Despite his relatively short NHL career, we like the Veteran’s Committee induction of Bobby Bauer.  He only had seven complete seasons in the National Hockey League, but his prime was taken away from his as he participated in World War II.  He spent his professional career with the Boston Bruins, and was a member of the famed “Kraut Line” with Woody Dumart & Milt Schmidt (both of them Hall of Fame inductees) and was part of two Stanley Cups for the Bruins in 1939.  Four times, (and again remember out of seven seasons) Bauer was named the Second Team All Star at Right Wing, and three times his class was shown as the Lady Byng Trophy winner.  This is one Veteran’s Category inductee that we approve of completely.

Al Arbour had a respectable career in the National Hockey League playing in over 600 games and winning three Stanley Cups.  However, it was as a Head Coach that he entered the Hall of Fame.  As soon as Arbour retired as a player with the St. Louis Blues, he was inserted as their Head Coach, but it was in Long Island where he found his chance to shine.  Arbour took over the second year New York Islanders and he brought them to respectability and later four consecutive Stanley Cups.  As always, as any Head Coach of a dynasty can punch their ticket to the Hall of Fame.  Al Arbour was no exception.

We will get there I promise.

We are looking to set up in the future a greatest players list for every major North American Sports team, and along with that a look at how they treat their past stars via retired numbers, franchise hall of fames, rings of honor etc.  Once that is done, the college ranks won’t be far behind, and as such when an athletic conference such as the Mid-American Conference adds to their Hall of Fame, it is news to us.

Last night the 2015 Class was officially inducted in Cleveland, Ohio, and the most recognizable name of the bunch is current Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger is best known as a two time winning Super Bowl QB, but at the University of Miami he threw over 10,000 yards and led the Redhawks to a MAC Championship and a GMAC Bowl win.  In his final season in college, he was a third team All American Quarterback and was the MAC MVP.

While “Big Ben” is the most recognized name, there are many who do not consider him the headliner as former Toledo and Kent State Football Coach Gary Pinkel was also enshrined.  Pinkel is a two-time MAC Coach of the Year and also holds the distinction of being in both the Toledo and Kent State Athletic Halls of Fame.

The rest of the class includes Western Michigan Track Star, George Dales, who competed for the university in the mid 1960’s, Eastern Michigan Track Star (1950’s) and Coach (1960’s and beyond), Bob Parks and late 1990’s Central Michigan wrestler, Casey Cunningham.



The Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame was first established in 1988, but went on a hiatus until 2012 when regular classes were inducted. 



We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this class of the MAC Hall of Fame. 

Love them or hate them, you have to respect the legacy of the New York Yankees who may have the most colorful history of any North American sports franchise.  The Bronx Bombers added to that with the official retirement of former Outfielder, Bernie Williams’s number #51 yesterday.

Williams was a member of the Yankees in all of his sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball and was a member of four World Series Championship Teams.  He would win the American League Batting Title in 1998, the Silver Slugger Award in 2002 and won the Gold Glove Award four consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2000. 

The Puerto Rican becomes the 18th man to have his number by the New York Yankees.  Williams will not be the last former Yankee to be honored in the Bronx as Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada will also be receiving similar accolades this year, and it is expected that Derek Jeter will be also gain that honor soon.

While we here at Notinhalloffame.com may not necessarily be fans of the New York Yankees, we do look to make a pilgrimage at one time to Monument Park.  Congratulations to Bernie Williams and the Yanks in general as when we begin ranking the North American sports franchises that do the best job honoring their own, it is difficult to see anyone surpassing the baseball team from the Bronx.