Hall of Fame Should-Bes

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I was in Canton for Cris Carter's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was a beautiful time and place. Carter had to wait about six years longer than he should have had to wait for the Hall to call. There are many former players that have been waiting far longer than Cris Carter. Several have even died waiting. Here are a few of the players that should be in the Hall of Fame.

Lavvie Dilweg
End
Milwaukee Badgers 1926, Green Bay Packers 1927-31
I get the feeling that the voters have shut the book on players from the first decade of the NFL. They forgot one. Dilweg is widely regarded as the best all-around end of the 1920s. He was a big part of the Packers championship teams of 1929-31.

Glenn Presnell
Back
Portsmouth Spartans 1931-33, Detroit Lions 1934-36
He also played on an Ironton Tanks semi-pro team that defeated the Bears and Giants in 1930. Great all-around football player. 1st in the league in scoring , 2nd in passing, 4th in rushing in 1933. Won an NFL title with the Lions in 1935. Kicked a 54-yard field goal in 1934 that stood as the NFL record for nearly twenty years. Playing in the shadow of Dutch Clark might have darkened his deserving Hall of Fame recognition.

Spec Sanders
Back
New York Yankees(AAFC)1946-49, New York Yanks 1950
Sanders had one of the greatest seasons in professional football history in 1947. 1,432 yards rushing. 18 rushing touchdowns. 1,442 yards passing. 14 passing touchdowns. One kickoff returned for a touchdown. Three interceptions. A 42.1 yard punting average. He did everything and he did everything great. He was named to the Pro Bowl in his one NFL season. Sanders was the sixth pick of the 1942 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. World War II had other plans for Spec Sanders. As it did for many professional football players, the war gave Sanders a later start to his career. He was a 27-year old rookie in 1946.

Ken Kavanaugh
End
Chicago Bears 1940-41, 1945-50
The three years taken by World War II may be what has kept Kavanaugh out of Canton. He averaged an amazing 28.5 yards per catch in 1941. Averaged 22.4 for his career. 50 of his 162 career catches were touchdowns. Kavanaugh helped lead the Bears to three NFL titles and scored touchdowns in all three games.

Al Wistert
Tackle
Philadelphia Eagles
Strong on defense. Excelled as a blocker. All-NFL from 1944-48. Wistert led the Eagles lines of the 1948-49 championship years.

Alex Karras
Defensive tackle
Detroit Lions 1958-62, 1964-70
One of the musts for a player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is to be among the best at his position during his career. Karras was one of the best defensive tackles throughout his twelve-year career. The best indication of his great play can be found in the way that his peers speak of him. He was Warren Sapp about thirty years before Warren Sapp was Warren Sapp. His suspension for gambling in 1963 must be the reason for his exclusion from the Hall. That doesn't make much sense since Paul Hornung was suspended for the same season and the same reason.

Jerry Kramer
Guard
Green Bay Packers 1958-68
This one is probably the biggest mystery. He was one of the top players on some of the best teams in NFL history. It was sort of assumed that enough Packers from the 1960s were already honored in Canton. Then Dave Robinson makes it last year. Kramer's missing bust is a joke.

Ken Anderson
Quarterback
Cincinnati Bengals 1971-86
Anderson was one of the best quarterbacks of his era. Extremely accurate. MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1981 when he led the Bengals to an improbable Super Bowl appearance.

Ken Riley
Cornerback
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals of this era are pretty much ignored by the voters. Riley had an incredible 65 interceptions in his career. 5th all-time. The only player ahead of him that spent his entire career at corner was "Night Train" Lane.

These are just a few of the players that are at the mercy of the Senior Committee.