It was announced today that Tommy Nobis, former College Linebacker at the University of Texas and professional for the Atlanta Falcons died today at his home. He was 74 years old.

Nobis is one of the most revered players in Longhorn history, and justifiably so. As a sophomore, Nobis was already the anchor of a Texas defense that would help the team win the National Championship in 1963. As a senior, he would win the Knute Rockne Award (Best Lineman), the Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman) and the coveted Maxwell Award.

As expected, Nobis was the number one pick by the expansion Atlanta Falcons in the 1966 draft. Dubbed “Mr. Falcon”, Nobis was an automatic impact player in the league. The Linebacker would win the Rookie of the Year honors and go to the Pro Bowl. He would go to four more Pro Bowls over his career and in 1967 was named a First Team All Pro. He would play all eleven of his National Football League seasons with the Falcons.

Nobis’s number 60 has been retired by both the University of Texas and by the Atlanta Falcons and he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com extend our condolences to the friends and family of Tommy Nobis.

While we know that Christmas Morning is a couple of weeks away, it is our December 25 at Notinhalloffame.com.

This morning the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the new inductees for the Class of 2018.

Let’s get right the new inductee shall we?

Bon Jovi. Every year since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame instituted the Fan Vote, the winner was selected. This year was no exception. Eligible since 2008, the New Jersey rockers got in on their second nomination and can still sell out arenas today. They have sold 120 million albums worldwide.

Inducted Members: David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Alec John Such & Tico Torres.

The Cars. Classic Rock. New Wave. Pop. The Cars checked all of those categories and arguably is the safest choice of the lot. The band has been eligible since 2003 and received their first nomination two years ago and was also nominated last year.

Inducted Members: Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, David Robinson, Ric Ocasek & Benjamin Orr.

Dire Straits. Eligible since 2003, Dire Straits was a straight up rock band that stood out in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. This was their only nomination.

Inducted Members: Alan Clark, Guy Fletcher, John Illsley, David Knophler, Mark Knophler, Pick Withers.

The Moody Blues: How long have fans been waiting for this one? The British group has been eligible since 1989, yet had to wait nearly 30 years for their first nomination. They only needed one, and they are finally in.

Inducted Members: Graeme Edge, Justin Haywars, John Lodge, Mike Pinder & Ray Thomas.

Nina Simone: The High Priestess of Soul has also never been nominated until now, but like Dire Straits and The Moody Blues, that was all that was required.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe:: As we expected, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was chosen but slotted in as an Early Influence Selection, which males you wonder why she was nominated at all considering the Hall could have just inducted her without nominating her in this fashion. Regardless, the musical legacy of Tharpe is certainly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame worthy.

Based on the nominees this was about as safe as they could be, and we can imagine that many rock traditionalists are very happy with this class.

Radiohead, who were eligible for the first time this year did not get in, and notably they said earlier that they would not be attending (should they have gotten in) as they already booked a concert in Buenos Aires that date. One has to wonder if that played a factor in the group not being selected.

Also passed over this year were Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, The J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, Link Wray, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus with Chaka Khan & The Zombies.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio.

We will begin work in the new year on the revised list for the 2018 vote. Look for that in late January.

It is official.

Devin Hester announced via Twitter in the best Devin Hester way possible that he would be retiring from professional football.

“I have good news and bad news. Good news: Commissioner Goodell, you can put the kickoff back at the 30. Bad news, Y’all will have to find a new favorite returner….

…Hopefully next time I see y’all it’ll be in Canton.”

Hester retires as the most successful returner all-time with 19 Return Touchdowns (plus one more on a missed Field Goal). 14 of those Returns came from Punt Returns, an all-time record.

Hester was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of 2006 out of Miami (FL) and like so many rookie receivers he was utilized as a returner. Hester blossomed in this role, leading the NFL in Punt Return Yards, Return Touchdowns and making First Team All Pro honors. Hester would play another seven seasons with the Bears, earning two more First Team All Pro Selections.

In 2014, Hester would play with Atlanta and at the age of 32 he would be again named a First Team All-Pro and was the NFL leader in Kick Return Yards.

While there is no question that Devin Hester will go down as one of the best retuners ever, we always ask one question here:

Is Devin Hester a Hall of Famer?

Hester was regarded as the best at his position at one point, and we will argue that with the current rules he will be the last great returner in league history. He changed the way Special Teams coordinators thought and he gave Chicago (and Atlanta for one season) a dynamic weapon to be feared and was a popular figure. He also had another 16 Touchdowns as a Wide Receiver, with 255 Receptions, certainly a number that should add to his overall resume.

The problem of course is the Pro Football Hall of Fame and how they have treated Special Teams in the past. It has not been a stellar one, and this could easily hamper his road to Canton.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com will be ranking Hester once he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame (which will be in 2022), and expect it to be a high one at that.

Thank you Devin for the memories on the field and we look forward to seeing what you will do next!

The 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers finally have player representation in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Actually, they now have two.

The Modern Era Baseball Committee have selected both Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, who have both received the necessary 75% of the 16 man committee required to have entered Cooperstown.

Jack Morris won 254 Games over an 18 year career with the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians, the first three of which saw him win World Series Championships with. Morris was the ace of the 1984 Tigers team, and was a key member of the Blue Jays back-to-back titles in 1992 & 1993, but it was his performance in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series with the Minnesota Twins where he pitched ten innings of shutout baseball to win the game. Morris didn’t always have the best statistics but when it was a big game, he was definitely a go-to pitcher.

Morris’ teammate from the ’84 Tigers, Alan Trammell also got in. The Shortstop played his entire career with the Tigers and was a six time All Star. Trammell was a four time Silver Slugger, three time Gold Glove recipient and was the runner-up for the 1987 AL MVP.

Steve Garvey, Don Mattingly, Marvin Miller, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons and Luis Tiant were also on the ballot, however not chosen.

Morris and Trammell will be removed from next year’s Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list and we look forward to few weeks to see whom else the Baseball Writers of American will induct with them.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Alan Trammell and Jack Morris at this time.