1957 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you for all of you who have participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, and if you are unaware of what that is, simply, we acted as if the PFHOF had their first class in January of 1946?

We have completed the first ten years thus far.

For “1957” a Preliminary Vote with close to 130 players whose playing career ended by 1951. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, with the top 25 vote-getters named as Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change took place, allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots.  A glitch did not allow for that to occur in Coaches/Contributors.  That will be rectified in the future.

30 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

We had two special votes:

We will re-evaluate this in “1960”.  So, for the next three votes, the top five will advance.

As there was a tie, a second vote will take place with the top two choices.

Next Saturday, we will be posting the results of the 1957 Semi-Finalists of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

Thank you to all who contributed, and if you want to be a part of this project, please let us know!

With March Madness fast approaching, fans should look for the best players. Here are five players to watch for in the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness is fast approaching, and every team, from the top 5 ranked teams to little-known mid-majors, is scratching and clawing for position. As the tournament gets closer, fans need to know what players will impact the competition most. Let's look at five players to watch this NCAA Tournament.

Dalton Knecht | Guard, Tennessee

A 6'6" senior guard out of Thornton, Colorado, Dalton Knecht took the long way to big-time Division I basketball success. Originally a guard/forward hybrid, Knecht was undersized for that latter position at 6'4" after his senior year. As a result, he didn't receive an offer from a Division I school. So, Knecht spent a year at Northeastern Junior College, growing another two inches. He was a late bloomer, going from 5'8" his sophomore year of high school to 6'1" as a junior, 6'4" as a senior, and eventually 6'6" as a freshman at Northeastern Junior College.

The growth spurt and a big sophomore season that saw him average 23.9 points and 7.5 assists got him an offer to Northern Colorado, where he averaged 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a senior. He received an extra year of eligibility due to the shortened 2020 season, making him one of the hottest prospects in the transfer portal, eventually landing with Tennessee. The 5th year senior has combined experience and toughness to become one of the best scorers in the nation, averaging over 20 points per game and leading the Volunteers to a top 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Tennessee is a favorite among the best online sportsbook platforms. Knecht will surely be a factor come March, with Tennessee keeping an eye on a #1 seed.

Cam Spencer | Guard, Connecticut

Another senior guard, Cam Spencer, took a similar route to Knecht. Not highly recruited, the 6'4" guard wound up at Loyola (Maryland) after failing to make ESPN's top rankings. The small Patriot League school was the only Division I offer on Spencer's table.

After a solid junior season, Spencer was named a first-team All-Patriot league player and transferred to Rutgers for his senior season. Like Knecht, he took advantage of the extra season of eligibility and transferred one last time to UConn to play his 5th season with the defending NCAA Tournament champions.

It took a while for Spencer to come alive, but he has been vital in the second half of the season, bringing versatility and toughness to a UConn team on track for a #1 seed. The Huskies are attempting to be the first repeat champions since the 2006–07 Florida Gators, and Spencer will need to be in peak form for them to have a shot.

Kyle Filipowski | Center, Duke

Duke landed Kyle Filipowski in the 2022 class, a consensus five-star recruit as a 7'0" center. Unlike Knecht and Spencer, Filipowski is the type of player you expect to see on a list like this, coming in at #7 on ESPN's 2022 recruiting rankings. However, we expected to see less of him. As a freshman, Filipowski was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, the second-team All-ACC and the ACC tournament MVP. He averaged 15 points and just under nine rebounds per game and was projected as a first-round pick in the NBA Draft.

Despite that, he returned to Duke for his sophomore season, a decision that has paid off for the Blue Devils. Filipowski is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game, leading the way for a #10 ranked Duke squad attempting to redefine itself after the retirement of the legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils will need Filipowski firing on all cylinders as the tournament approaches.

RJ Davis | Guard, North Carolina

RJ Davis is no stranger to the spotlight. The point guard is a former McDonalds All-American and nearly led the 2021–22 Tar Heels to another national championship. While he didn't have the draft resume Filipowski had, he still opted to return for his senior year to finish his college career off strong.

North Carolina is a top-10 team in the country and could be poised for a long tournament run. For that to happen, Davis will need to be their guiding light and leading scorer, something he did with a career-high 42-point performance in a 75-71 win over Miami on February 26.

Zach Edey | Center, Purdue

After a dominant junior season, Zach Edey was named the 2023 National College Player of the Year and won several more awards last season, including the Big Ten Player of the Year and being named a consensus first-team All-American.

The center is destined to be an NBA lottery pick, but following last year's Purdue squad being just the second No. 1 seed in NCAA history to lose to a 16-seed, Edey returned for one more season.

Edey and the Boilermakers are attempting to do what the Virginia Cavaliers did in 2018–2019: win the national championship the year after being upset as the #1 seed. If Purdue is going to do it, Edey will have to lead the way.

What To Expect From March Madness

The NCAA Tournament is inching closer, and fans can expect a thrilling slate of games. What can we expect? If we have learned one thing about March Madness, it can't be predicted. These players, though, will undoubtedly play a significant part in the action.

The San Diego Padres acquired Trent Grisham via trade after he played in 51 games with Milwaukee.

Grisham took over the Centerfield position for the Padres and quickly established himself as an exceptional fielder despite being a light hitter. In 2020, he won a Gold Glove with an OPS of .808, which was arguably his best season in San Diego even though it was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following year, he batted .242 with 15 Home Runs, but his Batting Average dropped to .184, which is below the Mendoza Line. However, he still managed to hit 17 Home Runs and win his second Gold Glove. In 2023, he failed again to finish over .200 in BA, but his defensive prowess remained solid.

Following the 2023 season, the Padres traded Grisham to the Yankees.

Blake Snell won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays. The San Diego Padres acquired him before the 2021 season, hoping to see the same level of performance from the left-handed pitcher. However, Snell's first year with the Padres was not as impressive as expected, as he had an ERA over four, but he did manage to strike out 170 batters. 

In 2022, he showed some improvement (8-10, 3.38 ERA, 171 SO), but still fell short of expectations. However, Snell bounced back in 2023 and joined the exclusive club of pitchers who have won the Cy Young Award in both leagues. He won 14 games with 9 losses, led the NL in ERA (2.25), ERA+ (182), and H/9 (5.8), and set a personal best in strikeouts (234). Despite his outstanding performance, the Padres failed to make the playoffs, leaving a bittersweet taste. 

The Padres would make the playoffs in 2024, but did so without Snell, who left the club for their NL West rival, San Francisco in free agency.