefs Communications.
Hill still has a long way to go if he wants to match or exceed Rice’s career production in these two categories. Rice recorded 10 rushing touchdowns during his career and 197 receiving touchdowns. Hill has 36 career receiving touchdowns and five career rushing touchdowns. Still, it’s nice to hear Hill’s name mentioned with a receiver that is considered to be one of the greatest to ever play the game.
Alvin Kamara has been a fantasy football mainstay ever since he stepped on the field, but he’s outdone himself in 2020. Through the first three weeks, only one other player in NFL history has produced more fantasy football points than the New Orleans Saints featured back: Marshall Faulk, who racked up 109.0 points back in 2000 (when he won the NFL’s award for Most Valuable Player).
After three games, Kamara trails Faulk with 106.8 fantasy points. They are the only two players to score more than 102 points in the first three weeks, though Kansas City Chiefs legend Priest Holmes came close in 2002 and 2003. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Thurman Thomas and Jim Brown round out the top-five all-time scorers through three weeks.
What’s been impressive about Kamara this year is his excellence on the ground and through the air. He’s averaging 4.9 yards per carry with as many touchdown runs as catches (3 each), while outproducing many wide receivers around the league in the passing game with 27 catches (on 31 targets) for 285 yards. No player in the league has more yards from scrimmage than him right now (438).
So pat yourself on the back if you lucked into Kamara in your fantasy draft. If he can keep up the pace after all-star wide receiver Michael Thomas gets back in the mix, he just might take your fantasy team all the way — and start to build his own Hall of Fame candidacy. Here’s hoping his bust in Canton includes the nose ring.
Check out Draft Wire’s exclusive interview with Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Willie Lanier
If you want to make a list of the accolades garnered by Willie Lanier throughout his football career, you’re going to need more than a few pages.
An eight-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Lanier is a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame. The NFL’s Man of the Year in 1972, Lanier was a key member of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl champion team in 1970, and is a member of the Chiefs’ Hall of Fame, as well as having his No. 63 jersey retired by the team. You’ll find his name on both the NFL’s 75th Anniversary and 100th Anniversary teams, too.
As successful as he was on the field, Lanier is just as impressive in his off-field endeavors. The Hall of Famer recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his latest cause, waiting 50 years for his Chiefs to win another Super Bowl, and more.
JM: You’re serving as a co-chair of Concordance Academy of Leadership’s recently announced “First Chance” campaign, to help raise $50 million to expand its program nationally to 11 cities across the United States. Why does this program mean so much to you?
WL: I know several of the other co-chairs that are serving alongside me. I’ve spent a lot of time around these people in various other ventures. This is another opportunity for me to work with people who have thoughts on how to improve the lives of other people that may have been disproportionately effected by their background, circumstance or anything in life that was beyond their control. We want to improve the lives of Americans who to no fault of their own, find themselves in unfortunate situations. I’m thankful for the opportunity, and hope we change some lives.
JM: You’re a Hall of Fame player. The greatest moment of your career came in 1970 when you won the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Little did you know that the Chiefs wouldn’t win again until last season. As a fan of the team, what was the wait in between championships like for you?
WL: As a fan of the team, I truly didn’t know if God was going to grant me the opportunity to see them win again (laughs). I was just a young man playing for the Chiefs when we won in 1970. I’m 75 years old today. It’s hard to imagine something taking 50 years to occur again unless you lived in those moments as I have.
JM: Do you feel like they have a chance to repeat?
WL: I always say they’re 1 of 32 teams with a chance. They happened to have won the last one. It would be legitimate for me to mark them as the favorites to win the next one. I’ll tell you what, though, when you jump into the statistics of things, repeating is very difficult to do. If you take a look at the history of the Super Bowl, you’d be hard pressed to find many teams that have been able to repeat their success the following year. It’s happened, but sustaining that success can be elusive at times. The numbers prove that.
That’s not necessarily commenting on any projections that I may have. Those are just the facts. My thought on who is going to win is just that, simply a thought and projection. They’re 1 of 32 teams that have an opportunity to win the next Super Bowl.
JM: Did you get a chance to watch their Week 1 victory over the Houston Texans?
WL: I watched a bit of the first half and a bit of the second half, as well. I missed a bit of the game in the middle there. It was great to see them come away with a victory. I speak to a member of the staff two, maybe three times a week. I always root for them. I’ll be watching many of their Sunday games in the coming weeks. Victory Monday is always a good feeling.
