The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced their Finalists for the Class of 2019 and as per normal, there are little surprises.

The Finalists are:

Steve Atwater:  Atwater played Free Safety for the Denver Broncos from 1989 to 1998 and in that span, he would win two Super Bowls and would be named to two First Team All Pro and eight Pro Bowls.  He was known for delivering the most punishing hits for a Safety.  Atwater played one final season for the Jets and this is his second time as a Finalist, the last being in 2016.  He is ranked #12on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.  

Champ Bailey:  Bailey began his career playing for the Washington Redskins in 1999 where he quickly would establish himself as one of the top Cornerbacks in the NFL.  He would play there for five seasons, going to four Pro Bowls in his last four seasons there, but he would be traded to the Denver Broncos and elevated his career even more.  A Bronco from 2004 to 2013 was a First Team All Pro three years in a row 2004-06 and was a Pro Bowl Selection eight more times.  He retired with 52 Interceptions.  Bailey becomes a Finalist in his first year of eligibility and he is ranked #2on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Tony Boselli:  Arguably the greatest Jacksonville Jaguar of all-time, Boselli was only in the National Football League for seven seasons, but was a Pro Bowler for five of them and he was chosen for three straight First Team All Pros from 1997 to 1999.   This is his third straight time for the Offensive Lineman as a Finalist and he is ranked #64on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Isaac Bruce:  Bruce was an explosive Wide Receiver who played the first fourteen of his sixteen years with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and he was a member of the Rams Super Bowl winning “Greatest Show on Turf”.  Bruce was the NFL leader in Receiving Yards in 1996 and retired with 15,208 Receiving Yards, which is fifth all-time.  His 1,024 Receptions and 91 Receiving Touchdowns are thirteenth and twelfth all-time. Like Boselli this is Bruce’s third straight year as a Finalist.  He is ranked #13on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Don Coryell:  Coryell was the Head Coach of the St. Louis Cardinals (1973-77) and the San Diego Chargers (1978-86) and had a 114-89-1 record.  Coryell never won a Super Bowl but is known for revolutionizing the passing game in football.  This is his fifth time as a Finalist (2010, 2015, 2016 & 2017).

Alan Faneca:  Faneca was a veteran of thirteen NFL seasons, the first ten of which were with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he won a Super Bowl and was named to five First Team All Pro and seven Pro Bowls.  He followed that up with two Pro Bowl seasons with the New York Jets and one final season with Arizona.  This is his fourth straight year as a Finalist and he is ranked #4on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Tom Flores:  Flores was the Head Coach of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1979-87) and the Seattle Seahawks (1992-94) and had a 105-90 record.  He would win two Super Bowls as a Head Coach with the Raiders and this is the first time that he is a Hall of Fame Finalist. 

Tony Gonzalez:  Gonzalez is the most successful Tight End in terms of offensive output and his contributions to the Kansas City Chiefs (1997-2008) and Atlanta Falcons (2009-13) will never be forgotten.  Gonzalez caught 1,325 passes for 15,127 Yards and 111 Touchdowns, which are by far the best by anyone of his position.  He would be named to six First Team All Pro and fourteen Pro Bowls and is a Finalist on his first year of eligibility.  He is ranked #1on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Steve Hutchinson:  Playing for the Seattle Seahawks (2001-05), Minnesota Vikings (2006-11) and Tennessee Titans (2012) over his career, the Left Guard would be a Pro Bowl in seven straight seasons (2003-09).  He was also named to five First Team All Pro teams and this is his second year being names as a Finalist.  He is ranked #26on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Edgerrin James:  With the Indianapolis Colts for the first seven years of his career, James would lead the NFL in Rushing Yards in his first two seasons.  James would be a four time Pro Bowl and one time First Team All Pro as a Colt and he would finish his career with Arizona for three seasons and a final one in Seattle.

Ty Law:  Law played Cornerback for the New England Patriots from 1995 to 2004 where he was a four time Pro Bowl, two time First Team All Pro but more importantly was a three time Super Bowl Champion.  Law would go to another Pro Bowl as a New York Jet and he would also finish his career with Kansas City and Denver.  The two time leader in Interceptions is a Finalist for the third straight year and he is ranked #28on our Notinhslloffame.com football list.

John Lynch:  Lynch played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1993 to 2003 where at Strong Safety he helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl and was a five time Pro Bowl and two time First Team Al Pro.  He would move to Free Safety and the Denver Broncos the last four seasons of his career and was a Pro Bowl in all of them.  This is Lynch’s sixth straight year as a Finalist and he is ranked #34on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Kevin Mawae:  Mawae played for the Seattle Seahawks (1994-97), the New York Jets (1998-2005) and the Tennessee Titans (2006-09) and it was with the Jets where he was at their best with six straight Pro Bowls (1999-2004) with two First Team All Pros in that stint.  He had two more Pro Bowls with Titans.  Mawae is a Finalist for the third straight year and he is ranked #16on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Ed Reed:  The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year was a nine time Pro Bowl and five time First Team All Pro Selection who played all but his final season with the Baltimore Ravens. A Super Bowl Champion with the Ravens, Reed was a three time Interception leader and he is seventh all time in Interceptions and first in Interception Return Yards.  This is Reed’s first year of eligibility and he is ranked #3on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Richard Seymour:  A three time Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots, Richard Seymour was also a First Team All Pro Defensive Tackle three years in a row from 2003 to 2005. The seven time Pro Bowl also played for the Oakland Raiders.  This is Seymour’s first time as a Finalist and he is ranked #50on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

This group joins three Johnny Robinson (Seniors Finalists), Pat Bowlen (Contributor) and Gil Brandt (Contributor).

