Will this be their year? 2012 Hall of Fame finalists
by smileyman on Nov 22, 2011 5:30 PM PST
in 49ers History
Email
PrintHere's something that's not related to a certain game this week. Today the NFL Network announced the semi-finalists for the 2012 Hall of Fame. There are some familiar names on the list, as well as a few who have made several appearances.
Three former 49ers make the list:
Roger Craig, RB
Craig is so synonymous with the 49ers and Joe Montana that it's sometimes difficult to remember that he also played for the Los Angeles Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings.
During his career he rushed for a total of 8,189 yards on 1,991 carries for an average of 4.1 yards per carry which is pretty good in any era. He had 56 rushing TDs and 17 receiving TDs.
Will he finally make it? I don't know. It's hard to say that he's more deserving of a spot than Terrell Davis, Jerome Bettis, or Curtis Martin.
Charles Haley, DE
Haley played 13 seasons in the NFL and totaled over 100 sacks during that time. He's the only player to have 5 Super Bowl rings. Does he deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely. Despite his difficult (an understatement if there ever was one) that shouldn't detract from his performance on the field. Hopefully the voters finally move past his unpleasant personality and give him the recognition he deserves.
Chris Doleman, DE
Doleman only played for the 49ers for 3 years (1996, 1997, 1998). He's a great defensive lineman who in his 15 seasons notched 150.5 sacks. That's 10 sacks a year, including one season in Minnesota where he had 21 sacks! He definitely deserves a spot, but I don't really think of him as a 49er.
Eddie Debartolo Jr, Owner
We all know about Eddie D. After a rough start in San Francisco (he hired the worst manager professional football has ever seen) he turned the 49ers around and turned the team into a legendary team. Thanks to his ownership the 49ers had a decade and a half of dominance. I doubt any owner has had more former players request that he introduce them than has Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
I'm sure that his exclusion from the Hall of Fame is exclusively due to the gambling and bribery scandal that cost him control of the 49ers. It's time the voters look past that and honor him by voting him into the Hall.
The rest of the semi-finalists are below the jump with my thoughts on whether they'll make it this year
" Steve Atwater, S -- 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets
He played a long time for the Broncos, but I'm not sure he's a HOF worthy player.
" Jerome Bettis, RB -- 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Bettis doesn't get much respect when talking about all time great running backs but A.) He was a big man playing RB (250 lbs for most of his career), and B.) He rushed for over 13,000 yards for his career. Does he deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame? I'm not sure.
" Tim Brown, WR/KR -- 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He should be in but I suspect he'll always be on the bubble.
" Cris Carter, WR -- 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Tim Brown and Andre Reed deserve a spot before Chris Carter does.
" Don Coryell, Coach -- 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers
He invented the modern NFL offense. It's a crime he's not in the Hall of Fame yet.
" Roger Craig, RB -- 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings
I honestly think that Terrell Davis, Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis deserve a spot more than Craig.
" Terrell Davis, RB -- 1995-2001 Denver Broncos
He only played for 7 seasons but he averaged 4.6 yards per carry and totalled 7607 yards. He's one of only 6 players who have rushed for 2000 yards in a single season.
" Dermontti Dawson, C -- 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
He should be. He was voted to 7 straight Pro Bowls, which is an amazing feat especially since this was before the internet. Even though the Steelers don't retire numbers the organization has not issued his number to a player since he retired.
" Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner -- 1979-2000 San Francisco 49ers
I hope this is the year but I don't have much faith. He absolutely deserves it.
" Chris Doleman, DE/LB -- 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Yes, he definitely deserves a spot.
" Kevin Greene, LB/DE -- 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers
Greene should be in, but I don't think this will be the year.
" Charles Haley, DE/LB -- 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
I think this will finally be the year he makes it.
" Cortez Kennedy, DT -- 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
I really don't think he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame.
