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Posted By	Discussion Topic: Class of 2002 NFL Hall of Famers...some notable snubs
Cluster F	posted on 02-02-2002 @ 6:44 PM
O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00	Well, i cant say that im surprised, but i am pissed that Harry Carson did not make the HOF yet again. If Dan Hampton can get in this year, why the fuck cant Carson?? I like the rest of the selections, personally i think Jim Kelly deserves to be in there. If anyone else argues this, answer this for me: How can the coach, Marv Levy, be elected in for going to 4 straight Super Bowls, and his star QB cant be elected in?? And its about time that Stallworth made it in, he was better than Swann was. Oh, and Parcells actually made it to the final 6, but they chose 5 and he missed the cut. Guess that whole wanting to coach again problem he had affected his place in the HOF, which is bullshit because he deserves to be in there anyway. Kelly elected, Parcells snubbed again for Hall of Fame February 2, 2002 By John Pezzullo SportsTicker Pro Football Editor NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Jim Kelly, the only quarterback to take his team to four straight Super Bowls, made the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday in his first year of eligibility. Coach Bill Parcells was snubbed again. Kelly led the Buffalo Bills to an unprecedented four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl from 1990-93, losing each time. "To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement anyone could get, and I know I didn't do it myself," Kelly said. "Today, we're No. 1 -- the Buffalo Bills, the fans of Buffalo, the Kelly family. Today, with the Hall of Fame, we could honestly say we're No. 1." Parcells coached in three Super Bowls and won two. But he nearly took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job last month when Tony Dungy was fired and the Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors apparently believes that Parcells will coach again. Hall of Fame rules require that a coach be retired in order to be inducted. Joining Kelly in the Class of 2002 are Pittsburgh Steelers receiver John Stallworth, Oakland Raiders tight end Dave Casper, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Dan Hampton and coach George Allen, the nominee of the Hall's Senior Committee who died in 1990. Parcells and Miami Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg were among the seven finalists pared from a list of 15 by the Board of Selectors on Saturday morning, but did not receive the 80 percent approval needed for election. Rules stipulate that between four and seven new members will be elected each year. Kelly becomes the first quarterback from the famed "Class of 1983" which included John Elway and Dan Marino. He also became the first player from the defunct United States Football League to make the Hall of Fame. "I look at guys like John and Dan and was just honored to be in that Class," Kelly said. "John was the first to win a Super Bowl out of that group. Well, I'm the first one to make the Hall of Fame out of that group and I'm proud of it." A strong-armed passer with a linebacker's mentality, Kelly rewrote most of the Bills' passing records and led the team to the playoffs eight times in his 11 years with the team from 1986-96. With Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas and receiver Andre Reed, the Bills had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Ironically, Kelly's election comes a year after his Bills coach Marv Levy was inducted. Known for mastering the "no-huddle" offense that became a Bills' trademark, Kelly passed for 35,467 yards, ranking 12th all-time. Only three quarterbacks reached the 30,000-yard career passing mark faster. Kelly played two years with the USFL's Houston Gamblers in a run-and-shoot offense and threw for 9,842 yards and 83 touchdowns. The league folded following the 1985 season and Kelly signed with the Bills. "That's where I learned the passing game," Kelly said of his USFL days. "I have to credit Mouse Davis for that." The first of Kelly's four Super Bowl losses came to Parcells and the New York Giants in 1990 when Buffalo's Scott Norwood missed a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. Parcells coached the Giants to two Super Bowl titles before going to New England and guiding the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI five years ago here in New Orleans. Ironically, the Patriots are back here for Super Bowl XXXVI under coach Bill Belichick, a long-time assistant under Parcells. Stallworth was a Hall of Fame presenter for fellow Steelers receiver Lynn Swann last year. Swann lobbied for Stallworth's election in his Hall of Fame speech and it apparently had an effect. "I got a chance to see it firsthand (last year) and I came away wanting it for myself," Stallworth said. In his 10th year of eligibility, Stallworth becomes the ninth player from the Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s to make the Hall of Fame, joining Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount. Coached by Hall of Famer Chuck Noll, all nine were on four Super Bowl-winning teams. Stallworth played 14 seasons for the Steelers from 1974-87 and caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all club records. The 6-2, 190-pound Stallworth was not as acrobatic as Swann, but was more consistent. Selected to four Pro Bowls, Stallworth's highlight was the winning 73-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl XIV against the Los Angeles Rams. "Me and Lynn both had a big-play mentality in the postseason," Stallworth said. "If you look back at the Super Bowls, we came to the forefront." When many believed Stallworth was in the twilight of his career, he led the AFC with a career-high 1,395 yards on 80 catches in 1984. In his 13th year of eligibility, Casper is the sixth tight end to be elected, following Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Jackie Smith, Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome. "Some people thought I deserved it and some people thought I did not," Casper said. "I'm very happy to see that more people thought I did." Nicknamed "The Ghost" by his teammates, Casper was a solid blocker as well as a sure-handed receiver. He was named All-AFC four times in his 6 1/2 seasons with the Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders and had 378 catches for 5,216 yards and 52 touchdowns in his 11-year career. Casper helped the Raiders win their first Super Bowl in 1976, but his best postseason game came the following season, when he caught a 42-yard pass to set up a tying field goal, then had the winning 10-yard catch in double overtime of a 1977 playoff win at Baltimore. Midway through the 1980 season, Casper was traded to Houston and reunited with quarterback Ken Stabler. He was named to his fifth Pro Bowl after catching 56 passes. After a brief stint with Minnesota, Casper returned to the Raiders and finished his career in 1984. Hampton played both defensive end and tackle in his 12 years with the Bears and becomes the second starter from the 1985 Super Bowl winning defense to make the Hall, joining middle linebacker Mike Singletary. The Bears allowed just 198 points that year and shut out both playoff opponents before steamrolling to a 46-10 rout of New England in Super Bowl XX. "This is something I never really expected to happen," Hampton said. "I'm humbled and very thankful. To be named to the Hall of Fame, I'm bewildered." Hampton persevered through 10 knee surgeries and was named first- or second-team All-Pro six times as either an end or tackle. He led the team in sacks with 11 1/2 in 1980, earning him the first of four Pro Bowl trips. In 1984, he matched his career high in sacks. Allen compiled a record of 116-47-5 in 12 years as coach, but was just 2-7 in the postseason and made only one Super Bowl. He was 49-17-4 in five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams from 1966-70 and 67-30-1 in seven years with the Washington Redskins. "My dad's love for the game is very, very special," said Allen's son Bruce, an executive with the Raiders. "(George) Halas, Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Al Davis, Marv Levy. To be enshrined with those names, I know he would be very proud." Allen was best known for preferring veterans over draft picks and orchestrated 131 trades, 81 of them coming in his Washington tenure. Known as "The Over-The-Hill Gang" because they were the oldest team in the league, the Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1972 NFC championship game but lost to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII. Receivers Art Monk and James Lofton, linebacker Harry Carson, defensive end L.C. Greenwood, cornerback Lester Hayes, safety Donnie Shell, punter Ray Guy and owner Art Modell were among the 15 finalists who did not make the initial cut to seven. Enshrinement ceremonies for the Class of 2002 will be held August 3 at Canton, Ohio. AIM: GMoneyBagz Crack Committee - Baseball Objectives Completed :) Go Knicks, Giants, Rangers, and Rutgers Men's Basketball Long Live Psycho Bitch

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