Committee Chairman

RIP: Mr. Larson

Sep 11, 2014

We don’t generally discuss the death of actors on this website, but with the launch of our Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, we thought we would change our thought process to commemorate the passing of our “fictitious” heroes.

With that said, today we mourn the loss of Richard Kiel, the seven foot plus behemoth that was known mostly as James Bond super villain, Jaws. Kiel’s character had the rare distinction of appearing in two films opposing “007”, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. However, when you are the size of Kiel, it can be expected that he would appear in some athletic films, two of which were nominees for our Hall of Fame.

Kiel played “Sampson” in Burt Reynolds’ 1974 film, the Longest Yard. Kiel’s role was of one of the prison inmates who were recruited to play Football against the Guards, and was granted a few memorable lines in the film.

Two decades later, Kiel played a brief but memorable supporting role in Happy Gilmore, as “Mr. Larsen”, Happy’s one time employer known specifically for having a large nail in his head. This character actually made the semi-final round for Contributors of our Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame. Kiel also had a role as a mechanic/driver in the Cannonball Run II.

We would like to extend our condolences to the friends of family of Richard Kiel and invite you to have a Richard Kiel film fest. It will be entertaining, we guarantee!

Poker HOF Nominees announced

Sep 11, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

While we may never get to doing a Notinhalloffame.com rank of those who should be in the Poker Hall of Fame, we have a lot of respect for the game and how much it has grown in popularity in the past two decades. As such, a brief synopsis of this year’s ten Finalists, which were announced today.

In the last three years two people were selected, and it is expected that this trend will continue this year. This year’s Finalists are:

Chris Bjorin: Considered one of the best European Poker players ever, and the most successful Swedish player, Chris Bjorin is a two time Gold Bracelet winner and is sixth all time on WSOP cash list.

Humberto Brenes: Currently third place all-time on WSOP cashes list, and is regarded in the game for his consistency. The Costa Rican born Brenes is credited with elevating Poker in Latin America.

Bruno Fitoussi: The French born Poker star has elevated the stature of the game in France and is credited with brining Texas Hold ‘Em to that country.

Ted Forrest: Six times a WSOP gold bracelet winner and is one of the most successful money winners in recent years.

Jen Harman: The first female to win multiple bracelets in open events and has appeared in 12 WSOP Final Events.

Bob Hooks: The oldest nominee at 85 Years Old, Bob Hooks played with the legends of Poker decades ago, and held his own with the best from generation to generation. He played competitively or six decades until he retired last year.

Mike Matusow: “The Mouth” is a four time bracelet winner and final tabled the WSOP Main Event twice.

Jack McClelland: A one time Semi-professional bowler, McClelland wound up directing the WSOP from 2002 to 2013.

Daniel Negreanu: At 40 years old, Negreanu is the youngest nominee on this year’s ballot and “Kid Poker” has won six gold bracelets, two WPT Titles, and is second all-time on the WPT money list and third all-time on the WSOP money list.

Huckleberry Seed: The tall Californian is a four time bracelet winner and one of the most recognizable figures in the game.

To qualify for the Poker Hall of Fame, the player has to meet the following criteria:

He or she must be at least 40 Years of Age

He or she must have played Poker against recognized high level of competition.

He or she must have played for high stakes.

He or she must have gained the respect of their peers.

He or she must stand the test of time.

Some of those are a little ambiguous wouldn’t you say?

The Poker Hall of Fame was first established in 1979 and was acquired by Caesar’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker. Although there is no physical Hall of Fame, the ceremony is heled in conjunction with the Final Table at the WSOP, which is held annually in November.

Chauncey Billups Retires

Sep 10, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Very quietly, a major Basketball retirement took place as Chauncey Billups announced that he will not seek another year in Professional Basketball. Billups, a Shooting Guard who last played for the Detroit Pistons, did not have his contract renewed, and elected not to seek employment with another NBA team, citing that “it’s just time.”

Billups was drafted third overall in 1997 from the University of Colorado by the Boston Celtics, but his rookie year was not a successful one as clashes with Celtic’s Coach, Rick Pitino, found him unable to really find his game. A late season trade to Toronto did little to help his career and neither did a stint in Denver.

His fortunes turned around in his second season with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he would take over the starting Shooting Guard role from Terrell Brandon who went down due to a knee injury. Billups, who was labeled a first round bust by many, reversed his fortunes and averaged 22 Points per Game in Minnesota’s brief run in the playoffs.

Now a free agent, Billups would sign on with the Detroit Pistons as their starting Point Guard. Now a more complete player, Billups’s clutch shooting and defensive prowess earned him league wide respect and in 2004, the Pistons, who did not have a traditional superstar shocked the world by winning the NBA Championship.

Billups was now receiving personal accolades, earning six straight All Star Game appearances (2005-10), a Second Team All-NBA, two Third Team All-NBA and a pair of Second Team Defensive selections. Statistically, Billups retires with a 17.2 Points per Game Average, a PER of 18.8 and a resume that could put him in the Basketball Hall of Fame, or at least receive some consideration for a retired number with the Pistons.

We would like to thank Chauncey Billups for entertaining up on the court for all of these years and wish him the best in his post NBA life.

UCLA to retire Troy Aikman's number

Sep 08, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Legendary Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Troy Aikman will finally have his number retired, but not in Texas. The Cowboys do not retire numbers, but his collegiate alma mater, UCLA does. It was announced today that his number 8 will become the ninth number retired by the UCLA Football program.

Aikman actually began his College career at the University of Oklahoma with Barry Switzer in 1985 and found himself as the starter as a rookie. Aikman would unfortunately suffer a broken ankle in an October game, causing him to miss the season and prompting the Sooners to utilize Jamelle Holieway, who was a great fit for Switzer’s type of offense. Oklahoma would win the National Championship that season.

Knowing that Holieway would remain the Oklahoma starter for some time to come, Switzer would help facilitate a transfer to UCLA and after sitting out 1986 as a redshirt he would take over the pivot role in 1987 for the Bruins.

In UCLA, Aikman would prove to be the top Quarterback in the Nation, taking the Bruins to a 20 and 4 record over his two seasons and throwing for 41 Touchdowns and 5,298 Yards, which were impressive numbers by any standards.

As a Junior, he would lead the Bruins to a win in the Aloha Bowl over Florida and would nab the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. The following season, he would win the Cotton Bowl with a convincing win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. That year, his senior year, saw Aikman finish third in Heisman Trophy balloting and winning the Davey O’Brien Award as the Nation’s top Quarterback. The consensus All-American would enter the NFL Draft, and go first overall by the Dallas Cowboys, where he would take them to three Super Bowl Championships.

Aikman is a member of both the Pro Football and College Football Hall of Fame. We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Troy Aikman at this time for this honor.