Basic Questions Not Answered Easily For NFL Hall of Fame

Storyline: Who gets in? Why? When? Those questions are answered more easily for the MLB Hall than for the NFL Hall.

Another year of NFL Hall of Fame inductions have come and gone. So it’s time, once again, for the endless debate about who should be on next year’s ballot.

Courtesy: USAToday

It seems just about everyone has an opinion about who’s worthy of having their bust placed in the hallowed Hall. If the HOF committee took all of these opinions seriously, then half the league would be in Canton.

But issues facing the NFL Hall go far beyond who should be selected in 2017–or any year, for that matter. Answers to fundamental questions are elusive: Who gets in? Why? When?

Pro baseball does a better job of answering those questions.

Consider the comparison. This year the Hall of Fame committee selected eight new members. In contrast, MLB’s Hall of Fame committee selected only two new members. As for history, the NFL Hall of Fame, which opened in 1963, has 303 inductees, while MLB’s Hall of Fame, which opened in 1936, has 312 members.

Courtesy: MLB

You can, of course, make the argument that the NFL has a lot more players than MLB. Still, though, I’ve always believed that any hall of fame is for elite players only. Pro baseball has tried to hold true to that premise, while pro football seems to have gotten away from it.

It also seems that NFL players from the 1970s, 1960s, and before are being forgotten, while modern-day players are being ushered in quickly, some in only their first or second year of eligibility. Is it because they have impressive stats and big numbers? Why the rush to get modern-day players into the NFL Hall so quickly?

Until recently, players had to wait their turn, no matter how deserving they were. Take Green Bay’s Herb Adderley, who played from 1961-1972. He’s considered by many to be the best all-around cornerback to ever play the game. But Adderley wasn’t voted into the Hall until his third year of eligibility.

Mel Renfro, Dallas Cowboys (photo, alchetron.com)

Mel Renfro is another example. He had to wait until his fourteenth year of eligibility.

Renfro, who played for the Cowboys from 1964-1977, played in eight NFL/NFC Championships (winning four of them), while also winning two Super Bowls. He played cornerback, safety, punt returner, kick returner, and even had a brief stint at RB in 1966.

In his rookie year he not only led the team with seven interceptions, he also led the League in return yardage. He had 52 career interceptions, was voted All-Pro five times, was voted to the Pro Bowl ten years in a row (winning the MVP in 1970), and was only the fifth player in Dallas Cowboys history to be inducted into that team’s Ring of Honor (1981).

Yet, somehow, even with all of those impressive credentials, he had to wait 14 years to get his bust in Canton!

What should be done to improve the selection process?  Here are two suggestions.

As it stands right now, the Senior’s Committee can only select two inductees each year–two players or coaches who retired prior to 1985. I believe they need to increase that number to at least three per year. I also think the committee should consider allowing only one non-player into the Hall per year. I’m not saying that coaches, owners, GM’s, and other non-players shouldn’t have a place in Canton, but I think the players should take precedence over non-players.

Courtesy: commdiginews.com

I’ve visited the NFL Hall of Fame several times. It’s a wonderful place to learn the history of a great game and to learn about great players who played and great coaches who coached. While I’d recommend visiting the Hall to any football fan, I also wonder if we overhype the Hall.

What about all the great players and coaches who may never get inducted? That list includes the likes of Jerry Kramer, Drew Pearson, Mike Curtis, Otis Taylor, and Coach Tom Flores. Are their contributions to the NFL–and to their respective teams–any less important or impressive just because they’re not in the Hall?

In the end, who gets in and who doesn’t get in is always a matter of opinion. Each year the debate begins anew.

But, for me … I’d rather just cherish the memories.