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

[AJKCFAN]

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.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

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...

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.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

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:

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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.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

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.

Exactly.

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

[KcKing]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

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.

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....

[KcKing]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

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.

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

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

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.

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.

[teedubya]

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.

[Frosty]

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.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

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.

This, unfortunately, is an apt description.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by kcxiv

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.

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

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by FAX

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.

[Ebolapox]

Originally Posted by unothadeal

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

really? REALLY?!?

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

[FAX]

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

[unothadeal]

Originally Posted by H5N1

really? REALLY?!?

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

Gimmie a break I'm only 12

[Ebolapox]

Originally Posted by unothadeal

Gimmie a break I'm only 12

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