****The Official 2009 HOF Induction Announcements*** Thread Will DT FINALLY Get In?
 

Tomorrow's the day. As long as someone can keep Gretz at the breakfast buffet and let ANYONE else state DT's case, #58 might make it to Canton this time!

http://www.profootballhof.com/enshri...?story_id=3071

Four first-year eligible players, John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson, are among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Board of Selectors meets in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

Joining the four first-year eligible players, are nine other modern-era players, two contributors and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The contributor finalists are former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Buffalo Bills founder/owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. The Senior Committee nominees, announced in August 2008, are former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Bob Hayes and former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Claude Humphrey. The other modern-era player finalists include wide receiver Cris Carter; center Dermontti Dawson; defensive end Richard Dent; guard Russ Grimm; defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy; guard Bob Kuechenberg; guard Randall McDaniel; wide receiver Andre Reed; and linebacker Derrick Thomas.

To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent.

Listed alphabetically, the 17 finalists with their positions, teams, and years active follow:

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins
Bob Hayes – Wide Receiver – 1965-1974 Dallas Cowboys, 1975 San Francisco 49ers
Claude Humphrey – Defensive End – 1968-1978 Atlanta Falcons, 1979-1981 Philadelphia Eagles
Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Bob Kuechenberg – Guard – 1970-1984 Miami Dolphins
Randall McDaniel – Guard – 1988-1999 Minnesota Vikings, 2000-01 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks
Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
Bruce Smith – Defensive End – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000-03 Washington Redskins
Paul Tagliabue – Commissioner – 1989-2006 National Football League
Derrick Thomas – Linebacker – 1989-1999 Kansas City Chiefs
Ralph Wilson – Team Founder/Owner – 1960-Present Buffalo Bills
Rod Woodson – Cornerback/Safety – 1987-1996 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers, 1998-2001 Baltimore Ravens, 2002-03 Oakland Raiders

Carter, Dent, Grimm, Hayes, Humphrey, Kuechenberg, McDaniel, Reed, Tagliabue, Thomas, and Wilson have all been finalists in previous years. Although they were eligible in previous years, this is the first time Dawson and Kennedy have been finalists.

From this year’s list, five players – Dawson, Grimm, Kennedy, Kuechenberg and Thomas – spent their entire NFL career with just one team.

Hayes and Humphrey were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2008 meeting. The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Board of Selectors from a list of 133 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 25 semifinalists. To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five years while a contributor need not be retired.

At the 2009 election meeting, the selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist before narrowing the field to seven candidates (two senior and five modern-era). At least four candidates must be elected but the total class cannot number more than seven.

Of the 2009 finalists, Hayes has been eligible for 29 years, Humphrey 23 years, Kuechenberg 20 years, Grimm 13 years, Dent seven years, Thomas five years, Dawson, Kennedy and Reed four years, McDaniel three years, Carter two years, and Randle, Sharpe, Smith, and Woodson are in their first year of eligibility. Contributors need not to be retired to be considered for Hall of Fame election. Therefore there is no specific year at which Tagliabue and Wilson first became eligible for consideration.

The Class of 2009 will be announced at a press conference at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, January 31, at the Super Bowl media center.


Shannon Sharpe
Representatives of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche will tabulate all votes during the meeting. At the press conference, they will present Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry with an envelope containing the names of the nominees elected. Each newly elected member will be contacted immediately by the Hall of Fame. Members of the Class of 2009 in Tampa for the Super Bowl will be asked to join the press conference. Those not able to attend will be asked to join via teleconference.

The Enshrinement of the Class of 2009 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 8, 2009. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network. The annual Hall of Fame Game will be played on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. and broadcast live by NBC. Teams have not yet been announced.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, a multi-day celebration of the enshrinement of the newest Hall of Fame Class, is held each year in Canton. The festival which culminates with the Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL Hall of Fame Game includes 15 special public events over an 11-day period. Two major events are the Enshrinees Dinner (Friday, August 7), and the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable (Sunday, August 9). It is at the Enshrinees Dinner where each member of the Class of 2009 will be presented his gold Pro Football Hall of Fame Jacket. At the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable, the Class of 2009 will be featured center stage as they share memories of the game and their personal feelings about being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hes not going to make it :(

It sounds like his chances are slim with a strong field this year.