" Curtis Martin, RB -- 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
He should be, but I don't think he will. Not this year anyway
" Clay Matthews, LB -- 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons
20 years is a long time to play professional football. Does he deserve a spot? I don't know. I think he's a bubble player.
" Karl Mecklenburg, LB -- 1983-1994 Denver Broncos
Mecklenburg definitely doesn't deserve a spot. Matthews will make it before Mecklenburg.
" Bill Parcells, Coach -- 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys
I'll be shocked if Parcells isn't in the Hall of Fame this ballot
" Andre Reed, WR -- 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Andre Reed should be in it, but I don't think he will. I suspect Tim Brown makes it before Andre Reed.
" Willie Roaf, T -- 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Roaf is one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time. He should make it.
" Donnie Shell, S -- 1974-1987 Pittsburgh Steelers
Shell had a long career but he wasn't a top player for most of that. Above average and a definite contributor to his teams but not all-star and not Hall of Fame worthy in my view.
" Will Shields, G -- 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs
In 14 seasons Shields never missed a game and failed to start only one (his first game as a rookie). He's absolutely worth of membership in the Hall.
" Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner -- 1989-2006 National Football League
He'll make it but not this year.
" Steve Tasker, ST/WR -- 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills
He's a great WR but Hall of Fame worthy? Don't think so.
" Aeneas Williams, CB/S -- 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams
Absolutely not, if only because he laid the hit on Steve Young that ended his career.
" Ron Wolf, Contributor -- 1963-1974, 1978-1990 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1975-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1990 New York Jets, 1991-2001 Green Bay Packers
Yeah, he probably deserves a spot if only for his work with the Packers. I don't think he makes it this year though.
" George Young, Contributor -- 1968-1974 Baltimore Colts, 1975-78 Miami Dolphins, 1979-1997 New York Giants, 1998-2001 National Football League
Young deserves it more than Ron Wolf though. The Giants won two Super Bowls while he was manager.
14 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
When you have 150 sacks in just 15 seasons, that is definitely worthy of inclusion in the HOF
Doleman was dominant for so long that its hard to exclude him
Tasker was a beast for special teams. I think he should.
by mcwagner on Nov 22, 2011 9:06 PM PST via mobile reply actions
who the hell is that guy on the right in the picture?
"And thank you to God for making me an Atheist." - Ricky Gervais
by MichaelClutchtree on Nov 22, 2011 10:34 PM PST reply actions
I'm actually shocked
that fans think Roger Craig will make the Hall this year ahead of Eddie DeBartolo Jr and Charles Haley
Reply fail
Really?
Two decades of dominance, 5 rings???
Eddie was the best owner in the NFL…. Players loved playing for him and were never treated better.
He found Walsh and continued success through Seifert…. Plus he was smart enough to get out of the way of Walsh as a coach and later as a consultant, even when he didn’t agree with him.
Plus they created the salary cap because of Eddie…. That alone should be enough…
by thatguywiththebeardandthebanjo on Nov 22, 2011 11:54 PM PST reply actions
by thatguywiththebeardandthebanjo on Nov 22, 2011 11:56 PM PST up reply actions
Ya well take a look at the owners who have made the HOF
Winning Super Bowls isn’t the criteria.
He wasn’t well respected by his peers. His second act consisted of getting the salary cap written against him, caught breaking those cap rules than getting kicked out of the league for another scandal.
If you read the old stories the rest of the NFL dealt with and loved Walsh, no one looked to Eddie for advice. His ownership span wasn’t that long, not compared to other HOFs. He isn’t credited with contributing much to the game or the NFL, again most on the inside all credit Walsh for the 49ers innovations. 5 Superbowlz and rose colored glasses about staying out of the way isn’t much of a case.
OK, here are the owners that have made the Hall of Fame
I can only think of two of them on the list who made it because of things they did as an owner that impacted the game. The others are there because they were either coaches before becoming owners or they’re owners of storied franchises.
