gold star for USAHOF
Committee Chairman

Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

22. Bob Gain

Bob Gain was drafted 5th Overall in 1951 by the Green Bay Packers, but he elected to play in Canada with the Ottawa Rough Riders instead.  

The following year the former Outland Trophy winner's NFL rights were in the hands of the Cleveland Browns, and the two-way star was happy to return to his home state of Ohio.  Gain was at his best when he played Defensive Tackle, and his work was a large part of the Browns' Championship wins in 1954, 1955, and later in 1964.  From 1957 to 1962, he would be chosen for five Pro Bowls.

Gain would be honored by the Browns when they named him one of their Legends.

33. Esa Lindell

From Finland, Esa Lindell was a Third Round pick in 2012, and the Defenseman would make his way to the United States two years later.  After two years in the AHL, Lindell made it to the Dallas Stars, where he remains today.

A big man at over 6’ 3”, Lindell rarely draws penalties, and can anchor a power play when called upon.  Excellent on the offensive rush, Lindell has not yet received national acclaim for his work, only receiving Norris votes twice, peaking with an eleventh-place finish in 2019-20.  In terms of Defensive Point Shares, Lindell has been in the top ten four times, and led the NHL in that advanced metric in 2018-19. 

As of this writing, the criminally underrated Lindell is still with Dallas and should rise on this list.

Gary Collins was one of the first major offensive stars at Maryland, where he set numerous receiving records and was eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in his 1961 All-American season.  The Browns landed Collins with the Fourth Overall Pick for the 1962 Draft, and he joined an already potent squad.

Collins was eased into the receiving part of the game, only catching 11 passes as a rookie, but he was immediately the team's starting Punter, a role in which he led the NFL in Yards per Punt in 1965.  A member of the 1964 NFL Championship Team, Collins led the NFL in Receiving Touchdowns (13) in 1963 and had 70 in total in a career spent entirely with the Browns.

Collins was also a two-time Pro Bowl Selection and recorded 5,299 Yards from the air.  The Browns would honor Collins as one of his Legends in 2004.

After being drafted in the Fourth Round by the Browns in 1964, Jim Ray Smith played at Defensive End as a rookie.  Smith was not a starter but played well enough for Paul Brown to think his talents would be better served on the Offensive Line.  As was often the case, Brown was right.

Smith gained six starts at Right Guard in 1957 and moved to Left Guard the following year, where he began a five-year streak of Pro Bowls.  Carving holes for his great backfield (mainly Jim Brown), Smith was chosen for three First Team All-Pros and two Second Team All-Pros.  He retired after the 1962 season but was coerced out of it by the Dallas Cowboys, who traded for his rights.

Smith played two more years before he retired for good, and in 2005, the Browns named him to their list of honored Legends.