I think it comes down to him vs. Richard Dent.

This will be the year DT makes it. I think momentum is in his favor.

Also I was reading something the other day where Sharpe said he doesn't think he will make it. That kind of shocked me considering he has 3 SB rings and had the receiving and TD records until Tony passed him.

I think we're in for another year of disappointment.

Gretz needs to get the hell out and let someone else make the case for DT.

I don't think he will make it this time either, too many others on there with superbowl appearances. He needs to make it tho.

I'm holding out a bit of hope, but think he'll be passed by again.

I think he will get in eventually but I don't think he will get in this year....

DT in 1990 had twice as many sacks as the ENTIRE 2008 Chiefs D!

This will be the year where Gretz goes in and screws it up again, but some reporter from Oakland or San Diego will get exasperated and stand up and say, "That guy KILLED us! He was unstoppable! I don't know why this Gretz fellow can't communicate that, but seriously, Derrick Thomas should be in the Hall of Fame." And then he'll get in.

The locks are Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson and probably Sharpe. I think DT makes it this year.

looks like hed be the last one in if he made it.

I'm trying to figure out why Ralph Wilson is being considered. He's a terrible owner. Cheapskate. Bills fans hate him.

Chris Carter? John Randle? It will be very difficult for DT to get in, its very sad. Its been to long, hes arguably the greatest Chief of all time, next to TG, Lenny, Buck, yet they still wont put him in.

cuz he was old...Same reason Al Davis will get in some day

When do they announce it?

He got in a long time ago.

Cris Carter should, but he's not a lock. John Randle and his 7 pro bowls, 556 tackles and 137.5 sacks in 14 years should not get in before DT's 9 pro bowls, 642 tackles and 126.5 sacks in 11 years.

2:30pm Saturday.

Learn to read, boltsucker.

Was DT still playing when he died or had he retired?

Suck my d*** gator-bater

this. Costas (STL Native), Bernie Michlaz (STL Post) could do a much better job.

DT had not retired.

Very tough class this year as we discussed yesterday in the DT video tribute thread.

At first I didn't think he would make it this year, but you know, I think he makes it the year that we expect it the least.

I have been seeing the #58 associated with everything I do the last 2 weeks. I think it's some kind of omen.

I have also started to hear some of the voters mention DT and that they think his time is near.

List of selectors below: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/selectionprocess.jsp



Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors

Arizona Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
Atlanta Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com
Baltimore Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV
Buffalo Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News
Carolina Charles Chandler, Charlotte Observer
Chicago Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune
Cincinnati Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News
Cleveland Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dallas Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News*
Denver Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News
Detroit Tom Kowalski, Booth Newspapers
Green Bay Cliff Christl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Houston John McClain, Houston Chronicle*
Indianapolis Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Jacksonville Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV
Kansas City Bob Gretz, KCFX Overland Park, KS
Miami Edwin Pope, Miami Herald*
Minnesota Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
New England Ron Borges, HBO Sports/Pro Football Weekly
New Orleans Pete Finney, Times-Picayune
New York (Giants) Vinny DiTrani, Bergen Record
New York (Jets) Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated
Oakland Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange
Philadelphia Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Pittsburgh Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
St. Louis Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
San Diego Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune
San Francisco Nancy Gay, San Francisco Chronicle
Seattle Clare Farnsworth, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tampa Bay Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune
Tennessee David Climer, The Tennessean
Washington David Elfin, Washington Times
PFWA Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com
At Large Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange
At Large Jarrett Bell, USA Today
At Large John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine
At Large John Czarnecki, FoxSports.com
At Large Dave Goldberg, Associated Press*
At Large Peter King, Sports Illustrated
At Large Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange
At Large Len Shapiro, Miami Herald*
At Large Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union
At Large Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated
At Large Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram



* Also serves on the Senior Selection Committee. There is one selector still to be determined who will serve on the Senior Selection Committee.

