Committee Chairman

Jabari Greer Retires

Sep 12, 2014

It was announced that Jabari Greer, the Cornerback, most recently with the New Orleans Saints has called it a career in the National Football League.

Greer was an undrafted Cornerback from the University of Tennessee in 2004 who latched on with the Buffalo Bills, eventually securing a starting role with the team. As his skills improved, Greer would sign with the New Orleans Saints and would not just be a starting Cornerback, but become a big part of the Saints defense.

As such, Greer would become a part of the Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV, and would overall accumulate 13 Interceptions in his career and make ten seasons in the National Football League, a rare feat in Professional Football.

Although Greer is not a legitimate contender for the Football Hall of Fame, nor really someone who will be honored by the New Orleans Saints, we here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate Jabari Greer in his professional football career and wish him luck on the next stage of his career.

RIP: Mr. Larson

Sep 11, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We don’t generally discuss the death of actors on this website, but with the launch of our Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, we thought we would change our thought process to commemorate the passing of our “fictitious” heroes.

With that said, today we mourn the loss of Richard Kiel, the seven foot plus behemoth that was known mostly as James Bond super villain, Jaws. Kiel’s character had the rare distinction of appearing in two films opposing “007”, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. However, when you are the size of Kiel, it can be expected that he would appear in some athletic films, two of which were nominees for our Hall of Fame.

Kiel played “Sampson” in Burt Reynolds’ 1974 film, the Longest Yard. Kiel’s role was of one of the prison inmates who were recruited to play Football against the Guards, and was granted a few memorable lines in the film.

Two decades later, Kiel played a brief but memorable supporting role in Happy Gilmore, as “Mr. Larsen”, Happy’s one time employer known specifically for having a large nail in his head. This character actually made the semi-final round for Contributors of our Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame. Kiel also had a role as a mechanic/driver in the Cannonball Run II.

We would like to extend our condolences to the friends of family of Richard Kiel and invite you to have a Richard Kiel film fest. It will be entertaining, we guarantee!

Poker HOF Nominees announced

Sep 11, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

While we may never get to doing a Notinhalloffame.com rank of those who should be in the Poker Hall of Fame, we have a lot of respect for the game and how much it has grown in popularity in the past two decades. As such, a brief synopsis of this year’s ten Finalists, which were announced today.

In the last three years two people were selected, and it is expected that this trend will continue this year. This year’s Finalists are:

Chris Bjorin: Considered one of the best European Poker players ever, and the most successful Swedish player, Chris Bjorin is a two time Gold Bracelet winner and is sixth all time on WSOP cash list.

Humberto Brenes: Currently third place all-time on WSOP cashes list, and is regarded in the game for his consistency. The Costa Rican born Brenes is credited with elevating Poker in Latin America.

Bruno Fitoussi: The French born Poker star has elevated the stature of the game in France and is credited with brining Texas Hold ‘Em to that country.

Ted Forrest: Six times a WSOP gold bracelet winner and is one of the most successful money winners in recent years.

Jen Harman: The first female to win multiple bracelets in open events and has appeared in 12 WSOP Final Events.

Bob Hooks: The oldest nominee at 85 Years Old, Bob Hooks played with the legends of Poker decades ago, and held his own with the best from generation to generation. He played competitively or six decades until he retired last year.

Mike Matusow: “The Mouth” is a four time bracelet winner and final tabled the WSOP Main Event twice.

Jack McClelland: A one time Semi-professional bowler, McClelland wound up directing the WSOP from 2002 to 2013.

Daniel Negreanu: At 40 years old, Negreanu is the youngest nominee on this year’s ballot and “Kid Poker” has won six gold bracelets, two WPT Titles, and is second all-time on the WPT money list and third all-time on the WSOP money list.

Huckleberry Seed: The tall Californian is a four time bracelet winner and one of the most recognizable figures in the game.

To qualify for the Poker Hall of Fame, the player has to meet the following criteria:

He or she must be at least 40 Years of Age

He or she must have played Poker against recognized high level of competition.

He or she must have played for high stakes.

He or she must have gained the respect of their peers.

He or she must stand the test of time.

Some of those are a little ambiguous wouldn’t you say?

The Poker Hall of Fame was first established in 1979 and was acquired by Caesar’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker. Although there is no physical Hall of Fame, the ceremony is heled in conjunction with the Final Table at the WSOP, which is held annually in November.

Chauncey Billups Retires

Sep 10, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Very quietly, a major Basketball retirement took place as Chauncey Billups announced that he will not seek another year in Professional Basketball. Billups, a Shooting Guard who last played for the Detroit Pistons, did not have his contract renewed, and elected not to seek employment with another NBA team, citing that “it’s just time.”

Billups was drafted third overall in 1997 from the University of Colorado by the Boston Celtics, but his rookie year was not a successful one as clashes with Celtic’s Coach, Rick Pitino, found him unable to really find his game. A late season trade to Toronto did little to help his career and neither did a stint in Denver.

His fortunes turned around in his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he would take over the starting Shooting Guard role from Terrell Brandon who went down due to a knee injury. Billups, who was labeled a first round bust by many, reversed his fortunes and averaged 22 Points per Game in Minnesota’s brief run in the playoffs.

Now a free agent, Billups would sign on with the Detroit Pistons as their starting Point Guard. Now a more complete player, Billups’s clutch shooting and defensive prowess earned him league wide respect and in 2004, the Pistons, who did not have a traditional superstar shocked the world by winning the NBA Championship.

Billups was now receiving personal accolades, earning six straight All Star Game appearances (2005-10), a Second Team All-NBA, two Third Team All-NBA and a pair of Second Team Defensive selections. Statistically, Billups retires with a 17.2 Points per Game Average, a PER of 18.8 and a resume that could put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame, or at least receive some consideration for a retired number with the Pistons.

We would like to thank Chauncey Billups for entertaining up on the court for all of these years and wish him the best in his post NBA life.