JM: If you could vote one player into the Pro Football Hall of Fame that isn’t currently enshrined in Canton, who would it be and why?
WL: That’s a difficult question for me to answer. I say that as somebody who’s been blessed with that honor. It’s a tough class. You have to be very successful in order to get in. You need 80 percent of the votes to fall in your favor.
I speak with many people on the committee. It would be difficult for me to single out anybody. I can’t provide a quote of reference for one person. That would reduce the role of those who are actually on the committee. It is their responsibility to make that decision. There are so many players who are worthy of that honor.
For more on Concordance Academy of Leadership and the “First Chance” campaign visit concordanceacademy.org.
Former Alabama running back Shaun Alexander, linebacker Cornelius Bennett, and offensive lineman Chris Samuels were named to the list.
The entire list of nominees includes 65 offensive players, 49 defensive players and 16 special teams players.
The list of Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.
And of the 15, let’s hope all 3 Alabama Crimson Tide players are a part of it!
All three former Crimson Tide standouts were on the list of nominees last year, too.
The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 in Tampa, Florida to elect the Class of 2021.
Here’s a look at each of the three former Alabama players on the ballot, and what they were able to accomplish:
Running back, Shaun Alexander:
Alexander is the Tide’s second leading rusher all time, who recorded an incredible 3,565 yards rushing for 41 touchdowns and 4.9 yards per carry. Alexander also had 798 yards receiving for another 8 career touchdowns.
He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks as the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
During his time in the NFL, he spent 7 seasons with the Seahawks, and played for one season in Washington for the Redskins.
In his NFL career, he recorded a whopping 9,453 yards rushing for 100 touchdowns. He also had 1,520 receiving yards for another 12 touchdowns.
Linebacker, Cornelius Bennett:
Bennett was a huge staple to Alabama’s defense during his time in Tuscaloosa. For the Tide, Bennett recorded 287 tackles, 21½ sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. He’s known for his infamous sack against Notre Dame quarterback Steve Beuerlein.
Bennett went on to be drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the second pick of the 1987 NFL Draft, but was eventually sent to the Buffalo Bills. He spent 14 years in the NFL. He spent 9 years playing for the Bills, 3 years for the Falcons, and then 2 seasons in Indianapolis.
In his 14 NFL seasons, he recorded 71½ sacks, 7 interceptions, 112 return yards, 31 forced fumbles, 27 fumble recoveries, 78 fumble return yards, and three touchdowns (one interception, one fumble return, and one blocked field goal return).
Offensive Lineman, Chris Samuels
Samuels is one of the best lineman ever to play at Alabama. He played at Alabama from 1996-1999 where he never allowed even one sack during the 42 games he started. He also won Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the SEC’s most outstanding blocker during his time in Tuscaloosa. He and Shaun Alexander were on the team together at Alabama, and they were incredible.
Samuels went on to be drafted by the Washington Redskins as the 3rd overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
During his 9 seasons in the NFL for the Redskins, he started in all 141 games. He also had 4 fumble recoveries.
Roll Tide Wire will keep you up to date on the very latest!
Manning is a lock to enter the Hall of Fame next year.
BREAKING: The Modern-Era nominees for the Class of 2021 have been unveiled. The list is comprised of 130 players. Among the group are 14 first-year eligible players.
Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is among nine ex-Denver players who have been nominated for the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as modern-era candidates.
A total of 130 modern-era players were nominated and Manning is among 14 first-year eligible players, joining Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson, among others (view the full list on the Hall of Fame’s website).
Manning won two Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts and one later in his career with the Broncos. He is a lock to be voted into the Hall of Fame this year.
In addition to Manning, former Denver center Tom Nalen, wide receiver Rod Smith, kicker Jason Elam, defensive lineman Neil Smith and safety John Lynch were also nominated. The list of nominated players who spent time with the Broncos also includes receiver Wes Welker, running back Glyn Milburn and defensive lineman Michael Dean Perry.
Denver legend Steve Atwater was set to enter the Hall of Fame this year but the ceremony was pushed back until 2021 because of the coronavirus. Manning will likely join Atwater in Canton next summer.
The Longhorns legendary running back Earl Campbell surprised celebrity chef Guy Fieri with a gift. Of course it was a Longhorn.