Do you think Shannon Sharpe was being serious, or was it a horse's ass attempt at being humble? (decoder ring needed to understand him)

Every time I have heard him discuss it on the Sirius channel, he goes into this painful dialogue about how great he was.

I agree, but he is an expansion team owner, 1960.

I guarantee you that the voters from Denver/KC/Oakland/San Diego/Seattle vote for him every year.

Bruce Smith and Rod Woodson are the only locks to make it, IMHO.

Hope not but your right about Gretz.

Loved Rod Woodson as a player....but now on to Smith...which gets me fired up every year about this time...

Smith was a very good player (maybe great?)...but his per game numbers are lower than DT's in most categories:

Sacks per game:
Smith: .72
Thomas: .75

Forced fumbles:
Smith: .15
Thomas: .24

Tackles:
Smith: 3.86
Thomas:3.56

Thomas had 19 Fumble recoveries...Smith 15

Super Bowls:
Smith: 0-4
Thomas: 0-0 :)

This years field is too strong. No way he makes it.

Ok, so Smith played too long. If you take his time just with Buffalo his sacks per game number jumps to 0.78.

The point I was making is that DT gets screwed because he lost 4-5 more years of stats because of his untimely death.

To effectively evaluate his career, you really need to put the per game stats into the equation to see how much of a force he was.

Uhhh.

This is probably a stupid question. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is. But, why is Gretz carrying the water for DT on this deal? Who appointed him to do it? How does that work, anyhow? Did he volunteer? Was he named in DT's will? Did the Chiefs give him the responsibility? Does he get to keep on trying until he chokes on a chicken bone or can somebody else have a turn?

FAX

I certainly hope so, it's way overdue.

He did that while playing DT i believe, that makes that shit much much much more impressive.

Dont think for a minute that Anyone presenting anything to the NFL or the writers has anything to do with it. writers have that shit in their mind who they want long before some ****ing presentation. People want to lay the blame on Gretz and imo is the wrong thing to do.

If his impressive stats dont get him in, then i dunno what the **** will. You could have his son make the presentation and i dont think it would matter.

If someone assassinates Gretz, D.T. might have a shot this year.

Not true.

I've spoken to Bernie Miklasz several times, on and off air about DT, and Gretz' presentation.

Bernie made it perfectly clear that if he were doing the presentation, DT would already be in. That's saying a lot, because Bernie typically isn't a "pound his chest" kind of guy.

FWIW, Miklasz and Howard Balzer (both from STL) vote for DT every year...

Was he specific about how/what Gretz was ****ing up? Or is the Blob just his usual mess of a self?

He damn near had as many in 1 game as the entire 08 squad. Could we put him in the hall of fame, and the 08 squad in the hall of shame?

Gretz isn't a salesman, and you have to sell these guys, no matter how much of a "lock" you think they are.

Here's an interesting piece on Miklasz' presentation for Roger Wehrli:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Usually journalists are covering stories, not being part of them.

But that wasn’t the case last weekend when Post-Dispatch sports columnist and KSLG (1380 AM) sports talk show co-host Bernie Miklasz was doing both.

Miklasz, representing St. Louis in the meeting of 40 media members who cover pro football, was making the pitch for Roger Wehrli to the voters who were selecting this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a happier day in sportswriting,” Miklasz said. “My stomach was doing flips. I was just really fired up. It was an absolute thrill to pull this off.”

Howard Balzer was one of the voters and was in the room.

“His presentation was very measured; it was done well,” said Balzer, also of KSLG. “It was a big factor, certainly. And it helped that guys came in with open minds. Who knows what swayed it, but he presented a strong case.”

Making the case

Miklasz did extensive research on Wehrli’s career, including gaining testimonials from former standout quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Sonny Jurgensen, personnel guru Ron Wolf and former Raiders coach and longtime NFL broadcaster John Madden.

