The Polynesian Football Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2020, which will comprise of four former NFL players.

The group was pared down from 100 candidates and then to 10 Finalists.

The 2020 Polynesian Football Hall of Fame consists of:

David Dixon (Maori Ancestry): Born in New Zealand, Dixon would become the second player of Maori ancestry to play in the NFL.  He played collegiately at Arizona State and was drafted in the 9^thRound by the New England Patriots in 1992.  He wouldn’t make the team that year, and tried out for the Minnesota Vikings, but also did not make the regular season roster. The year after, he was on the practice squad for the Dallas Cowboys.  It would change in 1994, when he made the Vikings roster, and would play there for 11 seasons.  Dixon would play on the Offensive Line, and would play 152 Games, starting 134 of them at Right Guard.

Frank Manumaluega (Samoan Ancestry):  From Hawaii, Frank Manummaluega is one of the first players of Samoan ancestry to play in the National Football League.  Manumaluega played at Linebacker, and he was at Sat Jose State when he was drafted in the 4^th Round in 1979 by the Kansas City Chiefs.  He would play there for three seasons, and would see action in 35 Games, starting 29 of them.  He would also play three seasons in the USFL, two years with the Oakland Invaders and one season with the Portland Breakers.

Haloti Ngata (Tongan Ancestry):  Playing at the University of Oregon, Haloti Ngata would be a Consensus All-American, win the Morris Trophy and was the Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2005.  He would be drafted by the Baltimore Ravens 12^th overall and the Defensive Tackle would play in Baltimore for nine seasons.  As a Raven, Ngata would go to five Pro Bowls, secure two First Team All-Pro Selections and helped the team win Super Bowl XLVII.  He played three years additional seasons with the Detroit Lions and one final one with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.  Ngata would play 180 Games in the NFL.

Dominic Raiola (Hawaiian Ancestry):  From Honolulu, Dominic Raiola was a Consensus All-American at the University of Nebraska in 2000, where he won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top Center.  Raiola was drafted in the 2^nd Round by the Detroit Lions in 2001 and he would play there for 14 seasons, and started 203 of his 219 Games.

The ceremony will take place on January 18, which will coincide with that weekend’s Polynesian Bowl.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the soon to be members of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.

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 and executive. Eventually, we will look at the major U.S. colleges.  As such, it is news to us that the University of Syracuse will be retiring the number 44 of former player, John Wallace.

The ceremony will take place on February 29, during their home game against North Carolina.

From Rochester, New York, Wallace was recruited by Syracuse, where he would play four years (1992-96).  He played Small Forward for the Orangemen, and would be named a First Team Big East Selection twice (1995 & 1996).  Wallace was also named a Second Team All-American in 1996.  That year, he took Syracuse to the NCAA Finals, but they would lose to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Wallace would go on to have a seven-year career in the NBA with stops in New York, Toronto, Detroit, Phoenix and Miami.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate John Wallace for earning this honor.

We initially were not going to comment on this but based on the buzz it is generating, and the fact that we are Notinhalloffame.com, we have decided to give our pair of pennies.

In an interview with Today on NBC’s Today on why Steph Curry would not be on his dream five-man pick-up team. His answer was:

“He’s still a great player…Not a Hall of Famer yet, though.  He’s not.”

Keep in mind this was said in a playful tone, so we have no idea whether this was done with a wink, and whether he actually meant it.  We have to believe that he didn’t and was just playing, or perhaps if he did, it is not by his “hall of fame standard”.

If he does mean it, he is in the minority, as he is a two-time MVP and three-time NBA Champion with six All-Stars and a scoring title.  

As for our opinion, in our new section that ranks active basketball players based on their existing Hall of Fame resume, we have Curry ranked #5, and feel that he is already a Hall of Fame lock.

Either way, it generated a few comments in the 24-hour news cycle of sports and will be forgotten tomorrow.  

Until Curry brings it up in his Hall of Fame speech.

It was reported today that Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Willie Brown, passed away at 78.  As of this writing, the cause of death is unknown.

Playing his college ball at Grambling, Brown was undrafted in 1963 and would try out for the Houston Oilers of the AFL.  He didn’t make the team, but would with the Denver Broncos, where he would become a starting Cornerback as a rookie.  Brown would go to two AFL All-Star Games with Denver, but he was traded to the Oakland Raiders before the 1967 Season.

In the next seven seasons, Brown was an AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl Selection and would be named a First Team All-Pro four times.  Brown would help the Raiders win Super Bowl XI and would record what was then the longest Interception Return Touchdown (at the time) for 75 Yards in the win.  He would retire in 1978 with 54 career Interceptions.

After his playing career ended, he would become the Raiders Defensive Backs Coach, a role where he won two more Super Bowls (XV & XVIII).

Brown served on the Administrative Staff of the Raiders since 1995, a position he held until his death.  He would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

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