The Carolina Panthers will be well represented in next month's Pro Football Hall of Fame class with Luke Kuechly, the star Linebacker who was a Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time First Team All-Pro.  If it were up to Kuechly, one of his former teammates would be in the Hall with him.

In an article by Scott Fowler in the Charlotte Observer, Fowler referenced past interviews that he had recently conducted, and he referenced a quote by Kuechly regarding Newton:

“When he was rolling, he was the best player on the field at all times.  I know he was the league’s MVP and a Pro Bowler and all that stuff. But just think about that: Whenever he was on the field, he was the biggest, most physical and best player on it.”

To Kuechly’s point, Newton was a freakish athlete who set the since-broken record of rushing touchdowns with 72, pounding 5,628 yards in the process. 

In Fowler’s article, he also referenced Newton’s former Head Coach, Ron Rivera, who had this to say about Newton’s Hall of Fame candidacy:

“For seven seasons, before he hurt his shoulder, Cam Newton was at the top of the NFL.  There’s got to be some serious consideration for the hall of fame, and I mean that, because that guy redefined the position.”

Newton was a dominant player from 2011 to 2017 and won the league MVP in 2015, which was the season he led Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance.  As great as his overall year was, Newton is best remembered that year for failing to dive for a fumble late in the game. 

Should a single play define a career?  No, but when it happens at the biggest stage, it is forever remembered.

As for Newton, he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2027.

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 will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. We will eventually extend that to the major universities, and thus it is important to us that Ohio State will be honoring Jim Tressel as a member of the Ohio Stadium Ring of Honor this September.

Tressel first coached at Ohio State from 1983 to 1985, where he was the Quarterbacks/Running Backs coach, but he departed for the Head Coach job at Youngstown State, where he coached from 1986 to 2000, taking the Penguins to four Division I-AA Championships.  He made a triumphant return to Columbus following the 2000 season, and for the next decade, Tressel was among the top coaches in college football.

In the ten years he coached Ohio State, the Buckeyes compiled a scintillating 106-23 record, peaking with a 2002 NCAA Championship win with a Fiesta Bowl win.  He also led the school to four other bowl wins (2003 Fiesta, 2004 Alamo, 2009 Rose, and 2010 Sugar) and, in eight separate campaigns, finished with a top-ten ranking.

Tressel was suspended in 2011 for failing to notify the NCAA about violations by his players. The scandal snowballed and would eventually force Tressel to resign later that year.  Regardless of the scandal, Tressel remained a beloved figure in Ohio, and this accolade is long overdue for many Buckeyes fans.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Jim Tressel for his impending honor.

Last January, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2026, and for us at Notinhalloffame.com, this means it is time to revise the list of those to consider for the Hall.

At present, it is a work in progress, as we have multiple projects underway (including prepping the ballot for the 2026 United States Athletic Hall of Fame), but we are also slowly working on the Baseball Hall revision.

Our revisions take into account the following:

• Removing those who were inducted and including those who are now eligible.
• Taking in your votes and comments and adjusting accordingly.

Simple, right?

As this is a work in progress, the section is under construction, but we will keep you apprised of the changes as we go.

The entire list (again, it is under construction) is here,  but in the meantime, here is the revised 251-275:

251. Ken Williams
252. Chuck Knoblauch
253. Ed Morris
254. Jack Powell
255. Ken Singleton
256. George Scott
257. Mort Cooper
258. Chet Lemon
259. Jon Matlack
260. Chris Carpenter
261. Jose Reyes
262. Frank White
263. Fred Tenney
264. Willie McGee
265. Deacon Phillippe
266. Red Lucas
267. Jim Gilliam
268. Herman Long
269. Toby Harrah
270. Lenny Dykstra
271. Adrian Gonzalez
272. Roy White
273. Mike Tieran
274. Jose Rijo
275. Devon White

Look for more updates soon.

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 will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. We will eventually extend that to the major universities, and thus it is important to us that the University of West Virginia has announced it will retire the number 5 worn by former Quarterback Pat White. 

Known for his exceptional versatility as a dual-threat pivot, White led the Mountaineers to a 35-8 record and four consecutive bowl wins (2006 Sugar, 2007 Gator, 2008 Fiesta, and 2008 Meineke Car Care).  Over his four seasons in West Virginia, White threw for 6,048 Yards with a 56-23 TD-INT ratio.  White also rushed for a staggering 4,480 Yards and 47 TDs.  This combination made White the first player in Big East history to exceed 10,000 Yards in total offense.

White was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, and in 2007, was sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. 

White joins Major Harris (#9), Ira Rodgers (#21), Chuck Howley (#66), Sam Huff (#75), Bruce Bosley (#77), and Darryl Talley (#90).

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Pat White for his impending honor.