Miklasz also had statistical information that was augmented by Cardinals executive Greg Gladysiewski, who has been with the club since its St. Louis days. Gladysiewski came up with a gem, the fact that in the 1970s half of Wehrli’s interceptions either stopped the foe on a drive in which it could have tied the game or taken the lead, or gave the Big Red the ball in a spot in which they could tie or take the lead.

Miklasz said he also stressed that there were only seven pure cornerbacks in the Hall, that it was an underrepresented position, and that Wehrli had very little help from standout pass rushers. He said only once did the Cardinals have a defensive lineman make a Pro Bowl, let alone the Hall of Fame, in his 14-year career.

“The only guy to be a Pro Bowler was somebody named ‘Brooks’ and I made the point I don’t even know who he is, I never heard of him,” Miklasz said. “People laughed, but I think I scored big points with that. Plus, they wouldn’t throw at him because he was so good.”

Even though Miklasz was armed with the testimonials and stats, he still had to make a winning presentation.

“It’s almost like a lawyer’s closing argument,” he said. “You can’t just write a speech and drone on, because people fall asleep. You also can’t come on too strong and brow-beat people, because that backfires. And you can’t rely only on stats. You have to make it interesting, throw some humor in.”

He said he had a wee-hours brainstorm before the voting, writing out his presentation in longhand until nearly 5 a.m. — two hours before he had to be at the meeting. It worked, as his oration helped Wehrli survive the first cut, from 17 candidates to 10 (which actually became 11 because of a voting tie). But because only a maximum of six candidates make the Hall, Miklasz had to keep campaigning.

Round 2

The second presentation runs only about 90 seconds, and Miklasz went last because the candidates are discussed alphabetically. Among those ahead of Wehrli were the two players nominated by the senior committee, and Miklasz said the voters were told, “If you don’t vote them in now, they’ll fade away.”

(Both, Gene Hickerson and Charlie Sanders, ended up being elected.)

“I saw people in the room nodding,” Miklasz said. “So I thought, ‘I’m going to appeal to the same logic because it looks like it’s going over pretty well.’ So I said, ‘Listen, this is Roger Wehrli’s last chance (to make it in conventional voting). You obviously think enough of him to make him one of the finalists, so let’s think about this logically. If you don’t vote him in today he goes to the senior committee, where he either will fade away — which you don’t want because you think enough of him to put him in the final 11 — or if he doesn’t fade away, the senior committee is going to nominate him two or three years from now and he’s going to take the place of another deserving senior.’

“I said, ‘Think about this logically. What’s the point of rejecting him now when we can take care of him now and take care of other players later?’ I saw people nodding, and some told me later that was a great closing argument and it tipped the balance for them.”

This isn’t the first time a local media member has been involved in getting a former Cardinals player into the Hall. Jack Buck lobbied hard for Dan Dierdorf, who finally made it in 1996, and Jackie Smith, who was elected in 1994. Buck was so mad after Smith had narrowly missed the previous year that he threw a clipboard across a room when Smith missed out.

08 squad is already in the hall of shame. Worst defensive line in the history of the NFL. You can go back to 14 game seasons, and its still worse then that.

His resume should speak for itself. When you are an all time great which i think DT is, you shouldnt need a presentation to get you in over the top. There is something else that is bothering the voters imo. If you need a "speech" to help you get in, then something is wrong.

Good read.

With Gretz, it seems like we're taking the proverbial knife-to-a-gunfight approach, obviously.

Despite all of his faults, Carl was a savvy business guy, who also loved DT, so I'm surprised he allowed this to continue.

Exactly.

The Hall's induction process is a black eye on the face of the NFL.

JMHO,

But I believe if Len Dawson did DT's presentation.... He'd get in... I have no f'ing idea why Bob Gretz gets to be KC's rep when Lenny the Cool (Media Member/Super Bowl MVP/HOF'er his damn self) is just sitting on Channel 9's set wondering what to have for lunch....

At the same time... I agree with this.

And a dull knife at that.