Johnny Robinson:  A member of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs throughout his career, Robinson was a Safety who was a Pro Bowl/AFL All Star seven times and a First Team All Pro five times.  A Super Bowl Champion and three time AFL Champion is a Finalist for a seventh time, his last being in 1986.  He is ranked #7on our Notinhalloffame.com Football list.

Pat Bowlentook over ownership of the Denver Broncos in 1984 and over that timeframe the team appeared in seven Super Bowls with three wins.

Gil Brandtis credited with revolutionizing scouting and his methods helped the Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowls. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee will announce their selections on February 2.

The Class of 2018 of our Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame has been announced!

After a one year vote, California karate star, Daniel LaRusso, former Rockford Peach, Dottie Hinson and NFL star turned inmate, Paul “Wrecking” Crewe” have been named to the Hall.

They join Bobby Boucher (The Waterboy), Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump), Willie “Mays” Hayes (Major League), Apollo Creed (Rocky), Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, Charlie Conway (The Mighty Ducks), The Hanson Brothers (Slap Shot), Reggie Dunlop (Slap Shot), Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore), Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn (Major League), Crash Davis (Bull Durham), Roy Hobbs (The Natural) and Rocky Balboa, the inaugural inductee.

Little League Coach, Morris Buttermaker enters as a contributor and Huxley College (The Marx Brothers) enters in the Veteran’s category.

Every year since the Hall’s inception Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has been a Finalist and this year he finally broke through as the leading vote getter.  The winner of the 1984 All-Valley Karate Tournament is getting a new look in the YouTube program, Cobra Kai.  

Dottie Hinson becomes the first female to enter the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.  Hinson (Geena Davis) played one season in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the Catcher was clearly the best player not only on her team but in the league.  This is the first induction from the movie, “A League of Their Own”.

From the original Longest Yard in 1974, Paul “Wrecking” Crewe went from the NFL to the prison football in what was the arguably the grittiest sports movie of the 1970’s.  Reynolds, who died earlier this year may have received some sympathy votes as none of his many characters have ever finished in the top ten in voting before. 

Morris Buttermaker was a former Pitcher turned down and out little league coach/pool cleaner. Portrayed by Walter Matthau, this was in the original (and by far the best) Bad News Bears and he is the first from the franchise to get inducted.                         

The legendary Marx Brothers enter for their work on the College Football farce, Horse Feathers.

Voting has now begun on the 2019 Class and the Preliminary Nominees are now up.

You can find them here.

When you can, please support our site and cast your vote for the Class of 2019!

The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, along with its sister site, The Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is part of Notinhalloffame.com, a pop culture/sports website that first launched in 2009.

It is a sad day for wrestling fans as it was announced that former interviewer, “Mean” Gene Okerlund died today at the age of 76.  It is unknown at this time how he passed.

From Nebraska, Okerlund moved to Minneapolis where his outstanding voice made him a natural to become a disc jockey.  In 1970, he would be hired by Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association where for over a dozen years he served as a backstage interviewer and occasional ring announcer. As part of Vince McMahon’s national expansion, Okerlund was poached and he would join the World Wrestling Federation at the start of 1984 and again he would take on the role of backstage interviewer.  He would also commentate and ring announce and arguably throughout his run in the organization he was on television as much as anybody.

Okerlund was well liked by fans and his highlights in the WWF included singing the National Anthem at Wrestlemania I, teaming with Hulk Hogan in a match against George Steele and Mr. Fuji (Okerlund would get the fall) and was well liked by the wrestlers.

He would sign with WCW and continue to be an interviewer but would also work the WCW Hotline, which was a big money maker for the company.  

Okerlund would make sporadic appearances with the WWE following the closure of WCW and he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by Hulk Hogan.  He made his last appearance on the 25^thAnniversary show in January when he interviewed A.J. Styles.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the family, friends and fans of “Mean” Gene Okerlund at this time.

You have to hand it to the Green Bay Packers who know how important their fans are. So much so, that they have a Hall of Fame dedicated to them.

The Nominees are out for the 21^stClass have been announced and should you wish to vote you can do so here.  Voting is up until January 31.

The Finalists are:

Chuck Bromley, Middleton, ID

Soctt Cagle, Suamico, WI

Ron Colbo, De Pere, WI

Li Hu, Oshkosh, WI

Amy Nelson, Mayville, WI

Paul Pagnozzi, Hawthrorne, NJ

Brent Perzentka, Madison, WI

Steve Sexsmith, Appleto, WI

Dennis Wiley, Houston, TX

Charlie Younkie, Green Bay, WI

The winner will be announced in February.