TMZ might just be the greatest new source for Pro Football Hall of Fame news…or at least for former players stating their case for enshrinement.  The latest is Chris Johnson, the former Running Back who told TMZ that he certainly belongsat a launch party for his supplement company in Nashville.

Johnson stated that he was a Hall of Famer “for sure” and he was the “fastest guy that ever played in the NFL”.  He also added that he hoped the Hall will “do the right thing”.

Hmmmm.

Johnson’s first three seasons in the National Football League was phenomenal as the then Tennessee Titan was named to the Pro Bowl and in his second year, he was a First Team All-Pro that led the league in Rushing Yards with 2,006 and was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year.  Johnson was not a Pro Bowler after 2010, but in his next three seasons with Tennessee he still rushed for over 1,000 Yards.  In his final four seasons he played for the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. He retired with 9,651 Rushing Yards with 50 TDs, which he complimented with another 2,255 Receiving Yards.  These are good numbers but in the modern era a Running Back that does not at least hit 10,000 Rushing Yards and more than one dominant season will struggle to see their bust in Canton.

The former Running Back is eligible for the Hall in 2023 and frankly he will be very lucky to become even a Semi-Finalist.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame is loaded and relative to the number of players who compete and the size of the Hall it is incredibly difficult to gain admission.     

Johnson is not likely to gain a gold jacket, but this one hell of a player who should always be celebrated in the state of Tennessee.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will be paying attention!

It was announced that basketball legend, John Havlicek passed away today at the age of 79.  

Playing collegiately at Ohio State where he helped the Buckeyes win the 1960 National Championship, Havlicek was drafted 7^thoverall in 1962 by the Boston Celtics, which would be the only team he would ever play for professionally.  He is one of the most decorated players in NBA history as he helped the Celtics win eight NBA Titles, he is a 13-time All-Star and a four-time First Team All-NBA Selection.  Teammates and opponents considered him one of the most complete players they ever saw as he excelled at both offense and defense and he was also a consummate teammate.  At the time of his retirement, he was the career leader in Game Played and third in Points.

He was selected for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, family, and fans of John Havlicek at this time.

The Canadian Football League Hall of Fame has announced the members of their Class of 2019, which will consist of five former players and two builders.

Joe Cornish:  Cornish played nine years in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders where he rushed for 6,844 Yards with 44 Touchdowns.  The native of New Westminster, B.C. was named the CFL’s Outstanding Canadian three years in a row (2012-14) and he is also a three-time Rushing Leader.  Cornish would also win two Grey Cups with the Stampeders.

Mervyn Fernandez:  From San Jose State, Fernandez played for the B.C. Lions from 1982 to 1986 where he helped the team win the Grey Cup in 1985 and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CFL that year.  The Wide Receiver played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1992 and returned for one more season with the Lions in 1994.  The two time CFL All-Star would record 399 Receptions for 6,690 Yards and 57 Touchdowns.

Terry Greer:  Greer came to the CFL by way of Alabama State where he played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1980 to 1985 where he was a two-time CFL All-Star and helped the Argonauts win the 1983 Grey Cup.  That was a special year for Greer as he would become the first CFL Wide Receiver to have a 2,000 Yard season.  Before he left the CFL for the NFL he would tabulate 404 Receptions for 6,817 Yards and 47 Touchdowns.  He would later win two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers making him one of the few people to have a Grey Cup and Super Bowl ring.

Jim Hopson:  Hopson enters as a builder through being the President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2004 to 2015.  He was an Offensive Lineman for the team from 1973 to 1976.

Ernie Pitts:  Pitts played at both Defensive Back and Wide Receiver over his Canadian Football League tenure (1957-70).  He was a four-time Grey Cup Champion with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and he would have 337 Receptions for 1,126 Yards and 55 Touchdowns.  It is a posthumous induction as he was fatally shot in September of 1970.

Frank Smith:  Smith enters as a builder through coaching the University of British Columbia from 1974 to 1994.  He would win two National Championships ad was also a two-time Coach of the Year.

David Williams:  Williams was drafted in the 3^rdRound from the University of Illinois in the 1986 Draft and after bouncing around the NFL for three years with three different teams he signed with the B.C. Lions in 1988 where he won the Outstanding Player of the Year Award in his first year.  He would later win the Grey Cup in 1991 with the Toronto Argonauts and he also played with Edmonton, Ottawa and Winnipeg.  He retired with 439 Receptions for 7,197 Yards and 78 Touchdowns.

The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on August 9 in Hamilton, Ontario.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

This is the second day in a row where we have a Running Back retiring from the National Football League.  Following yesterday’s retirement of longtime Carolina Panther, Jonathan Stewart, Oakland Raiders Running Back, Marshawn Lynch will be retiring from the game for a second time.

Lynch was drafted 12^thoverall in 2007 by the Buffalo Bills where as a rookie he rushed for 1,115 Yards, and in his second season, he again hit 1,000 Yards (1,036) and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.  He did not have a great 2009, and early in the 2010 season, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for two mid-round draft picks, which would prove to be beneficial for Seattle and Lynch and one that Bills fans still bemoan today.

With the Seahawks, he became a star, and his “Beast Mode” nickname became known through every NFL fanbase.  Lynch returned to the Pro Bowl in 2011 with a 1,204 Rushing Yard, 12 TD performance and in 2012 he was even better going for 1,590 Rushing Yards with 11 Touchdowns. Not only did he go to the Pro Bowl he was also a First Team All-Pro.  

Lynch would again have more than 1,000 Receiving Yards in the next two years, but this time he helped take Seattle to the Super Bowl those seasons.  The Seahawks would win Super Bowl XLVIII in a dismantling of the Denver Broncos but they would fail in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. In that contest, Lynch had rushed for 102 Yards and a Touchdown but on Seattle’s final offensive play of the game they threw a pass instead of run (they were on New England’s 1-yard line) in a play that everyone thought should have gone to Lynch.

Injuries kept Lynch out of half of the 2015 season and he retired from the game but not all sports retirements stick.  After sitting out the 2016 season he returned to the game, this time signing with the Oakland Raiders where he would play the last two years.

Lynch played in 148 Games, rushing for 10,379 Yards and 84 Touchdowns and he would also record another 287 Receptions for 2,214 Yards and 9 Touchdowns. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Marshawn Lynch for the incredible on the field memories, his always entertaining banter with reporters, skittles and of course, “Beast Mode”.   We wish Marshawn Lynch the best in post-playing career and are certain that whatever he does next it will be entertaining!

Thank you, Marshawn!