Pro Football Hall of Fame
Rather than naming its hall of fame the "NFL Hall of Fame", the National Football League calls it the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even though its displays and inductees are dominated by NFL teams and players. The Hall is located in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the NFL in 1920. The first Board of Selectors was comprised of sportswriters from the fourteen cities with NFL teams. Although there were eight American Football League teams in existence at the time, none of them were represented. Several of the first selectors had previously been on the NFL payroll as officials or executives. Dick McCann, long-time general manager of the Washington Redskins, was named the hall's first director on April 4, 1962, and Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was among the first inductees announced on January 29, 1963. The building opened in Canton, Ohio on September 7, 1963 with 17 charter inductees.
Inductees into the hall of fame are listed below. Each entry includes the year of induction and the span of time spent with the team. When a person significantly contributed to more than one club, he is listed repeatedly (e.g., George Blanda is listed with the Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and Oakland Raiders). This is somewhat ironic, since the Bears thought Blanda was "washed up" when they released him in 1958, and he has no love lost for them (see "NFL Rejects"). Because of the financial support of the hall by the NFL, and because the initial members of its board of selectors were from NFL cities only, the NFL preference of the hall is evident to this day, and some American Football League players with excellent credentials have been excluded. Reinforcing the contention that the selection process is flawed, was the belated selection of the great AFL coach Hank Stram a full nine years after the induction of Bud Grant, the NFL coach that Stram's team defeated in Super Bowl IV.
(Chicago Cardinals - 1920-1959; St. Louis Cardinals - 1960-1987; Phoenix Cardinals - 1988-1993)
- Charles Bidwell (1967) - 1933-1947
- Jimmy Conzelman (1964) - 1940-1942, 1946-1948
- Dan Dierdorf (1996) - 1971-1983
- John "Paddy" Driscoll (1965) - 1920-1925
- Dick "Night Train" Lane (1974) - 1954-1959
- Ollie Matson (1972) - 1952, 1954-1958
- Ernie Nevers (1963) - 1929-1931
- Jackie Smith (1994) - 1963-1977
- Charley Trippi (1968) - 1947-1955
- Larry Wilson (1978) - 1960-1972
(Decatur Staleys - 1920; Chicago Staleys - 1921)
- Doug Atkins (1982) - 1955-1966
- George Blanda (1981) - 1949-1958
- Dick Butkus (1979) - 1965-1973
- George Connor (1975) - 1948-1955
- Mike Ditka (1988) - 1961-1966
- John "Paddy" Driscoll (1965) - 1920, 1926-29, 1956-57
- Jim Finks (1995) - 1974-1982
- Dan Fortmann (1965) - 1936-1943
- Bill George (1974) - 1952-1965
- Harold "Red" Grange (1963) - 1925, 1929-1934
- George Halas (1963) - 1920-1983
- Dan Hampton (2002) - 1979-1990
- Ed Healey (1964) - 1922-1927
- Bill Hewitt (1971) - 1932-1936
- Stan Jones (1991) - 1954-1965
- Sid Luckman (1965) - 1939-1950
- William Roy "Link" Lyman (1964) - 1926-1928, 1930-1931, 1933-1934
- George McAfee (1966) - 1940-1941, 1945-1950
- George Musso (1982) - 1933-1944
- Bronko Nagurski (1963) - 1930-1937, 1943
- Walter Payton (1993) - 1975-1987
- Gale Sayers (1977) - 1965-1971
- Mike Singletary (1998) - 1981-1992
- Joe Stydahar (1967) - 1936-1942, 1945-1946
- George Trafton (1964) - 1920-1932
