1986 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 select 25 names as their semi-finalists and 5 names for 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 41st official class. 

Below are the final results of this project based on 31 votes.

Remember that we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall in the Modern Era

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1986:

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1986.

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1986.

About the 1986 Inductees:

Gene Hickerson, G, CLE 1958-73: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 8th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. 

From Ole Miss, Gene Hickerson was chosen in the Seventh Round in the 1957 Draft, where Cleveland Browns Head Coach Paul Brown liked his speed and moved him to the Right Tackle position, where he became their starter in his second season.  As Hickerson improved, his 1961 Season was cut short due to a broken leg, but he returned the following season as a greater asset, protecting Jim Brown and company.

Hickerson helped Cleveland win the 1964 NFL Championship, and as he turned 30, he defied time, growing into one of the top Guards in football.  From 1965 to 1970, Hickerson put forth an Approximate Value of at least 11, peaking with 18 in 1968.  In all of those six years, Hickerson went to the Pro Bowl and was a First Team All-Pro from 1967 to 1969.  Hickerson played until the end of the 1973 Season, and he retired with the team he started with, finishing with 202 Games Played.  

Hickerson was part of the first Browns Ring of Honor class.  Notably, he was also named to the 1960s All-Decade Team.

Carl Eller, DE, MIN 1964-78 & SEA 1979: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 2nd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Carl Eller, nicknamed "Moose," is a legendary defensive end best known for his dominant career with the Minnesota Vikings. Drafted sixth overall in the 1964 NFL Draft from the University of Minnesota, Eller quickly became a crucial part of the Vikings' ferocious defensive line, famously known as the "Purple People Eaters," alongside Alan Page, Jim Marshall, and Gary Larsen. Eller was a force off the edge, renowned for his exceptional speed, power, and agility. During his 15 seasons with the Vikings (1964–1978), the team enjoyed tremendous success, winning the 1969 NFL championship and appearing in four Super Bowls. He finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks in 1979, amassing a total of 133.5 career sacks (an unofficial statistic at the time) and recovering 23 opponents' fumbles.

Paul Krause, DB, WAS 1964-67 & MIN 1968-79.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 2nd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Paul Krause is widely recognized as one of the greatest safeties in NFL history, primarily known for his exceptional ball-hawking ability. Drafted in the second round by the Washington Redskins in 1964, he immediately made an impact by leading the entire NFL in interceptions with 12 during his rookie season, which earned him a First-Team All-Pro selection. In 1968, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where he played the majority of his 16-season career (1964–1979). Krause holds the all-time NFL record for career interceptions with 81, accumulated across 226 games. He was a cornerstone of the Vikings' formidable defense, playing in all four of their Super Bowl appearances (IV, VIII, IX, and XI) and missing only two games due to injury throughout his career.

Charley Taylor, WR-SE-RB, WAS, 1964-77.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

One of the best college players at Arizona State, Charlie Taylor was a star baseball and football star as a Sun Devil.  On the gridiron, Taylor was the Third Overall Pick in 1963, which would transcend into a Hall of Fame career in Professional Football.

Taylor’s first four years were all Pro Bowl years, with the latter two leading the National Football League in Receptions. The Receiver/End had a 1,000 Receiving Yard plus year in 1966, and the season after he was a First Team All-Pro. 

Taylor remained with Washington for his entire career (until 1977), and he had another four-year run of Pro Bowls from 1972 to 1975. With Washington, Taylor put forth 9,110 Receiving Yards with 70 Touchdowns, which were great numbers for his era.

Charlie Sanders, TE, DET 1968-77.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Charlie Sanders might very well be the greatest Tight End in Detroit Lions history, especially when it comes to blocking.  As great as he was at blocking, he was equally adept as a receiver. Sanders was named to seven Pro Bowls and three First Team All-Pros and was close to 5,000 Yards Receiving.  Sanders was part of Detroit's first Pride of the Lions Class in 2009. 

Emmitt Thomas, DB, KAN 1966-78.  Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 4th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Emmitt Thomas is the franchise leader in Interceptions (58, one more than Johnny Robinson) and was a two-time league leader in that statistic (1969 & 1974).  Making a case as the greatest Cornerback in Chiefs history, Thomas played thirteen of his NFL seasons with Kansas City, and he was named to the AFL All-Star Team once (1968) and was a four-time Pro Bowl Selection (1971, 1972, 1974 & 1975), the last of which was First Team All-Pro worthy.  In that season, his league-leading 12 Interceptions were matched by a league-high 214 Interception Return Yards.  Thomas was a member of the Super Bowl IV-winning team and was also an AFL Champion in 1966.

Thomas would win two more Super Bowl rings as a Wide Receivers/Defensive Backs Coach with the Washington Redskins, and he was elected to the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1986.  This has been quite a career for an undrafted player from Bishop College.

Hank Stram, Coach, DTX/KC 1960-74 & HOU 1973-74.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1986 on his 7th Coach/Contributor Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Hank Stram is best known for his influential 15-year tenure as the head coach of the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL), beginning with the Texans' inaugural season in 1960.  Lamar Hunt hired him and immediately found success, leading the Texans to the 1962 AFL championship. After the team moved to Kansas City and became the Chiefs, Stram continued to build a powerhouse, winning two more AFL championships in 1966 and 1969. This success led his teams to two Super Bowl appearances; they lost Super Bowl I but defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, a victory that gave the entire AFL credibility. Over his 15 seasons with the franchise, he compiled a regular-season record of 124-76-10.