Tag: Pro Football Hall of Fame

Pro Football Hall of Fame officially opens Joe Thomas exhibit in Canton

With his induction in three weeks, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has all of the Browns memorabilia on display at the Joe Thomas exhibit

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The Cleveland Browns will see the first player in franchise history since their return in 1999 inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in just three short weeks. And as Joe Thomas gets ready to put on the gold jacket and to be immortalized in Canton, Ohio, they have opened up his exhibit inside the museum.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Twitter account tweeted out a video of Thomas’ exhibit, unfortunately displaying the ugly uniforms the Browns wore between 2015 and 2019. Regardless, it is cool to finally see a player from Cleveland enshrined for the first time in over 25 years.

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Miles Sanders calls Andy Dalton a ‘future Hall of Famer’

Panthers RB Miles Sanders called teammate Andy Dalton a “very, very, very good quarterback” and a “future Hall of Famer.”

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Miles Sanders is a very good teammate.

The new Carolina Panthers running back hopped on Thursday’s episode of WFNZ’s Mac & Bone. When asked by host Chris McClain how good he thinks the team can be right off the bat, Sanders said it’s all a matter of putting their talent together.

“I believe we could be as good as we put our minds to it,” he replied. “People will say we look good on paper or we got a lot of talent—lot of young talent, got some vets on the team, too—but you really create a championship team between OTAs and training camp. And we’re about to get into training camp and that’s gonna really matter.”

Sanders proceeded to run down that paper, and had a very intriguing perspective on veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.

“But I have a good feeling about these guys,” he added. “These guys work, and that’s the main thing I’ve noticed in OTAs. We got a very, very good young quarterback that’s being mentored by a very, very, very good quarterback, a future Hall of Famer Andy Dalton—who I have a lot of respect for. And you got guys like Adam Thielen mentoring the young receivers, and that’s a great guy to take notes from. We got a seasoned o-line that I love—I love the film, I love watching their film. And the defense is stacked.”

Dalton has carved himself out a rock-solid NFL career. Over 12 seasons, the former second-round pick has thrown for 38,150 yards (24th all-time) and 244 touchdowns (27th) while amassing three Pro Bowl selections.

But Dalton currently boasts a 42.23 mark in the Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor, which puts him right in between Trent Green and Matt Hasselbeck. Oh, and we also don’t need a monitor to tell us this either.

So, the real takeaway here is that Sanders may actually register as a Hall of Fame hype man.

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Steve Tasker named semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024

Steve Tasker named semifinalist for 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame:

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Former Bills wide receiver and special teams ace Steve Tasker was named among 60 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 class.

Tasker was one of 31 semifinalists selected by the Hall’s 12-person Seniors Committee.

Each semifinalist played his last game no later than the 1998 season. The Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 22 and may select up to three Seniors for final consideration. The expansion of the Seniors pool for election to the Hall was approved in 2022 for the classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Tasker’s final year of eligibility as a Modern Era selection was 2022.

Considered one of the best special teams players ever in the NFL, Tasker was with the Bills from 1986 to 1997. Only three full-time special teams players are enshrined in the Hall of Fame: punter Ray Guy and kickers Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen.

Tasker’s bio as published on the Hall of Fame’s press release can be found below:

Steve Tasker (wide receiver/kick returner/punt returner, 1985-1997): Late-round pick of the Houston Oilers. Claimed off waivers by Buffalo Bills midway through his second NFL season. Key member of Bills’ special teams units over next 11 seasons, earning seven Pro Bowl nods and appearing in four Super Bowls.

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WATCH: Bears great Steve McMichael’s reaction to learning he’s a Hall of Fame semifinalist

Bears legend Steve McMichael was named a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024. See his reaction:

Bears great defensive tackle Steve McMichael was named as a senior semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. Bears owner Virginia McCaskey is also a semifinalist as a contributor.

McMichael, known affectionately as “Mongo,” was a force during his 13-year career with Chicago, where he played a huge role in the dominance of the 1985 Bears. Many of his former teammates, including Richard Dent, have argued he should already be in the Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, McMichael has been battling ALS for the last couple of years. He revealed his diagnosis in April 2021, and he’s now full paralyzed and lost his voice.

WGN’s Jarrett Payton shared a video of McMichael’s reaction to hearing his report that he’s a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame, which got a smile out of Mongo.

McMichael spent 13 seasons with the Bears, where he was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team. McMichael was a two-time First Team All-Pro, three-time Second Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. His 92.5 career sacks ranks second in franchise history, behind only Richard Dent (124.5).

There will be a vote to narrow those senior and coach/contributor semifinalists to finalists. Those finalists would need to receive at least 80% of the vote to be elected to Canton.

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4 ex-Colts named Hall of Fame semifinalists for Senior, Coach/Contributor

Chris Hinton featured among 60 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in the Senior, Coach/Contributor category.

Three former Indianapolis Colts players and one former coach have been named semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in the Senior, Coach/Contributor categories.

This nomination slightly differs from the typical list of Modern-Era players as it pertains to players who haven’t played in at least 25 years.

Per the Hall of Fame:

To assure that older players, whose active careers have been completed at least 25 years, as well as coaches, who have not coached in at least five years, and those individuals who contributed to the game in ways other than playing and coaching, will be considered along with the Modern-Era Player candidates, a Coach/Contributor Committee and a Seniors Committee have been established.

Like the Modern-Era nominees, the finalists for this category still need 80% approval in the voting in order to reach the Hall of Fame.