- Clyde "Bulldog" Turner (1966) - 1940-1952
- Jim Brown (1971) - 1957-1965
- Paul Brown (1967) - 1946-1962
- Joe DeLamielleure (2003) - 1980-1984
- Len Ford (1976) - 1950-1957
- Frank Gatski (1985) - 1946-1956
- Otto Graham (1965) - 1946-1955
- Lou Groza (1974) - 1946-1959, 1961-1967
- Leroy Kelly (1994) - 1964-1973
- Dante Lavelli (1975) - 1946-1956
- Mike McCormack (1984) - 1954-1962
- Bobby Mitchell (1983) - 1958-1961
- Marion Motley (1968) - 1946-1953
- Ozzie Newsome (1999) - 1978-1990
- Paul Warfield (1983) - 1964-1969, 1976-1977
- Bill Willis (1977) - 1946-1953
- Tony Dorsett (1994) - 1977-1987
- Tom Landry (1990) - 1960-1988
- Bob Lilly (1980) - 1961-1974
- Mel Renfro (1996) - 1964-1977
- Tex Schramm (1991) - 1960-1988
- Roger Staubach (1985) - 1969-1979
- Randy White (1994) - 1975-1988
(Portsmouth Spartans - 1930-1933)
- Lem Barney (1992) - 1967-1977
- Jack Christiansen (1970) - 1951-1958
- Earl "Dutch" Clark (1963) - 1931-1932, 1934-1938
- Lou Creekmur (1996) - 1950-1959
- Bill Dudley (1966) - 1947-1949
- Dick "Night Train" Lane (1974) - 1960-1965
- Yale Lary (1979) - 1952-1953 - 1956-1964
- Bobby Layne (1967) - 1950-1958
- Barry Sanders (2004) - 1989-1998
- Joe Schmidt (1973) - 1953-1965
- Doak Walker (1986) - 1950-1955
- Alex Wojciechowicz (1968) - 1938-1946
- Herb Adderly (1980) - 1961-1969
- Tony Canadeo (1974) - 1941-1944, 1946-1952
- Willie Davis (1981) - 1960-1969
- Forrest Gregg (1977) - 1956, 1958-1970
- Arnie Herber (1966) - 1930-1940
- Clarke Hinkle (1964) - 1932-1941
- Paul Hornung (1986) - 1957-1962, 1964-1966
- Cal Hubbard (1963) - 1929-1933, 1935
- Don Hutson (1963) - 1935-1945
- Henry Jordan (1995) - 1959-1969
- Earl "Curly" Lambeau (1963)- 1919-1949
- James Lofton (2003) - 1978-1986
- Vince Lombardi (1971) - 1959-1968
- John (Blood) McNally (1963) -1929-1933, 1935-1936
- Mike Michalske (1964) - 1929-1935, 1937
- Ray Nitschke (1978) - 1958-1972
- Jim Ringo (1981) - 1953-1963
- Bart Starr (1977) - 1956-1971
- Jim Taylor (1976) - 1958-1966
- Willie Wood (1989) - 1960-1971
(Baltimore Colts - 1953-1983)
- Raymond Berry (1973) - 1955-1967
- Eric Dickerson (1999) - 1987-1991
- Art Donovan (1968) - 1953-1961
- Weeb Ewbank (1978) - 1954-1962
- Ted Hendricks (1990) - 1969-1973
- John Mackey (1992) - 1963-1971
- Gino Marchetti (1972) - 1953-1964, 1966
- Lenny Moore (1975) - 1956-1967
- Jim Parker (1973) - 1957-1967
- Johnny Unitas (1979) - 1956-1972
(Dallas Texans - 1960-1962)
- Nick Buoniconti (2001) - 1969-1974, 1976
- Larry Csonka (1987) - 1968-1974, 1979
- Bob Griese (1990) - 1967-1980
- Jim Langer (1987) - 1970-1979
- Larry Little (1993) - 1969-1980
- Don Shula (1997) - 1970-1995
- Dwight Stephenson (1998) - 1980-1987
- Paul Warfield (1983) - 1970-1974
(Boston Patriots - 1960-1970)
- Nick Buoniconti (2001) - 1962-1968
- John Hannah (1991) - 1973-1985
- Mike Haynes (1997) - 1976-1982
- Morris "Red" Badgro (1981) - 1930-1935
- Roosevelt Brown (1975) - 1953-1965
- Frank Gifford (1977) - 1952-1960, 1962-1964
- Mel Hein (1963) - 1931-1945
- Sam Huff (1982) - 1956-12963
- Alphonse "Tuffy" Leemans (1978) - 1936-1943
- Tim Mara (1963) - 1925-1959
- Wellington Mara (1997) - 1937-present
- Steve Owen (1966) - 1926-1953
- Andy Robustelli (1971) - 1956-1964
- Ken Strong (1967) - 1933-1935, 1939, 1944-1947
- Fran Tarkenton (1986) - 1967-1971
- Lawrence Taylor (1999) - 1981-1993
- Y.A. Tittle (1971) - 1961-1964
- Emlen Tunnell (1967) - 1948-1958
- Arnie Weinmeister (1984) - 1950-1953
(New York Titans - 1960-1962)
