The Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomes its 2009 class Saturday. Here's a look at the hall's six newest members, along with some things you might know and a few things you might not know.
-- Randall McDaniel, Guard:
He is known for his 12 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and if you were putting together an all-time football team, McDaniel might very well be one of your two guards. He started 202 consecutive games in his career, and here's an even more impressive starting string: He started 12 consecutive Pro Bowls. What's he doing now? Living the high life? Fishing and golfing? Nope. He's giving back. He's a full-time basic skills instructor at an elementary school near Minneapolis. To his second-graders, he isn't one of the greatest football players ever. He's simply Mr. McDaniel.
-- Bob Hayes, wide receiver:
The Florida A&M standout had his greatest moment not on the football field, but on the track. At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Hayes tied the world record in the 100 meters at 10.0 seconds, even though he was wearing borrowed spikes. He then won his second gold medal in the 400 relay. The Cowboys took a flier on Hayes, making him a seventh-round draft pick. "Bullet Bob'' was so fast that some claim teams developed the zone defense and bump-and-run because no one could cover him one-on-one. He made three Pro Bowls and was twice an All-Pro. He seemed to be a shoo-in for the 2004 class. When he wasn't voted in then, longtime NFL writer Paul Zimmerman briefly gave up his vote in protest. Hayes died in 2002 of kidney failure caused by prostate cancer.
-- Bruce Smith, defensive end
Smith is the NFL's all-time sack leader with 200, and he recorded most of those sacks while playing in a 3-4 defense. That means he was double-teamed much of the time. He will always be known for his time with the Bills, though he finished up wit the Redskins. His old coach in Buffalo, Marv Levy, called him the greatest defensive end in the history of the game. But for as fearsome as he was on the field, he was just as gentle off it. At this moment, Smith's life is a mixed bag. He runs a real estate development company, but he was recently convicted of drunken driving and speeding. He is appealing the conviction.
-- Rod Woodson, cornerback
He played 17 seasons, most notably with the Steelers, and recorded 71 interceptions and 32 fumble recoveries. He was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1993 defensive player of the year. He enters the hall as a cornerback, but he also made the Pro Bowl as a safety. And Woodson holds another notable distinction. He was the first player to return from reconstructive knee surgery in the same season. In 1995 he tore up his knee in the season opener and was thought to be lost for the season. The Steelers' Super Bowl hopes seemed to be derailed as well. But the Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XXX against Dallas 19 weeks later. Woodson played, and the lasting memory is him pointing at his reconstructed knee after breaking up a pass.
-- Derrick Thomas, linebacker
No player collected more sacks during the 1990s than this Kansas City linebacker, who racked up 116-1/2. He also forced 45 fumbles (then an NFL record), had 19 fumble recoveries, scored four touchdowns on fumble returns and was responsible for three safeties. He played 11 seasons (making the Pro Bowl nine times) before his death at age 33 in early 2000 following a severe car accident. But the program he created in 1990 -- the Derrick Thomas Third and Long Foundation, dedicated to benefiting children in disadvantaged situations -- continues to thrive. And did you know that the Derrick Thomas Academy, a charter school for inner-city youths, was the first school in the country named for an NFL player?
-- Ralph Wilson Jr., owner
The Buffalo Bills owner enters the hall at age 90, which makes him the oldest owner in the NFL. He grew up in Detroit and purchased several manufacturing outlets, construction firms and radio stations, as well as a piece of the Lions. He then became an original owner in the American Football League when, after failing to get a team in Miami, he started the Bills. The Bills play in Ralph Wilson Stadium, one of the few stadiums in pro sports that doesn't have a sponsor's name. Not surprising for one of the league's most stubborn owners.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service www.scrippsnews.com)
column
Post new comment