Here is the quartet of former Colts who made it to the semifinalist round:

Randy Gradishar, Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan, Alex Gibbs among 2024 Hall of Fame semifinalists

Randy Gradishar, Mike Shanahan and late coaches Dan Reeves and Alex Gibbs have been named semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 2024 semifinalists for the Senior candidates and Coach/Contributor categories on Wednesday. Among the semifinalists are former Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, ex-head coaches Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves, and former assistant Alex Gibbs.

Each of them has a very strong case for the Hall of Fame.

Randy Gradishar: Gradishar was the soul of the 1970s “Orange Crush,” in a time when defense was the main event in the NFL. Gradishar won the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, was voted to seven Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro in 1977 and 1978, and was a five-time All-Pro during his ten-year career. Players from his era with similar statistics (Robert Brazile 10 seasons/7 Pro Bowls, Jack Ham 12 seasons/8 Pro Bowls, Ted Hendricks 15 seasons/8 Pro Bowls, Jack Lambert 11 seasons/9 Pro Bowls) all reached the Hall of Fame. Gradishar may be helped by the Hall of Fame’s new Senior Committee policy, which will allow the committee to select a maximum of three players to the Hall of Fame for the next two years. Gradishar’s anxiously-awaited selection would right a serious wrong for all of Broncos Country.

Dan Reeves: Reeves was the head coach for three Broncos teams that went to the Super Bowl (the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons). Reeves is second all-time for the franchise in games coached and games won. He is fifth all-time in winning percentage in Denver history (.601). As a coach and player (he played as a halfback, the equivalent of today’s fullback/tight end), he appeared in nine Super Bowls. He is also in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Reeves died in 2022.

Mike Shanahan: Shanahan’s Hall of Fame resume writes itself. He is the winningest coach in franchise history and helped Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway over the hump to win back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1997 and ’98 seasons. He developed multiple 1,000-yard rushers with the Broncos. He also has a third Super Bowl ring from his time as San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator (1992-94). Shanahan is a Broncos Ring of Fame member.

Alex Gibbs: Gibbs coached the Broncos’ offensive line three different times, as offensive line coach (1984-1987, 1995-2003) and as an offensive line consultant (2013). Behind Gibbs’ lines, Denver had multiple 1,000-yard rushers in a season, and a historic 2,000-yard season from Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis in 1998. Gibbs was instrumental in helping protect an aging Elway in the twilight of his career and was a visionary in the world of zone-blocking schemes. Gibbs died in 2021.

The latest member of the Hall of Fame from the Broncos is former linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who is part of the Hall’s 2023 class.

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5 Chiefs among senior, coach and contributor semifinalists for 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame

Five former members of the #Chiefs organization were named senior or coach/contributor semifinalists for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 12-person committee has trimmed their list of senior and coaching/contributor candidates down to 60 semifinalists for the 2024 class. A number of former members of the Kansas City Chiefs are up for enshrinement this year, including two players, one general manager, one coach and one scout.

The next step in the process is to reduce each group to 12 finalists, which will occur later this month on July 27. In late August the committee will convene to select one coach/contributor and up to three seniors for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024.

Below is a quick look at those who’ve made it through to the semifinalist round:

Robert Kraft, Stanley Morgan named 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists

Two Patriots made the cut as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was named a Pro football Hall of Fame semifinalist for the Class of 2024 in the coach/contributor category on Wednesday.

Kraft joins a list that includes the likes of Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr. and Marty Schottenheimer. There are 29 semifinalists in all.

There were also 31 semifinalist nominees in the seniors category. One of those included former Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan.

Morgan played for New England from 1977-1989. He holds the Patriots’ franchise record for receiving yards with 10,352. He had a total of  557 receptions for 10,716 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns over the course of his career, along with four Pro Bowl and two All-Pro nods.

Both Kraft and Morgan will be up against stiff competition to make the final cut in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but they’re on track for a real shot at getting inducted.

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Bears’ Steve McMichael, Virginia McCaskey among semifinalists for Hall of Fame

Bears DT Steve McMichael and owner Virginia McCaskey are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

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Bears great defensive tackle Steve McMichael and owner Virginia McCaskey are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

McMichael is among the 31 Senior semifinalists while McCaskey is among the 29 Coach and Contributor semifinalists.

McMichael spent 13 seasons with the Bears, where he was a member of the 1985 Super Bowl team. McMichael was a two-time First Team All-Pro, three-time Second Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. His 92.5 career sacks ranks second in franchise history, behind only Richard Dent (124.5).

McCaskey is considered the matriarch of the NFL as the daughter of George Halas, who founded the league back in 1920. She took over as owner of the Bears in 1983 after Halas passed away. McCaskey celebrated her 100th birthday back on Jan. 5.

The Senior and Coach/Contributor committees were formed in order to ensure players and coaches who have been out of the game for awhile and contributors who have made an impact on the game would be considered for the Hall of Fame.

There will be a vote to narrow down the Senior and Coach/Contributor semifinalists to finalists later, and those finalists would need to receive at least 80% of the vote to be elected to Canton.

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Jim Marshall named senior semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Minnesota Vikings DE Jim Marshall was named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s time to enshrine him in Canton.

After playing for 20 years in the National Football League, Minnesota Vikings legend Jim Marshall is one step closer to being enshrined in Canton, OH. On Wednesday, Marshall was one of 60 former players, coaches and contributors named as a semi-finalist for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Acquired by the Vikings via trade from the Cleveland Browns in 1961, Marshall was the NFL’s iron man playing in a remarkable 282 games with 270 consecutive starts and accumulating an estimated 130.5 sacks per Pro Football Reference.

Fellow members of the Purple People Eaters Alan Page and Carl Eller are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame, one of the likely reasons why Marshall is not yet enshrined, along with the wrong way safety.

It’s been long enough, as Marshall has the resume to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

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