Selected in the sixth round of the 1958 NFL Draft by Green Bay, Ken Gray faced tough competition in a deep roster, playing alongside future Hall of Famers. Unable to secure a permanent spot with the Packers, the Texas native was claimed by the Chicago Cardinals, making his debut as a defensive end in his rookie year. However, this defensive stint was short-lived; before his second season, the coaching staff moved him back to right guard, where he became one of the most formidable interior blockers of his time.

Gray epitomized the classic open-field pulling guard with a perfect blueprint. He had explosive short-area quickness from his stance, enabling him to lead-block on the perimeter with devastating impact. With a fierce, punishing attitude, Gray often dominated defensive ends and linebackers in single coverage, creating large running lanes for stars like John David Crow, Johnny Roland, and Prentice Gautt. His legendary toughness made him a teammate favorite; he was a respected team captain for seven straight seasons and frequently played through serious knee injuries.

While his initial years in Chicago were spent establishing his footing, the franchise's relocation to St. Louis in 1960 coincided with Gray's rise to absolute individual stardom. He secured his first career Pro Bowl invitation in 1961, establishing himself as an elite interior presence. By 1963, Gray had evolved into an untouchable force at right guard, kicking off a seven-year stretch of consensus postseason honors.

His peak performance arrived during the 1964 season, when his dominant drive-blocking and pass protection earned him consensus First-Team All-Pro honors alongside his third Pro Bowl selection. Between 1961 and 1968, Gray was voted to six Pro Bowls (1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968), serving as the undisputed anchor of the Cardinals' offensive line throughout the entire decade. Gray's relentless individual consistency at right guard earned him All-Pro or All-Conference recognition in seven consecutive seasons from 1963 through 1969.

After twelve seasons and 151 games in a Cardinals uniform, knee injuries finally caught up with the veteran leader, leading to his release prior to the 1970 season. He closed out his career with a single season in Houston before hanging up his cleats.

Gray was named as a First-Team guard on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, cementing his status as one of the premier interior linemen of his generation.

Another Cardinal, another Defensive Back.

Adrian Wilson was a third-round pick (64th overall) from North Carolina State in the 2001 NFL Draft who proved to be a steal. He developed from a raw college player into a highly impactful strong safety known for his toughness. Wilson became a starter during his second year, leading the Cardinals' defense for 12 seasons (2001–2012). His aggressive style at the line of scrimmage established a strong defensive identity for the team.

Operating as a true hybrid box safety, he terrorized opposing offenses as an extra pass rusher, uncoiling downhill with incredible explosion. His diagnosing quickness and violent tackling made him a run-fit nightmare for opposing coordinators, while his ball skills allowed him to track downfield throws, resulting in 27 career interceptions.

His breakout as an elite individual playmaker came during the 2005 campaign. Wilson delivered an extraordinary statistical masterpiece, racking up 109 tackles and an astonishing 8.0 sacks—one of the highest single-season sack totals ever recorded by an NFL defensive back. That performance set the stage for his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2006, when he returned an intercepted pass 99 yards for a touchdown.

Between 2008 and 2011, Wilson served as the emotional heartbeat of the franchise, stringing together four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. The peak of his individual recognition came in 2009, when he recorded 75 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 2.0 sacks to earn First-Team All-Pro honors. As a team captain, his high-leverage plays in the secondary were instrumental in guiding Arizona to its historic run to Super Bowl XLIII. Wilson stands as one of only six players in NFL history to record at least 25 career sacks and 25 career interceptions, cementing his status as one of the most versatile defensive backs to ever play.

After his release following the 2012 season, Wilson signed brief contracts with New England and Chicago, but a torn Achilles sustained in training camp kept him out of the regular season. As a result, all 181 of his career regular-season games were played in a Cardinals uniform. He retired with 903 total tackles, 25.5 sacks, 27 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, and 5 Pro Bowl selections. In 2015, Wilson entered the Cardinals Ring of Honor.

The path from an unheralded, undrafted free agent to the absolute standard-bearer of an NFL franchise is rarely traveled, but Jim Hart walked it for nearly two decades. Arriving out of Southern Illinois in 1966, Hart signed with the St. Louis Cardinals without a shred of fanfare. What followed was an eighteen-year demonstration of sheer durability, quiet toughness, and relentless aerial volume that fundamentally anchored the franchise's identity through the peak of the 1970s.

Hart did not have the aristocratic draft pedigree or the flashy athletic fame of his urban peers, but he had a powerful, fearless arm and sharp diagnostic skills. Playing behind a legendary offensive line led by Dan Dierdorf, he thrived as a pocket passer willing to take deep risks, trusting his quick processing to challenge defenses downfield. His most notable quality was his relentless durability; despite enduring physical punishment in the late 1960s, he consistently remained the starting quarterback, often absorbing hits to make crucial throws down the seam.

Hart’s career soared to new heights after head coach Don Coryell joined in 1973. With Coryell’s dynamic "Air Coryell" passing system, Hart became the perfect signal-caller for one of football’s most exciting offenses. Their partnership quickly proved successful in 1974, as Hart led several dramatic fourth-quarter comebacks, earning the team the nickname: the "Cardiac Cards.” That season, Hart threw for 2,411 yards and 20 touchdowns, helping the Cardinals achieve a 10-4 record and their first division title in nearly thirty years. His outstanding performance earned him the NFC Offensive Player of the Year award from UPI and his first of four straight Pro Bowl selections (1974–1977). From 1974 to 1976, Hart guided the Cardinals through three consecutive seasons with ten or more wins, including two NFC East titles, and orchestrated ten game-winning drives in the fourth quarter.

He maintained a stellar peak through the mid-1970s, guiding the franchise to an 11-3 record in 1975 and a 10-4 record in 1976. Although the postseason saw early, painful losses to NFC giants like Minnesota and Los Angeles, Hart’s status as a top-tier passer was undisputed. Even as the team aged and records declined later in the decade, Hart stayed the consistent force, achieving a career-high 3,121 passing yards in 1978.

By the time he ceded the starting job to Neil Lomax in the early 1980s, Hart had established numbers that shattered every passing threshold in franchise history. Over his 18 seasons in St. Louis (1966–1983), he threw for 34,639 yards and 209 touchdowns—marks that still stand as the absolute zenith of Cardinals passing records.

In 2017, Hart was selected to join the Cardinals Ring of Honor in 2017.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Atlanta Hawks.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Atlanta continued their middle-of-the-road performance, neither dazzling nor toiling in the basement.  There were no new entrants but there were three elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which was not affected by the last season:

1. Bob Pettit

2. Dominique Wilkins

3. Cliff Hagan

4. John Drew

5. Mookie Blaylock

You can find the entire list here.

Two-Time All-Star, Trae Young, advanced to #15 from #21.

Power Forward, John Collins, who is now with Utah, climbed one spot to #24.

Rebounding machine, Clint Capela, advanced from #41 to #30.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.