Man, have you ever heard Bob Gretz speak? I heard him on a couple of preseason games a while back, and he was slightly less dynamic than the dead bodies they find in the first five minutes of Law & Order.

Im thinking Derrick Thomas would have played until 2003-2005... and his untimely death certainly hurt his numbers, but his greatness can no longer be ignored.

Gunther and his dumbass "Falcon" scheme hurt DT a lot in peoples' minds. Now they think of him as a situational pass rusher rather than a complete LB who was a great pass rusher.

This, unfortunately, is an apt description.

You make an excellent point, Mr. kcxiv ... as usual.

After thinking about it, though, I'm not sure that the nominees would be "presented" if the "presentation" wasn't somehow useful in the decision-making process. Obviously, many of these voters aren't intimately familiar with every candidate's career, so it's important to get them up to speed ... quickly and favorably, if possible.

Although it's certainly true that a player's stats are and should be the primary consideration, I think that a solid, compelling case could make the difference - especially with swing voters or in years when it's a close call between two guys. Apparently, Gretz' problem is that he begins his pitch with, "We all know that DT's run defense kinda sucked and he didn't get a lot of INTs but ...". Essentially, I think he has the dynamic presentation skills of a forlorn cow. Anyway, even though it might not be the deciding factor, I don't see how he helps DT's case.

Anyhow, I honestly think that if DT had a more dynamic advocate, he'd probably already be in the hall.

FAX

The NFL HOF seems to be primarily ring driven in a lot of instances. Win the big one, put up some numbers, and you're a lock.

Put up the numbers, no ring, and few playoff victories, and you're going to need an advocate.

:spock:

really? REALLY?!?

are you ****ing kidding me? ****. you can't call yourself a chiefs fan if you don't know that.

:shake:

Who is this guy? Who let him in here?

Let's kill him.

No ... let's take his liquor and cigarettes first, then kill him.

FAX

Gimmie a break I'm only 12

you're on the goddamned internet. google it, dumbass. no need to douche it up like that.

12?

Hand over all your liquor and cigarettes, young man.

FAX

Why so ****ing hostile when the guy just asked a damned question. This reply is almost as stupid as his question.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Here.

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Calm yet?

eh, willful ignorance is one of my pet peeves. if a person asks an obvious question that ANYBODY with a 56k internet connection can find in literally 25 seconds (I timed it), they deserve at least a little bit of scorn.

it's not like we're talking about an obscure player from the AFL days. we're talking about the guy who was the face of our franchise for ten years. possibly the best chief of all-time. who died a tragic (albeit perfectly preventable) death, and it was a public item for a month or so afterward.

****.

Definitely should have Len Dawson or Joe Po or even Mitch Holthus do the presentation. Dawson and Posnanski would easily command far more respect and Holthus would present a more persuasive and emotional fan-based presentation.

How Andre Tippett got inducted over DT on Gretz's "watch" I'll never know and is the smoking gun why someone else needs to handle DT's presentation?

BTW, is Otis Taylor eligible as a senior or veterans player?

Soon........

We'll find out in an hour.

I'm going to admit it, I have butterflies in my stomach.

I don't.

I've reached the point where I don't really care either way.

Last year was a slap in the face, so the HOF committee can F off.

Me too.

I've been putting off shoveling snow until after the announcement.

I figure if he gets in, time will fly and I'll almost forget I'm shoveling snow.

If he's passed over again, it will be a good outlet to take out some frustration.

I absolutely agree.

I've got low expectations, but if he gets in, I'll be ecstatic.

is this on TV or anything?

NFL Network.

COME ON 12? and you've been a member since 06 when you were 9 or 10 i call bullshit

Wow, nobody Seymore Butts than you, Uncle Tony!

WTF is that supposed to mean?

What, are you twelve years old or something? That was a classic reference.

Back me up, tk.

According to Howard Balzer on XM, Derrick's in the final 5...

With Randall McDaniel, Woodson, Bruce Smith, and Ralph Wilson (and the senior candidates)...