Charles Bidwill. Owner of the Chicago Cardinals from 1933 to 1947. Never won a championship. Most famous for being the “co-owner” of the term Million Dollar Backfield for the Chicago Cardinals lineup. Otherwise completely un-noteworthy as an owner.
Paul Brown. Far more famous as a coach than as an owner, considering that he only owned 6% of the Bengals.
George HalasHalas is on here as coach/owner. He moved the Bears to Chicago (which is important to the history of the NFL), but he coached for 40 years and only had 6 losing seasons in those 40 years.
Earl Lous “Curly” Lambeau He started the Packers in 1919, but he wasn’t really an owner since he had to make it a public company in 1923 to keep it afloat. He’s in the Hall because he brought the franchise to Green Bay and as a player.
Dan ReevesOwned the Rams from 1941 to 1971. Remembered mostly for being the first owner to sign a black player post-WWII
Art Rooney In there because he started the Pittsburgh Steelers, but other than that what did he do?
Dan Rooney Two owners of the same team? Dan deserves it more than his dad does, simply because of the work he’s done promoting the hiring of minority coaches.
So yeah, looking at the names of some of the owners on that list Eddie DeBartolo is every bit as deserving.
Roger has a good chance against this field
Davis, Bettis and Martin don’t have strong cases either. If someone makes the case only Marshall Faulk has eclipsed some of Rogers marks 25 years later plus a little fan support he could get in.
Unfortunately 49ers fans even underrate him:
He stared in Super Bowl XIX being the first player to score 3 TDs in SB game.
First running back to both run and catch for 1000 yards in a season (only other RB is Faulk).
Finished his career with around 8100 rushing yards and 4900 passing yards
Has 3 SB rings, a unique running style and several signature games.
I still don't think he's more worthy than Bettis or Davis
I could be convinced about Curtis Martin if you tried hard, but if Florida Danny were around he’d be livid at the idea.
Davis should be in the Hall before Craig because he’s on a list that only 5 other men are on. He also carried the Broncos to victory in Super Bowl 32, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns despite missing almost an entire quarter of play due to blinding migraines. Those three touchdowns are a Super Bowl record that has yet to be beat.
So in my view the list goes like this:
Terrell Davis
and then the other three. My personal preference is to rank them in order as Bettis, Martin, and then Craig, but like I said I can be convinced that Craig deserves it more than Martin because Craig is in the Super Bowl record books tied for the most points scored in a SB at 18 (with Jerry Rice, Terrell Davis, Ricky Watters,
Amusingly enough other than Davis each of the other three men on that particular list all played for the 49ers while setting the record. (Jerry Rice did it twice.)
Really?
Two decades of dominance, 5 rings???
Eddie was the best owner in the NFL…. Players loved playing for him and were never treated better.
He found Walsh and continued success through Seifert…. Plus he was smart enough to get out of the way of Walsh as a coach and later as a consultant, even when he didn’t agree with him.
Plus they created the salary cap because of Eddie…. That alone should be enough…
by thatguywiththebeardandthebanjo on Nov 22, 2011 11:54 PM PST reply actions
Well , Haley does things i only do when i used too Drink .. ( Pee's on people ) he's out ...
… Love Eddie to death , but his legal problems may hurt him …
… Doleman was a beast , but there are many among him that haven’t got there yet …
… Craig , first player that had 1000 yd rushing , 1000 yd receiving , he gets my vote …!!
I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ..( .AleX ) was asked , what do you think about all the game manager talk ... AleX i guess i just managed myself a VIctory ... Extend the Man ...!!
How many running backs ever led the leage in receptions?
Craig was the heart of 3 Superbowl teams and did things no other player at his position(s) ever accomplished. Rice led the league in receptions twice and Craig did it once as a RB. He played FB and won a Superbowl (scoring a record 3 TD’s) then won 2 more as the featured RB. He was the kind of player that could line up at any position and dominate. Lets face it, Montana and Rice needed a running game and it was Craig. All should be in the Hall of Fame.
by Critical Roach on Nov 23, 2011 10:08 AM PST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Niners Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
