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The Hispanic Football Hall of Fame has been created, and they have announced seven icons who will comprise its first class.  They will be honored on Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2026, in Henderson, Nevada, at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters.

The members of the first class are:

Tom Fears, End, LAR 1948-56.  Playing his entire career with the Los Angeles Rams, Fears was a dominant weapon, leading the NFL in Receptions in his first three seasons (1948-50), and was the league-leader in Receiving Touchdowns in 1949 and Receiving Yards in 1950.  Fears led the Rams to the 1951 NFL Championship, where he caught a 73-yard touchdown.  A member of the 1950s All-Decade Team, Fears entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970, where he became the first Mexican-born player to enter Canton.

Steve Van Buren, Halfback, PHI 1944-51.  From Honduras, Van Buren was a five-time First Team All-Pro who led the NFL in Rushing Yards and Rushing Touchdowns four times.  Playing his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Halfback anchored the Eagles to back-to-back NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949.  Van Buren was named to the 1940s All-Decade Team, the 75th and 100th Anniversary Team, and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Tom Flores, Quarterback, OAK 1960-61 & 63-66, BUF 1967-69 & KC 1969. Head Coach OAK/LAR 1979-87 & SEA 1992-94.  A decent Quarterback in the AFL in his own right (he threw for 92 TDs and 11,959 Yards), Flores made history with the Raiders as the first Hispanic Head Coach to win a Super Bowl, an achievement he did twice.  He had an overall 97-87 record as a Head Coach and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Jim Plunkett, Quarterback, NWE 1971-75, SFO 1976-77 & OAK/LAR 1978-86.  Born to Mexican-American parents, Plunkett was the first overall pick of the 1971 Draft by the New England Patriots, but it was with the Raiders that he won two Super Bowls (XV & XVIII) and was the Super Bowl MVP in the first.  Over his career, he threw for 25,882 Yards and 164 TDs.

Ron Rivera, Linebacker, CHI 1984-92.  Head Coach CAR 2011-19 & WAS 2020-23.  A Super Bowl Champion with the Chicago Bears (XX), where he played 136 Games. As Head Coach, Rivera led Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl L) and was a two-time AP Coach of the Year.  He has a 102-103-2 record as a Head Coach.  Rivera is of Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestry.

Anthony Munoz, Offensive Tackle, CIN 1980-92.  Munoz is regarded as one of the greatest Offensive Tackles of all time, and without question, he is the best player ever to wear the Cincinnati Bengals uniform.  He was a nine-time First Team All-Pro, an 11-time Pro Bowl Selection, a member of the 1980’s All-Decade and NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams.  The Mexican-American was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Ted Hendricks, Linebacker, BAL 1969-73, GNB 1974 & OAK/LAR 1975-83.  Born in Guatemala, Hendricks was a four-time First Team All-Pro, eight-time Pro Bowl Selection, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up who won a staggering four Super Bowls (VI, XI, XV & XVIII).  Recording 26 Interceptions over his career, Hendricks was named to the 1970s and 1980s All-Decade Teams along with the 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams.  The Pro Football Hall of Fame called his name in 1990.

This group of inductees was selected by a nine-person committee, which included Sandy Nunez (Founding Member), Judy Battista (NFL Senior National Columnist), Rolando Cantu (NFL Analyst at TNF En Español), Paul Gutierrez (writer for raiders.com), Brandon Huffman (National Recruiting Editor for 247Sports), Moises Linares (Sports Journalist), Alex Marvez (Pro Football Hall of Fame voter), Armando Salguero (Outkick NFL Writer) and John Sutcliffe (ESPN Deportes).

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate the members of the first class of the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame.

For most people, the Super Bowl is one of their favorite days of the year.  It is for us too, but we have one day on the football calendar that we like just a little bit more.  It is the day before the Super Bowl, when they announce the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame committee met virtually two weeks ago due to COVID-19.  This is atypical, as they usually meet in person close to the Super Bowl.  We expected that leaks would come out, but to the credit of those involved, the spilling of details were minimal:

Let’s get to it!

