We were not conflicted in making Jerry Rice the greatest player in the history of San Francisco 49ers.  As for who came next, it was not as simple.

Actually, the real question was which Hall of Fame Quarterback would be next, Steve Young or Joe Montana.  As you have easily deduced, we decided on Montana, but it was a last-minute decision.  It was paper-thin close.

Young was an All-American at BYU, and before the NFL Draft, he signed with the L.A. Express of the USFL, and when that league folded, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had his rights from the Supplemental Draft.  Young's time with the Bucs was not successful, as he only won three games in two years, and the team was horrendous.  He was traded to San Francisco to be Joe Montana's understudy, as Tampa took another QB in the Draft, Vinny Testaverde.

A National Champion at Notre Dame in 1977, Joe Montana was a Third Round Pick two years later by the San Francisco 49ers, where he began his pro career as Steve DeBerg’s backup.

A two-time ICC (Indiana Collegiate Conference) Player of the Year when he was an Evansville Purple Ace, Jerry Sloan's professional career began with the Baltimore Bullets, but would only last there one year.  This was not due to a lack of skill, but rather because the Chicago Bulls were formed, and Sloan was taken in the 1966 Expansion Draft.

In terms of Hall of Fame tragedy, this might be the worst that we can think of, especially with 2020.  It was announced today that Dick Allen, passed away today at age 78.

Dick Allen was an offensive star in Baseball’s deadball era, winning the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year with Philadelphia in 1964.  The power hitter would become a seven-time All-Star and as a member of the Chicago White Sox, he was named the American League MVP in 1972.  With the ChiSox, he was a two-time Home Run leader.

Allen had his issues with the baseball media, but following his career, he was on the Hall of Fame ballot for the full fifteen years, but failed to gain induction.

On August 13 of this year, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they would be retiring his number.  We here at Notinhalloffame.com speculated that it was to assist Allen in getting into the Baseball Hall, as he would be eligible for this year’s Veteran’s Committee. There was a lot of hope that this could be his year.

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