Coach:
Bill Belichick
Contributor:
Robert Kraft
Senior:
Ken Anderson
Roger Craig
L.C. Greenwood
The easiest discussion, if there even was one, had to be on Bill Belichick. He’s arguably the best coach in league history and should be fitted for a Gold Jacket as soon as he’s eligible. That’s now. I suppose the only hesitation was the possibility of a return to NFL sidelines. It’s unfortunate that Buddy Parker’s wait continues but Belichick deserves immediate induction.
As for the Contributor Finalist, there’s issues. Ralph Hay is one of the league’s founders. He called and hosted the meeting that started the National Football League. His Canton Bulldogs won NFL titles in 1922 and 1923. He should’ve been in one of the first few Hall of Fame classes. His induction certainly should precede that of Robert Kraft. Clark Shaugnessy also had a greater impact on the National Football League than Kraft. Bucko Kilroy as well. I don’t understand this rush to induct owners that merely ride the success of the people they hired.
The problem that I have with the Senior Finalists is more involved. The refusal to consider deserving candidates that played before 1950 is simply idiotic. It shames the purpose of the Hall of Fame. Verne Lewellen, Lavvie Dilweg, Ox Emerson, and Al Wistert should’ve been inducted in the 1960s or 1970s. Fifty years later, they are still waiting. I just don’t get it. Voters that have shut the door on such players should not be voters. Lewellen is arguably the most deserving of the four and he didn’t even make it past the cut to 52. Neither did Emerson. That’s insane. Dilweg and Wistert didn’t make it to the semi-finalist stage. Maybe the Hall voters that have apparently shut the door on those that suited up before 1950 need to have those players described in today’s terms. Much like Marshall Faulk, Verne Lewellen was a versatile, touchdown-scoring machine. Faulk won one title. Lewellen won three. Lavvie Dilweg not being in Canton would be like Travis Kelce not making it about five years after he retired. And then waiting another half century. Can anyone imagine Kelce still waiting for that Hall call decades after he passed? The Green Bay Packers won three consecutive titles from 1929-31. The team was one of the league’s first dynasties. Johnny Blood McNally, Cal Hubbard, Mike Michalske, and, of course, Curly Lambeau are the only Hall of Famers from those teams. One can argue that Lewellen and Dilweg were as integral to that remarkable success as any of their teammates. The 1930s Detroit Lions had one of the most productive ground games in the history of the league. As the Portsmouth Spartans, they played for the title in 1932. After moving to Detroit and becoming the Lions, they won a title in 1935. Ox Emerson paved the way for that ground game and the team’s success. His Hall omission can be compared to a player like Alan Faneca still waiting. Al Wistert’s long wait might be the most stunning of all. He was one of the finest offensive AND defensive linemen of his era. Like Lewellen and Dilweg, Wistert was also an integral part of a dynasty. His Philadelphia Eagles team went to three consecutive championship games from 1947-49, winning in 1948 and 1949. His Hall omission can be compared to players like Chris Jones AND Lane Johnson waiting 20 years and being kicked to the Senior pool. Both still waiting 75 years after their last snap. Can anyone imagine Jones and Johnson waiting more than a single year for their Hall call? Anyone with a proper understanding of league history should easily see the greatness and impact of Verne Lewellen, Lavvie Dilweg, Ox Emerson, and Al Wistert. All four had Hall of Fame careers. All four have been waiting since the Pro Football Hall of Fame opened in 1963. None even made it to this year’s Semi-finalist stage. Again. That’s just absurd. What is this “Blue Ribbon” Senior Committee even doing when they meet?
The Nine Senior Finalists:
Ken Anderson
Roger Craig
L.C. Greenwood
Henry Ellard
Joe Jacoby
Eddie Meador
Stanley Morgan
Steve Tasker
Otis Taylor
While I would’ve liked to see Otis Taylor among the finalists, I really have no problem with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, and L.C. Greenwood being selected from the nine semi-finalists. My problem is with the continued ignorance of the league’s past. Recognizing the league’s past is the stated purpose of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s sad that the 1970s seem to be as far back as this group of voters are willing to go. I suppose it’s fitting since most fans and many national pundits see the National Football League as starting with Super Bowl I.
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