Committee Chairman

A final look at this year's Hoops HOF Class

Aug 10, 2014

As many of you know, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inducted their Class of 2014 in Springfield, Massachusetts this weekend. Rather than generate criticism on their process (which we have done often), and the ceremony itself (which we will do in a lengthy piece on the site next weekend), let’s take one final look at those who entered the Hall.

The headliner was former commissioner, David Stern. Commissioners of major sports are often criticized, and Stern did receive his fair share of it. Without going into his career in great detail, we will leave you with one undeniable fact: the National Basketball Association had an exponential growth in revenue, exposure and virtually every other metric you can think of. That alone should deflect any criticism of Stern’s entry to the Hall six months after he retired.

As far as players are concerned, the arguable top player inducted was Alonzo Mourning, who entered on his first year of eligibility. Mourning was a former two time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who spent the bulk of his career and best seasons with the Miami Heat. He would retire with a 17.1 Points per Game Average and would twice be named a post season All NBA Team. Mourning, an NBA Champion in 2006 with Miami and was number 2 on our previous list for Hall of Fame consideration.

Mitch Richmond also entered the Hall of Fame, though his wait took a few years. Richmond was the 1989 NBA Rookie of the year and would make six consecutive All Star Games and over that time span collected three Second Team and two Third Team All NBA Selections. He would win the NBA Championship in his final season in the NBA while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, though it was his Sacramento that he had his best seasons and would have his number retired by the organization.

Former Point Guard, Guy Rodgers, who played from 1958 to 1970 entered as a Veterans Committee Selection. Rodgers was an NBA All Star four times and led the league in Assists twice.

From Lithuania, the International Committee chose Sadunas Marciulonis, who was one of the first regular European players in the NBA. His entry was largely a part of his near single handed resurrection of the Lithuania Basketball Program after the fall of the Soviet Union. The United States “Dream Team” got the press in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, but it was the Bronze Medal of Lithuania that was the feel good story of the Games. He was also named as FIBA’s 50 greatest players in 1991.

The African American Pioneer Committee gave the Hall Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, who was the second black player in the NBA. Formerly of the Harlem Globetrotters, Clifton began play with the New York Knicks in 1950 and would be named to the All Star Team in 1957.

As always, Coaching inductees are present in this year’s Hall of Fame Class.

Representing the American Basketball Association, Bob “Slick” Leonard enters on the strength of his three Championships with the Indiana Pacers. It is fitting that Leonard entered as seemingly an Indiana Pacer enters every year from the ABA Selection Committee.

College Coach, Nolan Richardson entered on a .711 Winning Percentage and the strength of a NCAA Championship in 1994 with the Arizona Razorbacks. Richardson would also appear in three additional Final Fours and was the NCAA Coach of the year, the year he won the title. He had already entered the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Richardson is joined by Gary Williams, who also won the NCAA Title. His championship came with the Maryland Terrapins in 2002 and like Richardson is also a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, though he got in this year.

The women’s teams of Immaculata College, who in the early 1970’s won three consecutive AIAW Championship’s, a stunning feat for a small Philadelphia College, round out the group.

Again, as mentioned we will take a much deeper look at this ceremony in the weeks to come, but for now lets congratulate this class for receiving what for many is the ultimate honor of their career.

Brian Rafalski headlines U.S. Hockey HOF Class

Aug 07, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

The United States Hockey Hall of Fame has announced their latest crop of inductees for their Minnesota based institution, and former New Jersey Devil and Detroit Red Wing Defenceman, Brian Rafalski will headline it.

Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Rafalski was the defensive anchor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was named a WCHA First Team All Star in his senior year. Going undrafted in the NHL, Rafalski turned to Europe and found his niche in the Finnish League, most notably playing for HIFK. In his final season there (1998/99) he won the Kultainen Kypara (Translated into Golden Helmet) which is the Finnish equivalent to the Lester B. Pearson Award as the players of the league decide the winner.

Rafalski would finally debut in the National Hockey League at the age of 26 with the New Jersey Devils, and quickly the NHL learned that they had missing out on a serviceable player for years. He would help them win the Stanley Cup that season and again was a member of the Devils Cup win in 2003. Rafalski would later hoist the Stanley Cup again as a member of the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. He would tally a career number of 515 NHL points and played once in the NHL All Star Game in 2004.