It isn’t everyday that you receive a gift delivered by a Texas Longhorns legend, but that is what happened to celebrity chef Guy Fieri. The Mayor of Flavortown received a gift from Earl Campbell on Wednesday. The first ever Heisman Trophy winner in Longhorns history delivered a gift, of course it was a Longhorn.
Campbell played for the Longhorns from 1974 to 1977. During that time he racked up 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns. He left the school as the all-time leading rusher in both categories. The records stood until another Heisman winning running back came to town in Ricky Williams. Campbell would go on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.
Omg! One of the greatest gifts from my all time favorite player, Earl Campbell #34. And get this, he drove down 3 1/2hrs to deliver it! #RoseofTylerpic.twitter.com/SIWbtmbqZt
Earl Campbell even signed the Longhorn for Guy, who claimed that the Tyler Rose was his favorite all-time player in a tweet. This comes on the same day as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award watch list was released. Despite his fame, that had to be a surreal moment for the celebrity chef.
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Also, a possible playoff bubble, replacing Gerald McCoy, the recent linebacker shuffle, and how the Dallas sidelines will look different.
While still getting over the awful double-shot of Gerald McCoy news from Monday and Tuesday, there was plenty for Cowboys fans to feel good about on Wednesday, including a key reinforcement being officially added to the defensive line that McCoy just vacated.
Elsewhere, a franchise legend is still basking in his limelight moment, and the Dallas defense could be primed for quite a moment of its own. The team received word that the sidelines will be a little less colorful this season, and there’s talk of playoff teams moving to a bubble after the season. All that plus news about play calling, quarterback mentoring, linebacker shifting, turnover practicing, and opposing-passer ranking. Here’s the midweek News and Notes.
Here’s a list where fans want to see their team near the bottom. The Cowboys are slated to face just one “Tier 1” quarterback, Russell Wilson, in 2020. Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, and Carson Wentz are considered “Tier 2” opponents. The majority of the Dallas schedule- 10 games- will be played against quarterbacks in the weakest two tiers.
In the latest edition of Mailbag, Cowboys writers David Helman and Rob Phillips do their best to answer fan questions. In this edition, they take their turns predicting who will replace Gerald McCoy at 3-tech and look at whether the Cowboys have a chance to be a top-five defense without him.
As the Cowboys received terrible news about Gerald McCoy, fellow defensive tackle Dontari Poe officially made his return from injury. The two play different positions along the defensive line, but Poe’s presence will nevertheless ease some of the burden left by McCoy’s absence.
The sidelines at AT&T Stadium will look very different this season, with several longtime staples suddenly MIA due to the COVID-19 crisis. But there is a silver lining, as the eviction of one of the parties may portend a return to the Super Bowl if history repeats.
Snagging QB Andy Dalton was an excellent offseason move by Dallas. Easily now one of the best backups in the league, the veteran has experience and knowledge that he’s sharing with the Cowboys’ young quarterbacks.
Cowboys DC Mike Nolan on Mike McCarthy: “He does as good a job in front of the football team as any head coach I’ve ever been associated with, and I’ve been with a few Hall of Famers.”
There is a misconception surrounding Mike McCarthy that the former Green Bay head coach doesn’t like to run the ball. But McCarthy understands the back he has in Ezekiel Elliott, and the former two-time rushing champ expects the Cowboys to continue pounding the rock.
Drew Pearson isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet, and that’s a problem. The 1970s’ All-Decade wideout is overqualified for the achievement, with three first-team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl win. Gil Brandt helps explain why Pearson should finally get the call in 2021.
Mike McCarthy has turned over the big laminated menu to Kellen Moore. But he’s given up play-calling duties before… and then taken them back when things didn’t go so well.
Kellen Moore says one of the goals for August is to put the team in a few situations that feel like games. Not just for the players, but to help the coaches get a feel for how and where they want to function during games.
A longstanding deficiency of the Cowboys seems to be getting extra attention under Mike McCarthy and Mike Nolan. The third-year linebacker reports that there is now a portion of each practice session dedicated to “punching, raking, hammers, all the stuff. Tackling and punching at the same time.”
The analyst breaks down the recent shuffling of Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith, and explains why each player’s individual game should improve… and predicts the new roles could allow the Cowboys defense as a whole to become a blitzing nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
Sean Payton raised the possibility of instituting a postseason bubble on the last competition committee call, per NFL's Troy Vincent. Vincent says all things are being considered. We'll see if this gains traction later on.