(Los Angeles Raiders - 1982-1994)
- Marcus Allen (2003) - 1982-1992
- Fred Biletnikoff (1988) - 1965-1978
- George Blanda (1981) - 1967-1975
- Bob Brown (2004) - 1971-1973
- Willie Brown (1984) - 1967-1978
- Dave Casper (2002) - 1974-1980
- Al Davis (1992) - 1963-present
- Mike Haynes (1997) - 1983-1989
- Ted Hendricks (1990) - 1975-1983
- James Lofton (2003) - 1987-1988
- Howie Long (2000) - 1981-1993
- Jim Otto (1980) - 1960-1974
- Art Shell (1989) - 1968-1982
- Gene Upshaw (1987) - 1967-1981
- Chuck Bednarik (1967) - 1949-1962
- Bert Bell (1963) - 1933-1940
- Bob Brown (2004) - 1964-1968
- Sonny Jurgensen (1983) - 1957-1963
- James Lofton (2003) - 1993
- Tommy McDonald (1998) - 1957-1963
- Earle "Greasy" Neale (1969) - 1941-1950
- Pete Pihos (1970) - 1947-1955
- Steve Van Buren (1965) - 1944-1951
(Pittsburgh Pirates - 1933-1940)
- Mel Blount (1989) - 1970-1983
- Terry Bradshaw (1989) - 1970-1983
- Bill Dudley (1966) - 1942 - 1945-1946
- Joe Greene (1987) - 1969-1981
- Jack Ham (1988) - 1971-1982
- Franco Harris (1990) - 1972-1983
- John Henry Johnson (1987) - 1960-1965
- Walt Kiesling (1966) - 1937-1944, 1949-1961
- Jack Lambert (1990) - 1974-1984
- Bobby Layne (1967) - 1958-1962
- Chuck Noll (1993) - 1969-1991
- Art Rooney (1964) - 1933-1988
- Dan Rooney (2000) - 1955-present
- John Stallworth (2002) - 1974-1987
- Ernie Stautner (1969) - 1950-1963
- Lynn Swann (2001) - 1974-1982
- Mike Webster (1997) - 1974-1988
(Cleveland Rams - 1937-1945; Los Angeles Rams - 1946-1994)
- George Allen (2002) - 1966-1970
- Bob Brown (2004) - 1969-1970
- Eric Dickerson (1999) - 1983-1987
- Tom Fears (1970) - 1948-1956
- Elroy Hirsch (1968) - 1949-1957
- David "Deacon" Jones (1980) - 1961-1971
- James Lofton (2003) - 1993
- Tom Mack (1999) - 1966-1978
- Ollie Matson (1972) - 1959-1962
- Merlin Olsen (1982) - 1962-1976
- Dan Reeves (1967) - 1941-1971
- Jackie Slater (2001) - 1976-1995
- Norm Van Brocklin (1971) - 1949-1957
- Bob Waterfield (1965) - 1945-1952
- Jack Youngblood (2001) - 1971-1984
(Los Angeles Chargers - 1960)
- Jimmy Johnson (1994) - 1961-1976
- Ronnie Lott (2000) - 1981-1990
- Hugh McElhenny (1970) - 1952-1960
- Joe Montana (2000) - 1979-1992
- Leo Nomellini (1969) - 1950-1963
- Joe Perry (1969) - 1948-1960, 1963
- Bob St. Clair (1990) - 1953-1963
- Y.A. Tittle (1971) - 1951-1960
- Bill Walsh (1993) - 1979-1988
- Dave Wilcox (2000) - 1964-1974
- Lee Roy Selmon (1995) - 1976-1984
(Houston Oilers - 1960-1996; Tennessee Oilers - 1997-1998)
(Boston Braves - 1932; Boston Redskins - 1933-1936)
- George Allen (2002) - 1971-77
- Cliff Battles (1968) - 1932-1937
- Sammy Baugh (1963) - 1937-1952
- Bill Dudley (1966) - 1950-1951 - 1953
- Albert Glen "Turk" Edwards (1969) - 1932-1940
- Ray Flaherty (1976) - 1936-1942
- Joe Gibbs (1996) - 1981-1992; 2004-
- Ken Houston (1986) - 1973-1980
- Sam Huff (1982) - 1964-1967 - 1969
- Sonny Jurgensen (1983) - 1964-1974
- George Preston Marshall (1963) - 1932-1969
- Wayne Millner (1968) - 1936-1941, 1945
- Bobby Mitchell (1983) - 1962-1968
- John Riggins (1992) - 1976-1979, 1981-1985
- Charley Taylor (1984) - 1964-1975, 1977
Defunct Clubs
Brooklyn Dodgers 1930-1944
- Frank "Bruiser" Kinard (1971) -1938-1944
- Clarence "Ace" Parker (1972) -1937-1941
Canton Bulldogs 1920-1923
- Guy Chamberlin (1965) - 1922-1923
- Joe Guyon (1966) - 1920
- Wilbur "Pete" Henry (1963) - 1920-1923
- William Roy "Link" Lyman (1964) - 1922-1923
- Jim Thorpe (1963) - 1920
See also:
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