We have another significant retirement in the National Football League as New England Patriots Safety, Devin McCourty, has announced his retirement from the NFL after a 12-year career.  He made the announcement on an Instagram post.

From Rutgers, the Pats used their 2010 First Round Pick (27^th Overall) to select McCourty, who never played for another pro team.  Winning three Super Bowls in New England, McCourty dressed in 205 Games (5^th in team history), recorded 35 Interceptions (3^rd in team history), and amassed 982 Tackles.

Originally playing at Cornerback, McCourty switched to Safety and was named a team captain as early as his second year.  A beloved teammate and community leader, McCourty was a two-time Pro Bowl Selection, and was twice a Second Team All-Pro.

McCourty is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028, though is unlikely to enter.  In our pre-2022 NFL HOF Active Monitor, McCourty was ranked #108 Overall and #7 among Safeties.  Canton may not come calling, but his resume of worthy of a spot in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Devin McCourty the best in his post-playing career.

We lost another legend in the world of Pro Football with the passing of former Vikings Head Coach, Bud Grant, who passed away at the age of 95.

Playing professionally in Philadelphia and Winnipeg in the CFL, Bud Grant went into coaching, first in Canada for the Blue Bombers where he won four Grey Cups.  That type of success will get you noticed, and the closest NFL team, the Minnesota Vikings signed him as their Head Coach in 1967.

Grant is still as of this writing the most successful Head Coach in Vikings history, winning the Coach of the Year in 1969, and leading Minnesota to four Super Bowl appearances.  The Vikings did not win any of them, but they would not have gotten there without Grant, whose innovations and vision made Minnesota one of the most recognized franchises in the NFL.

Grant, who is also in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, had an overall NFL record of 158-96-5.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Bud Grant.

We are weeks away from Wrestlemania, but for us, the bigger component is that it is Hall of Fame season.  Last night, on WWE Smackdown, Rey Mysterio, 49, who is an active competitor and looks to be in a major Wrestlemania match with his son, Dominik, was announced as the first member of the 2023 Class.

From San Diego, Mysterio was born Oscar Gutierrez, and first wrestled at the age of 14.  Taking the name of Rey Mysterio Jr., after his uncle, Rey Mysterio, he joined the leading Mexican promotion, AAA in 1992.  He was an instant sensation with his high-flying skills, but at well under 150 pounds, and 5’ 2”, it was highly improbably that Mysterio could make it in the United States, but shattering glass ceilings would become his specialty.

After appearing briefly in ECW in 1995, Eric Bischoff of WCW signed Mysterio, and he was the face of the Cruiserweight division, winning that title five times and the WCW World Tag Team Title three times.  After WCW folded, he would join the WWE in 2002, where he won that version of the Cruiserweight Title multiple times. 

Following the death of Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio, who was his on-screen rival, but off-screen best friend was vaulted into the Heavyweight Title scene, winning the 2006 Royal Rumble, and the World Title at Wrestlemania 22.  His title reign was poorly booked, but remained a top-to-middle name performer on the cards for the next nine years, winning other titles and dazzling fans.

Mysterio left the WWE in 2015, but returned three years later, with his most recent success coming in a Smackdown Tag Team Title win with his son, Dominik.  The father and son match could be a show stealer at Wrestlemania.

Mysterio was not ranked on our list of those to consider for the WWE Hall of Fame, as we only rank those who are inactive or over 50.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our congratulate Rey Mysterio for this impending honor.

As of this writing, Brandon Nimmo is set to enter his tenth MLB Season, all of which have been as a Met.

The Outfielder may not feel like a superstar, but he has been very productive, and was a highly-touted First Round Pick in 2011.  Nimmo debuted for the Mets in 2016, but was not a regular until 2018.  He only had 114 Hits, but had an OBP of .404 that year, and the led the NL in Hit by Pitch (22), showcasing his ability to get to First. 

Nimmo had numerous ailments from 2019 to 2021, but when healthy was consistently able to draw free passes, and display moderate power.  In 2022, Nimmo led the NL in Triples (7), and had his first 150-plus HIt year.  In 2023, Nimmo set personal bests in Hits (162), Home Runs (24) and Runs Batted In (68).  Last season, he only had 23 Home Runs and 128 Hits, but he helped the Mets reach the National League Championship. Nimmo could have an All-Star in him.