Curley Culp Nominated for HOF Class of 2013

[gblowfish]

Where the HELL is OTIS TAYLOR????

Culp was a great player. Taylor was greater IMHO.

Here's the story from the Pro Football HOF website:

Culp and Robinson named 2013 senior nominees

08/22/2012

Defensive tackle Curley Culp and linebacker Dave Robinson were named today by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee as finalists for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2013.

Culp and Robinson will join 15 yet to be named modern-era candidates on the list of finalists from which the Class of 2013 will be selected. The Hall of Fame selection meeting will be held on Feb. 2, 2013, the day before Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, La.

Culp was selected in the second round of the 1968 draft by the Denver Broncos but was soon traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent the first six-plus seasons with the Chiefs where he was an integral member of the team’s Super Bowl IV championship team.

He continued his dominating play after a blockbuster trade landed him with the Houston Oilers in 1974. He was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year by the Newspaper Enterprise Association in ’75. Noted for his tremendous strength, Culp’s impact on the football field was recognized by his six Pro Bowl selections. In addition, he earned first- or second-team All-Pro acclaim five times and was named All-AFC his first three full seasons with the Oilers. He finished his NFL career with the Detroit Lions.

Robinson joined the Green Bay Packers as the team’s first round draft pick in 1963. He immediately made his presence felt on a team that dominated pro football during that decade.

The 6’3”, 245-pound product of Penn State helped anchored the Packers defense as the team enjoyed sustained success. He helped Green Bay to three straight NFL championships including victories in Super Bowls I and II.

After ten seasons with the Packers, Robinson finished his NFL career by playing two years with the Washington Redskins (1973-74).

He was named to three Pro Bowls, earned All-NFL acclaim three times, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s. Robinson recorded 27 interceptions from his linebacker spot during a 155-game career.

The former defensive greats must receive the same 80 percent voting support that is required of all finalists. The Hall’s Selection Committee can elect a maximum of two senior candidates and five modern-era candidates for a class no smaller than four or larger than seven.

The Seniors Committee is comprised of nine members of the overall selection committee. Through mail vote, the 2013 senior nominees were reduced to a final list of candidates. Today, five members of the Seniors Committee met at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to discuss each of the senior finalists. A senior nominee is an individual whose career ended at least 25 years ago.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013 will be formally enshrined during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival in Canton, Ohio next August.

[chefsos]

**** John Matuszak.

[Rain Man]

My goodness, another Lombardi Packer?

I too think Taylor should be in before Culp, and never really viewed Culp as a Hall of Famer. However, he was very good and was a pioneer at the nose tackle position, so one could argue that he was part of a fundamental change in the game. I'm not sure if that's a testament to him or just being in the right place at the right time, but hey, I'll take another Chief in the Hall of Fame.

[chefsos]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

My goodness, another Lombardi Packer?

I too think Taylor should be in before Culp, and never really viewed Culp as a Hall of Famer. However, he was very good and was a pioneer at the nose tackle position, so one could argue that he was part of a fundamental change in the game. I'm not sure if that's a testament to him or just being in the right place at the right time, but hey, I'll take another Chief in the Hall of Fame.

I guess Culp in Houston was just about the best NT of his time, but he might have been just about the only one, too. I don't recall the 34 being in wide use in the mid 70's. Memory is hazy though.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

My goodness, another Lombardi Packer?

I too think Taylor should be in before Culp, and never really viewed Culp as a Hall of Famer. However, he was very good and was a pioneer at the nose tackle position, so one could argue that he was part of a fundamental change in the game. I'm not sure if that's a testament to him or just being in the right place at the right time, but hey, I'll take another Chief in the Hall of Fame.

The funny thing is they're missing the leader of the Lombardi Packers offensive line, Jerry Kramer. If there's a Lombardi Packer who still needs to be put into the HOF, it's him.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by SNR

The funny thing is they're missing the leader of the Lombardi Packers offensive line, Jerry Kramer. If there's a Lombardi Packer who still needs to be put into the HOF, it's him.

Yeah, that's a weird omission. I can't say I know a whole lot about the Packers guys as players, but Jerry Kramer had a high enough media profile with the books that you'd think he'd get attention before guys like Robinson.

[007]

how exactly do they go about picking who gets nominated anyway? I can't believe that Taylor continues to be ignored.

[RippedmyFlesh]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Where the HELL is OTIS TAYLOR????

I always thought he was better than Alworth.
Alworth= Wes Welker
Taylor= Megatron.
Practically every WR back then was welker.
You want to put Alworth in first fine but Taylor should
have followed him within a couple of years.
He was the first of the Megatron/Bowe big physical type of WRs.
Being a pioneer of sorts at his position should have gotten him in.

[buddha]

Originally Posted by RippedmyFlesh

I always thought he was better than Alworth.
Alworth= Wes Welker
Taylor= Megatron.
Practically every WR back then was welker.
You want to put Alworth in first fine but Taylor should
have followed him within a couple of years.
He was the first of the Megatron/Bowe big physical type of WRs.
Being a pioneer of sorts at his position should have gotten him in.

Not even close on the Alworth = Wes Welker? Are you on drugs? Lance Alworth was a speed receiver, not an underneath possession receiver. Ray Berry = Welker...maybe.

Otis wasn't Megatron either, but you're right about him being bigger than most.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by buddha

Not even close on the Alworth = Wes Welker? Are you on drugs? Lance Alworth was a speed receiver, not an underneath possession receiver. Ray Berry = Welker...maybe.

Otis wasn't Megatron either, but you're right about him being bigger than most.

You're wrong about Otis Taylor.

He was stronger and bigger than just about every other receiver in his era, and he was also faster than all but a couple of them.

He also caught everything thrown his way, and made some amazing catches, and was a beast with the ball in his hands.

His one real problem was that he played with the only team in the AFL that was run oriented in a league that was pass happy.

[RippedmyFlesh]

And Baldwin getting 89 makes me want to puke. A HOF snub is one thing but not retiring his number? Ridiculous .

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by RippedmyFlesh

And Baldwin getting 89 makes me want to puke. A HOF snub is one thing but not retiring his number? Ridiculous .

Baldwin wearing 89 doesn't bother me as much as Andre Rison and Jason Dunn.


I loved Culp, and will never forget the 99 yard run back of a fumble with virtually no time left to win a game. He was huffing and puffing!

[mikey23545]

Another player from that era whose absence from the HOF stumps me is Johnny Robinson, certainly the greatest safety of the old AFL.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

Another player from that era whose absence from the HOF stumps me is Johnny Robinson, certainly the greatest safety of the old AFL.

50+ interceptions seems like it should always get you consideration, and yet neither Robinson nor Deron Cherry is getting any interest. It's inexplicable. Cherry had half a dozen pro bowls and a great reputation playing in an era with guys like Kenny Easley and Ronnie Lott and Joey Browner and others.

[mikey23545]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

50+ interceptions seems like it should always get you consideration, and yet neither Robinson nor Deron Cherry is getting any interest. It's inexplicable. Cherry had half a dozen pro bowls and a great reputation playing in an era with guys like Kenny Easley and Ronnie Lott and Joey Browner and others.

Damn, I didn't even think about Cherry.

I'm sure what's holding him back is the fact he played mostly in a Chief's era of decrapitude.

But Robinson played in the Chief's glory years, and that picture of him sitting on the field and making the "number one" gesture after the fumble recovery in Super Bowl IV (a game he played with three broken ribs) is iconic for both the Chiefs and the AFL.