1968 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project Class.

Here we are!  Again!!

If you have been following our Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project, you know we have asked the rhetorical question: What if the PFHOF began in January 1946?

After soliciting and obtaining a passionate group of football fans and historians, we sent out a ballot for a Preliminary Vote, in which we asked each voter to give us 25 names as their semi-finalists and 5 in the Senior Pool. We then asked the group to vote for their 15 Finalists in the Modern Era and 3 in the Senior Category. The final stage was to vote for their five Modern Era inductee and one Senior inductee.

This is the result of the 23rd official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 32 votes,

Remember that the group took a vote in “1966”, and we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall PROVIDING THEY MAKE 50% of the vote.  This will be put to a vote again in “1969”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1968:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1968.

About the 1968 Inductees:

Chuck Bednarik LB-C, PHI 1949-62: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1968 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

The first name that should come to the mind in Philadelphia when it comes to football legends has to be Chuck Bednarik, who was considered the last Ironman of football as he played both ways, Center and Linebacker, and was among the best in the 1950s at both.

Bednarik was the first overall pick in the 1949 Draft, and he did not have to travel far, as he was a two-time All-American from Penn.  Bednarik, who was exemplary at Center, made his mark at Linebacker with hits that rocked opponents to their core and struck fear in any offensive player.  The six-time First Team All-Pro was the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Eagles team (the only team he ever played for) that won the 1960 NFL Championship.

Amusingly, Bednarik’s nickname of “Concrete Charlie” came from his off-season job as a concrete salesman and not from his hits.  That moniker proved to be one of the most appropriate ones in football.

Bobby Layne QB, CHI 1948, NYB 1949, DET 1950-58 & PIT 1958-62: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1968 on his first Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

A bust for both the Chicago Bears and New York Yankees, Bobby Layne quarterbacked the Lions to three NFL Championships in the 1950s and is currently the only pure QB from the Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  A two-time Passing Yards leader, Layne was known for his grit, being one of the last players to wear face bars on his helmet. 

Detroit was never the same after he traded, and many older fans likely still claim the trade of Bobby Layne took them to the decades-long slump they are only now coming out of.

Bobby Dillon, DB, GNB 1952-59.  Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1968 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Bobby Dillon’s career spanned only eight years, but they were all spent with the Green Bay Packers.  The 94 games he put on the cleats with Green Bay were enough for him to set (and still hold) the franchise record for interceptions.  Dillon would also be named a First Team All-Pro in four of his eight seasons.  

It's not a bad career for someone alleged to have only one working eye.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Detroit Lions.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Lions made it to the NFC Championship Final and have finally built a contender after decades of mediocrity.  That being said, this is one of the oldest teams in the NFL, and with their stars being so young, none of them broke into the Top 50.  Nevertheless, we always acknowledge that we took the previous season into account.

As always, we present our top five, which (obviously) saw no changes:

1. Barry Sanders
2. Joe Schmidt
3. Bobby Layne
4. Dutch Clark
5. Lem Barney

You can find the entire list here.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity. As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022 revision of our top 50 Detroit Lions.

As for all of our top 50 players in football we look at the following:

1. Advanced Statistics.

2. Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3. Playoff accomplishments.

4. Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Lions again failed to make the post-season, but the second half saw a team on the rise, and it could bode well this upcoming season. Despite the promise, this is a young squad, and 2022 did not yield any changes in our Top 50. Despite this, we always aim for transparency, and want to show that 2022 was factored into this rank.

As always, we present our top five, which had no changes (obviously).

1. Barry Sanders

2. Joe Schmidt

3. Bobby Layne

4. Dutch Clark

5. Lem Barney

You can find the entire list here.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

A standout multi-sport star at Texas, Bobby Layne went third overall in the 1948 draft but needed a few early detours—a season with the Chicago Bears behind Sid Luckman and a year with the New York Bulldogs—before finding his true football home. A 1950 trade brought him to Detroit, giving head coach Buddy Parker the fierce, swaggering signal-caller he needed to transform the Lions into the undisputed powerhouse of the decade.

Layne wasn't a textbook passer, but he was a born leader who commanded absolute loyalty in the huddle. A stocky, hard-charging quarterback who refused to wear a facebar on his helmet long after others adopted protective gear, Layne played with a street-fighter's mentality. He threw tight spirals when necessary, but he was equally dangerous scrambling, taking brutal hits, or callously running over linebackers to secure a first down. His off-field appetite for late-night living was legendary, yet his preparation and sheer competitive drive were unmatched when Sunday arrived.

His arrival marked the start of a golden era for the franchise. Layne led the NFL in passing yards for two consecutive seasons, with 2,323 yards in 1950 and 2,403 yards in 1951. He developed a potent aerial attack with high school teammate Doak Walker and receiver Cloyce Box. In 1952, Layne steered the Lions to a 9–2 record and secured an NFL Championship against the Cleveland Browns, giving the city its first league title in nearly twenty years.

In 1953, he again showed his exceptional clutch performance by orchestrating one of the most renowned drives in professional football history. When trailing Cleveland 16–10 late in the fourth quarter of the NFL Championship, Layne confidently led the Lions on an 80-yard march down the field, finishing with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jim Doran, securing back-to-back championships. His calm under pressure earned Walker’s famous remark: "Bobby never lost a game. Some days, time just ran out on him."

Though a broken leg sidelined him late in the 1957 season, Layne's early-season play put Detroit in position to win its third NFL Championship of the decade. However, the organization stunned the fanbase early in the 1958 season by trading the fiery quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Legend has it that, on his way out, Layne declared that Detroit would "not win another championship for 50 years"—a curse that became the infamous "Curse of Bobby Layne" as the franchise endured decades of postseason heartbreak.

Over nine seasons in Detroit (1950–1958), Layne played 97 games, rushing for 1,601 yards and 13 TDs, and passing for 15,710 yards with 118 TDs. A four-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro, and NFL 1950s All-Decade Team member, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967. The Lions retired his No. 22 jersey and named him a charter member of the Pride of the Lions in 2009.