“I’m laughing about it,’’ Vikings running back Chuck Foreman said, via the Pioneer Press .
Minnesota running back Chuck Foreman’s career put him in the Vikings Ring of Honor. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, an Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1973 and even led the NFL in receptions in 1975.
Despite all of those honors and achievements, Foreman was not named a senior finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He recently spoke with Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press about not being considered.
“I’m laughing about it,’’ he said, via the Pioneer Press. “That’s what I think about it. … I don’t know how they choose and pick but I have done a little research and I find that my stats are better than most. … I look at my time, and there’s a lot of ones that were good but there aren’t any that were better (at running back).’’
To make matters more difficult for Vikings fans, defensive end Jim Marshall was also not a senior finalist. He was a member of the “Purple People Eaters” and was recently listed as Minnesota’s top player to not be in the Hall of Fame.
But wait, it gets worse. Drew Pearson, the Cowboys wide receiver who caught the Hail Mary against the Vikings in that 1975 playoff game, was named a senior finalist. That catch is a point of contention for some Vikings fans, many of whom argue that Pearson committed offensive pass interference. So yeah, not great for Vikings fans.
A career retrospective on Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris.
Thirty-five years ago this month, Franco Harris said goodbye to the game he loved so dearly. Not because he wanted to, but because no one wanted him.
The NFL is all about what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, and, at 35, Harris wasn’t able to do it anymore.
While retirement didn’t come on Franco’s terms, his talent and production crafted an illustrious career. As one of the key players on the dominating Steelers teams of the 1970s, his NFL journey included four Super Bowl titles, an NFL-record eight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and 47 games with 100+ yards on the ground.
Draft woes
Harris was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (13th overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft.
It was a great day for the Steelers but not so much for Harris. In a recent interview with I80 Sports Blog, he was candid about his initial opposition to being drafted by Pittsburgh. “Noooooo!!! That’s the one team I did not want to go to; I did not want to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.” The running back added that, after four years at Penn State (just under three hours from Pittsburgh), he wanted to go out and see the world. Not to mention, the Steelers were awful and, up to the point of drafting Franco, had played 39 championship-less seasons.
That was about to change.
Glory days
Harris’ arrival in Pittsburgh coincided with the Steelers’ finding their identity under head coach Chuck Noll.
The AFC Rookie of the Year in 1972, Harris gained 1,055 yards rushing (and 10 touchdowns) and became only the fourth first-year player to exceed the 1,000-yard mark in the NFL.
The Penn State product gained instant popularity — so much so that he had his very own army. A group of passionate Italian-American Steelers fans who were called The Italian Army asked the rookie for permission to add his name to their group; after all, it only made sense since Franco was part Italian.
“This group of Italians was having dinner and drinking wine, and they wondered what they could do,” Harris once shared. “They said it would take an army to keep the fans going, and someone said, ‘Hey there’s this kid from Jersey, and he’s half Italian… maybe we can do, ‘Franco’s Italian Army.’ … So we got together, and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ and it was incredible. One was a baker, and the other was a pizza chef… the baker would make bread and hollow it out and put wine in it and make a priest carry it into the stadium… We’re still going!”
Hence, the troop became Franco’s Italian Army. Game after game, they maintained a voracious presence at Three Rivers Stadium complete with flags, banners, and army helmets with No. 32 on them.
The Immaculate Reception
Single-handedly, Harris is responsible for one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Of course, that play is the miraculous Immaculate Reception, which gave the Steelers their first-ever playoff win in a dramatic victory over the Oakland Raiders in 1972.
Under tremendous pressure from Raiders linemen, Terry Bradshaw scrambled around in the pocket and eventually was able to get the ball out toward running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided with Fuqua as the ball arrived and sent the ball backward. Everyone thought the play was over… except for Franco. He scooped it up mere inches from the turf and hit the ground running for a 60-yard score with five seconds remaining in the game. Three Rivers Stadium erupted when the referee’s arms shot up, indicating a touchdown.
It was such a bang-bang play that there are no photos of the reception, only the before and after — Bradshaw scrambling, the Tatum-Fuqua collision, and Harris escaping the clutches of cornerback Jimmy Warren (pictured above). Video footage also doesn’t show the entire ball from nose-to-nose, leading non-Steelers fans to debate whether it was even a reception. But we all know it was, and that’s all that matters.