Internationally, Rafalski represented the United States in three Olympic tournaments (2002, 2006 and 2010) winning two Silver Medals and being named the best Defenceman of the 2010 Games.

Women’s Ice Hockey Olympian, Karyn Bye Dietz will also be inducted. She was the Alternate Captain on the United States Gold Medal team in Nagano and won the Silver Medal in Salt Lake City. Dietz was also a two time USA Woman’s Hockey Player of the Year (1995 & 1998) and entered the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2011.

A pair of Coaches joins the two players in this year’s class. Jeff Sauer began his Coaching career as an assistant at Colorado College (where he also played) and would ascend to the role of Head Coach in 1971, which was a post he would hold for eleven years. He would jump to Wisconsin and take them to two National Championships in 1983 and 1990. Sauer won two Paralympic Gold Medals as the Head Coach of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.

The final inductee is Lou Vairo who had various stints as the Head Coach for Team U.S.A.. Vairo has also been the Director of Special Projects for the National Team since 1992.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate this year’s class and encourage all of you to visit the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota.

The Fictitious Rock and Roll HOF is Here!

Aug 06, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

It is finally here. After months of searching the bowels of the last sixty years of Pop Culture we have come up with over 500 preliminary nominees for our new Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As you have seen, we here at Notinhalloffame.com unveiled the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, which is currently in the Semi-Finalist stage for the Class of 2014. We are following the same pattern in regards to voting (which we openly admit to being inspired by the Professional Football Hall of Fame process) though on like the Athletic Hall, there are no inaugural inductees. All of you will decide the Class of 2015, which will be the first group chosen for the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The preliminary nominees will be available to vote on until January 15, 2015. You can choose 20 fictional rock acts, though you will only be permitted to vote once.

After January 15th, the top twenty-five vote getters will become our Semi-Finalists and the process will begin again, with all previous votes being eliminated. Once that occurs, you will be permitted to vote favorite five of the lot and on April 15th, 2015, the top ten will be announced. Those ten fictional music acts will become our Finalists.

Once the Finalists are announced, only the top three vote getters will become the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015, which will be announced on August 1, 2015, and will be the first group to enter.

Based on the feedback that we have received from all of you, we assume that “pretend” bands like the Blues Brothers and Spinal Tap should be a candidate for early induction but with the vast plethora of acts that qualify inducting that a surprise or two should emerge through the voting process.

To take a look at the biographies of all these musical acts, please click here.

To go right to the voting page, click here.

As always we encourage your votes and your comments and we welcome your participation to our website’s continued evolution.

Brett Favre to join the Packers HOF

Aug 04, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We were wondering when this was finally going to happen. Although an official date has not been announced, the Green Bay Packers have announced that Brett Favre will enter their franchise’s Hall of Fame in the summer of 2015, and that his number will be officially retired.

On Favre’s website, where the announcement first took place he had the following to say:

“I’m pleased to announce that I will be returning to Green Bay, Wisconsin in 2015 for induction into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and retirement of my jersey.

It was a tremendous honor to play 16 years for the Green Bay Packers. Now to have my name placed among others such as Starr, Hornung, Kramer, Taylor, Lambeau, Nitschke, Lombardi, Davis, White and Hutson is a special honor that I share will all my teammates and coached, and that would not have been possible but for the foresight of Ron Wolf, the greatest GM in the history of the NFL.

I’m truly looking forward to celebrating and sharing this special moment with all of the great fans of the Green Bay Packers.

Go Packers!”

Although Favre is the NFL All Time leader in Completions, Yards and Touchdowns, and accumulated most of that in Green Bay, his constant flip-flopping on retirement held the growth of the Packers back and once he did leave Green Bay to play for the New York Jets, it was not on the best of terms.

It had been reported in the past that Green Bay officials and Brett himself were worried that he would be booed at by the Packers fans at any ceremony honoring his accomplishments at Lambeau. Despite his less than clean departure from the Tundra, Brett Favre certainly deserves to receive this prestigious honor.

Favre is eligible for the Football Hall of Fame in 2016 and should be expected to enter on the first ballot. We would like to congratulate both Favre and the Green Bay Packers on this news.