The Class of 2021 is:

Alan Faneca:  Guard: 1998-07 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets & 2010 Arizona Cardinals.  A Super Bowl Champion with the Steelers, Faneca went to nine Pro Bowls and was a six-time First Team All-Pro.  Faneca has been a Semi-Finalist and Finalist in his first five years of eligibility, and this made year six.  He has been arguably been “leapfrogged” by Steve Hutchinson and Kevin Mawae, and it won’t happen again.  Faneca has been overdue for some time.  Ranked #4 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Calvin Johnson: Wide Receiver:  2007-15 Detroit Lions.  Johnson went to six Pro Bowls, three First Team All-Pros and was considered the most exciting Wide Receiver of his day.  This was his first year on the ballot, and while other Wide Receivers exceed his overall stats, there was no one who passed the eye test more than “Megatron”.  Ranked #27 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Peyton Manning: Quarterback:  1998-11 Indianapolis Colts & 2012-15 Denver Broncos.  Manning took both the Colts and Broncos to a Super Bowl win, and he is a five-time MVP with 14 Pro Bowls and seven First Team All-Pros.  He would throw for 71,940 Yards and 539 Touchdowns and this is his first year on the ballot. There was zero doubt that Manning was going in, and it was already leaked that his selection was filmed at a party.  Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame.com.

John Lynch: Free Safety:  1993-03 Tampa Bay Buccaneers & 2004-07 Denver Broncos.  Lynch went to seven Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay.  Lynch gets in on his eighth try.  Ranked #25 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Charles Woodson:  Cornerback/Safety:  1998-05 & 2013-15 Oakland Raiders & 2006-12 Green Bay Packers.  Woodson is a Super Bowl Champion with the Packers and has 65 career Interceptions.  The nine-time Pro Bowler is also a former Defensive Rookie of the Year (1998) and Defensive Player of the Year (2009).  This was Woodson’s first year of eligibility, and like Manning, he was considered a sure thing.  Ranked #2 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Drew Pearson: Wide Receiver:  1973-93 Dallas Cowboys.  Pearson is this year’s senior inductee, and it has been a long time coming.  Pearson was a Finalist last year for the Centennial Slate, and his reaction when he was not chosen was heartbreaking.  There are many fans, and not just those of the Cowboys who are happy for the former Wide Receiver.  Ranked #28on Notinhalloffame.com.

Tom Flores: Head Coach:  Flores, a former quarterback with Oakland, Buffalo and Kansas City, became the first Hispanic Head Coach in NFL history when Al Davis promoted him in 1979 after being the Wide Receivers Coach.  Flores helmed the Raiders until 1987 and would win two Super Bowls (XV & XVIII).  He came out of retirement as Seattle’s Head Coach from 1992 to 1994, and he had an overall coaching record of 97-87.

Bill Nunn: Scout:   A reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier, Bill Nunn had a keen knowledge of the history black colleges.  These were schools that were underrepresented in the NFL, and Art Rooney, owner of the Steelers hired him as a scout, and he would also be their Assistant Personnel Director.  He remained with the Steelers until 2014, and he helped them win six Super Bowl rings. Nunn was also a charter member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.   

The ten Finalists who did not get in were:

Jared Allen: Defensive End:  2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-13 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears & 2016 Carolina Panthers.  This was Allen’s first year of eligibility, and anyone who makes it as a Finalist in his first year of eligibility will make it to Canton eventually.  Allen led the NFL in Sacks twice (2007 & 2011) and had 136.0 in total.  He was also a five-time First Team All-Pro.  Ranked #19 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Ronde Barber:  Cornerback/Safety:  1997-12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Barber is a former Super Bowl Champion and was the 2001 leader in Interceptions.  He has over 1,000 Solo Tackles with 47 career Interceptions.  After four years as a Semi-Finalist, Barber makes it through to the Finals, but it is believed that he was not going to get in until Lynch did.  Now that this has happened, Barber has a much clearer path to Canton.  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Tony Boselli:  Tackle: 1995-01 Jacksonville Jaguars & 2002 Houston Texans.  The career of Boselli was short, but he is believed to be the greatest Jaguar of all-time. The Lineman has now been a Finalist for the five years in a row, and will likely see a sixth next year.  He is a beneficiary of Faneca’s selection.  Ranked #45 on Notinhalloffame.com.