To this day, 48 years later, it stands as the most awesome catch in Steelers history. Considering how many great catches have been made for the franchise since then tells you just how mind-blowing the Immaculate Reception was.
Contract squabble
Football is a business, first and foremost. It’s the business side of things that often find fans’ most beloved players on another team.
When Harris’ contract expired following the 1983 season, he saught a better deal than the franchise was willing to offer. Harris was now 34 and, as is the case with most running backs in that career stage, his knees were shot. He had been through multiple surgeries, and the Steelers knew his physical limitations would affect his contributions.
Bearing this in mind, Pittsburgh reportedly still offered Harris a significant raise and guarantee in a one-year contract. According to Jeffrey Krivis, in his in-depth article Recovering From Mistakes Made In Negotiations: The Franco Harris Fiasco, Franco’s agent (Bart Beier) countered with a second-year guarantee demand.
“Franco’s agent tried to one-up the Steelers in a way that backfired and prevented his client from achieving his life’s dream,” Krivis wrote.
In an unexpected move, after a five-month-long contract dispute, the Steelers placed their Pro Bowl running back on waivers on Aug. 20, 1984. When he wasn’t claimed by a team, Harris became a free agent for the first time in his 12-year career.
It wasn’t until Week 2 of the regular season that he was signed by the expansion Seattle Seahawks.
Harris was just 363 yards shy of breaking Jim Brown’s rushing record — a record that, at the time, was the NFL’s best. With 14 weeks remaining in the season, it was not impossible to attain. Halfway to setting the rushing record, Harris was released by Seattle Week 8.
Little did Franco know that he hung up his cleats for one final time, never to play another down in the NFL.
Reluctant retirement
Even after the midseason release by the Seahawks and months of being out of football, Harris had hopes of playing for a team in 1985.
Unfortunately for him, nothing materialized.
“I have no regrets,” Harris told the Associated Press in 1985. “I was ready to play this year. I worked hard. I thought I might get a shot with one team, and it didn’t happen… There comes a time in life when you say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to just hang on.’ I’m definitely not hanging on to it.”
At the time Franco retired, he held or shared 24 NFL records, which included 24 points and 354 yards rushing in four Super Bowls and 17 touchdowns and 1,556 yards rushing in 19 playoff games. Harris, a nine-time Pro Bowler, also earned the title of Super Bowl MVP when he rushed for 158 yards in the 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.
His career rushing and yards from scrimmage totals of 14,622 ranked as the third-highest marks in pro football history. Harris was second to Brown in career rushing touchdowns with 91. He also caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine touchdowns.
It’s a shame that Harris’ career didn’t end the way he deserved. But, ultimately, he was recognized with the highest-ever NFL honor of a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Harris chose Lynn Swann as his presenter. “I look forward to the day that you will be immortalized,” Harris said to Swann in his HOF enshrinement speech.
Fittingly, Harris and Jack Lambert were both inducted the same 1990 HOF class. “[Jack] taught me how to run out of bounds by chasing me all the time,” Harris shared with a laugh.
Selflessly, Harris’s speech was more about his teammates than about himself. “I was able to achieve goals beyond my wildest dreams because of the people who surrounded me,” he said. “They brought out the best in me, they made me rise to new heights, they made me a better ballplayer.”
To this day, three decades removed from football, he is still one of the best and most-loved running backs to ever don the Black and Gold.
The Pittsburgh Steelers compiled a Franco Harris highlight reel, which can be viewed on their YouTube channel.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the enshrinement ceremony for the 2020 Hall of Fame class has been moved to May 13-15, 2021.
Nine months later than first planned, former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich will finally have his enshrinement ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2021.
The ceremony for the 2020 class, which includes Tomjanovich, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally scheduled for August 2020.
The event will now be held on May 13-15, 2021, at the Mohegan Sun entertainment complex in Connecticut. The Hall of Fame’s press release says this complex can operate as a “near bubble,” which indicates their intent to move forward with these dates without further delays.
The May 2021 ceremony will be exclusive to the delayed 2020 class, and it will not be merged with the separate 2021 Hall of Fame class.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Reschedules Class of 2020 Enshrinement to May 2021 at @MoheganSun. #20HoopClass
In his 11-plus seasons as head coach in Houston, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.
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Besides his coaching allocades, Tomjanovich was also a dynamic player — with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward over 11 NBA seasons.
When ‘Rudy T’ is inducted, he has enlisted Rockets legends Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon to formally present him at the ceremony.