While Larry Morris never made a Pro Bowl or a First Team All-Pro, he was chosen for the 1960s All-Decade Team. This speaks to Morris’ consistency, as he was highly regarded as an NFL Linebacker. He would be a dependable presence in the Bears’ Defense that won the 1963 NFL Championship.
Mel Gray began his career in the USFL for two seasons, and after that league folded, he joined the New Orleans Saints, who had chosen him earlier in a supplemental draft of USFL players. Gray later joined the Detroit Lions, where he became a four-time Pro Bowl Selection and was regarded as one of the NFL’s best return specialists. Gray would accumulate 13,003 Return Yards and was the league leader in that category in the first three seasons of the 1990s. He would also be named a three-time First Team All-Pro.
Gray would be named a 1990s Second Team All-Decade Selection as both a Kick Returner and Punt Returner.
Willie Anderson entered the National Football League with high expectations when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him 10th overall in 1996. Arguably, it took Anderson a while before he lived up to what was hoped for him, but the Offensive Tackle may very well have exceeded expectations when it was all said and done.
From 2003 to 2006, Anderson was named to the Pro Bowl, and in the latter three seasons, he earned First Team All-Pro honors. He would be named to the Cincinnati Bengals’ top 50 Players when the franchise celebrated its half-century Anniversary. Anderson is getting a lot of attention from the Hall of Fame, and the 340-pound behemoth looks to be the next Bengal in.
Albert Lewis came to the Kansas City Chiefs as a 3rd Round Pick from Grambling State in 1983. Playing cornerback, Lewis took over the left side in his second season as a pro, and in the latter half of the 80s he emerged as one of the top Defensive Backs in the National Football League.
Lewis went to four straight Pro Bowls (1987-90) and was a First Team All-Pro in both 1989 and 1990. The man-to-man specialist joined the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders for the last five seasons of his career, which spanned 16 seasons and 225 Games. He would generate 42 Interceptions and 832 Tackles over his career. Hey, if Jerry Rice calls you the toughest coverage he ever had, that says it all! Throw in his punt-blocking skills, and you have one of the most underappreciated players ever.