LeRoy Butler: Safety: 1990-01 Green Bay Packers.  Butler had 38 career Interceptions, won a Super Bowl and went to four Pro Bowls over his career.  He is on a four-year streak of Semi-Finalist nods, and he was also a Finalist last year.  In terms of gaining momentum over the past three years, Butler is in the upper-tier of the list, but he did not get in.  Butler leaked earlier last week that he was not chosen.   Ranked #73 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Torry Holt:  Wide Receiver:  1998-08 St. Louis Rams & 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars.  Holt won a Super Bowl with the Rams, and he went to seven Pro Bowls with 12,832 career Receiving Yards.  Holt is now a two-time Finalist, but the Wide Receiver position is loaded with worthy candidates. Johnson’s immediate induction will help him in the future.  Ranked #9 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Clay Matthews:  Linebacker: 1978-93 Cleveland Browns & 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons.  A four-time Pro Bowler, Matthews had 69.5 Sacks with 1,595 Combined Tackles.  Matthews was in his last year of eligibility, and this was the first time he made it as a Finalist.  While he has the most fervent fan base on social media regarding this year’s potential class, he came up empty.  Matthews will have to get in via the senior committee.  Ranked #75 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Sam Mills:  Linebacker: 1986-94 New Orleans Saints & 1995-97 Carolina Panthers.  A five-time Pro Bowler, Mills began his pro career in the USFL.  A four-time Semi-Finalist, Mills made it to the Finals for the first time, last year but he is now down to one year left of Modern Era eligibility.  Ranked #48 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Richard Seymour:  Defensive End/Defensive Tackle:  2001-08 New England Patriots & 2009-12 Oakland Raiders.  Seymour won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, went to seven Pro Bowls and was a three-time First Team All-Pro.  Seymour has now been a Finalist three times.  Ranked #39 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Zach Thomas:  Linebacker:  1996-07 Miami Dolphins & 2008 Dallas Cowboys:  Thomas led the NFL in Combined Tackles twice (2002 & 2006) and he is five-time First Team All-Pro.  He also has 1,727 career Combined Tackles.  Thomas is a two-time Finalist, and has plenty of time left in his eligibility.  Ranked #23 on Notinhalloffame.com

Reggie Wayne:  Wide Receiver:  2001-14 Indianapolis Colts.  A six-time Pro Bowl and one-time Super Bowl Champion, Wayne has 14,345 Receiving Yards with 82 Touchdowns.  Wayne was a Finalist in his first two years of eligibility, and like Holt, the induction of Johnson helps him.  Ranked #8 on Notinhalloffame.com.

We will be altering our Notinhalloffame.com Football list next month to reflect the deletion of this year’s inductees and adding those who are eligible.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a recent piece on ESPN, Tom Flores had a few things to say about the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  As you can deduce, it was not exactly positive.

Like the rest of us, Flores knew that it did not look good when three weeks before the Super Bowl, Hall of Fame President, David Baker, appeared on the AFC Divisional Game pre-show to present Bill Cowher his gold jacket.  At that point, there was only one spot left, as the Blue Ribbon Committee had only two spots out of ten to give in the Coaches pool.  It was a bit of a surprise, as Flores and Don Coryell were both Finalists last year, when the Coaches were placed in the same pool as the players.  

Baker would be busy that weekend. The following day at the half-time show, he showed up to present Fox’s Jimmy Johnson his gold jacket.  While this made for great television, and it was phenomenal to watch play out, it was evident at time that Flores was not getting in. In that ESPN piece by Paul Gutierrez, that was when Flores knew too.  

In a defence on Baker, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has no obligation to tell people ahead of time if they are getting in or not ahead of time, but it is a really shitty way to find out, especially when you were told, as Flores was by Baker, that he was “almost a shoo-in” for the Blue Ribbon Committee panel of 2020.  Maybe, that is why he said “almost”.

Baker and the Hall took a lot of criticism, and it is easy to see why.  Neither Cowher or Johnson were Finalists last year, and Flores was. Coryell, for that matter had reached the Final Round on five previous occasions.  Standard thought would have thought that Coryell and Flores were on the pecking order over Johnson and Cowher, and in terms of their actual accomplishments, they should be.  

So, what happened?

Is it as simple as Baker and the Hall looking for televised feel-good moments?  Again, it looked great on tv, but it made you wonder if Flores was working as an analyst on a station that broadcast the playoffs, would he be in right now? 

In the piece, Flores said:

“It happened. What can I do about it?  I don’t have a choice.  My fans are still my fans.  They’re still going to make a lot of noise.  A lot of people are really pissed off about this whole thing.  A lot of people are pissed off for other guys that didn’t make it, either.  I can’t say I’m exclusive in that respect.”

Everything he said was right. The Raiders fan base is among the loudest in Pro Football, and they were vocal about his omission.  The Broncos fan base were livid over the snub of Randy Gradisha

Will Flores get in next year? We are assuming that they will revert the Coaches back to the players pool, and Flores will have an excellent chance to enter the Hall in 2021, but this is a dance we have seen before.  He turns 83 next month, and while he is in good health, he may not be alive to see his induction.

As always, we will be watching when Baker comes a knocking.