Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that Philadelphia Eagles have announced two new members to their franchise Hall of Fame, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan.

Thomas was a 1998 First Round Pick (11^th Overall) from Florida State who immediately won the starting job at Left Tackle.  Named to the Pro Bowl three times (2001, 2002 & 2004), Turner stayed with the Eagles until 2008.

Runyan arrived in Philadelphia as a Free Agent from Tennessee in 2000, where he became the Eagles’ starting Right Tackle.  A Pro Bowler in 2002, like Thomas, he remained with the Eagles until 2008.  The Two Tackles were a part of a run to the Super Bowl in 2004.

This brings the amount of Eagles Hall of Fame inductees to 47.

We would like to congratulate Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan for earning this honor.

Pro Football Players. 

No one can deny that Football is probably the most loved sport in the US. We all love watching it, betting on it, and keeping up to date on how our favorite pro football players are doing. However, some superstars and much loved celebs have had a career in Pro Football at one time or another, and who can blame them, who doesn’t want to have a chance on the field. 

As much as it is a very loved sport, this sport is also probably the heaviest bet on sport in America, which means it is a big buck game, with fantastic sites like www.fanduel.com giving you all you need to win some cash on the next big game. You can place bets on who will win, by how much, and you can even bet on more player specific factors. 

The real question is, how many of today’s stars had a football career?

Phil Robertson. 

You may know this man from the popular reality television series ‘Duck Dynasty’. However, while he was in high school, he had the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech in Ruston as a quarterback on a Football scholarship in the late 60s. He played the first-string quarterback for the Bulldogs, ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. He was considered to be a top prospect for the NFL, but instead he chose to follow his true passion, hunting. 

Mark Harmon.

You may know his man for his famous performance as Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS. However, he is also the son of the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tom Harmon. His father was the first overall selection by the Chicago Bears in the 41 draft. He declined their offer and instead played for the New York Americans in the American Football League. 

Mark followed in the footsteps of his father when he was in college, where he played the same position for UCLA for about two years. In 73, he received the National Football Foundation's Award for All-Around Excellence. However, when graduated, he pursued a career in law and then became a very successful actor. 

Ed O’Neill. 

Ed is best known for his role as the main character on ‘Married… with Children’. He earned two Golden Globe nominations for this sitcom alone, and many fans will also remember his role as Jay Pritchett in ‘Modern Family’. 

However, before he became an actor, he attended Ursuline High School and earned a football scholarship at Ohio University, he then earned an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in 69. Yet, he didn’t make the cut. 

Terry Crews. 

Terry is well known for his role in ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ as well as some commercials. He earned an Art Excellence scholarship, followed by a full-ride athletic scholarship as a footballer at Western Michigan University. He played a major role in his team, WMU Broncos, Mid-American Conference Championship victory in 88. Furthermore, he also signed with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams in 91. 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

Before Dwayne made his title as a real Hollywood superstar, he was crushing on the gridiron for the Miami Hurricanes. He played on the defensive line and was part of the 91 squad that won the national title- a team that also included the future Pro Football Hall of Fame player Warren Sapp. 

He did not get drafted into the NFL, and he spent some time with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He leveraged the experience in his HBO series ‘Ballers’ in which he portrayed a star NFL player transitioning into a financial management career. 

Of course, ‘The Rock’ was also known for being one of WWE’s biggest starts. Football was not his only sporting stardom prior to his acting career. 

Burt Reynolds. 

Burt Reynolds became a big movie star, however, things would be very different if he stuck to his first career- football. He was first team all-state at Palm Beach high school, and he went on to play running back at Florida State. He was injured during his freshman year and was then later in a car accident that aggravated this injury, which ended any chance for him to have a football future. He finished his time with the Seminoles with just 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns, however, he still has a spot in the Florida State Hall of Fame. He later got a chance to combine his acting passions with his football passions in ‘The Longest Yard’. 

Baltimore Orioles slugger, Chris Davis, announced his retirement today, citing issues with his hip.  He last played in this year’s spring training opener.

Davis first reached the Majors with the Texas Rangers in 2008 but was traded to Baltimore during the 2011 Season.  After blasting 33 Home Runs in 2012, Davis exploded with league-leading 53 Home Runs and 138 RBIs.  An All-Star that season, Davis finished third in MV voting and was also a Silver Slugger.  Davis again won the Home Run Title in 2015 with 47 taters.

As prolific as Davis was with the long ball, he was Strikeout prone (1,852 over his career), and his Batting Average began to plummet in recent years.  He batted well under .200 in his last three seasons and he set the record for the most consecutive hitless at bats with 54.  

He is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025, though he is unlikely to get in.  We do think he will enter the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame one day.

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

The world of hockey lost one of the best Goalies of all-time, as it was revealed that Tony Esposito passed away at the age of 78 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The younger brother of Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito first made the NHL as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1968/69 where he appeared in 13 Games.  The Chicago Blackhawks claimed the pioneer of the butterfly style the following year in the Intra-League Draft, and the Windy City would be the last professional stop of his career.

Esposito won the Calder in 1960-70, as well as his first Vezina, of which he won two more in the following four seasons.  A dominating backstop, Esposito led the NHL in Saves five times, Save Percentage twice and Shutouts three times.  

Internationally, Esposito represented Canada in the winning 1972 Summit Series and 1977 Canada Cup, and the United States in the 1981 Canada Cup.  

Considered one of the great ambassadors in Chicago hockey, Esposito was beloved by the community and his peers.  A six-time All-Star, Esposito’s number 35 was retired by the team.

Esposito was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

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