1995 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 question: What if the PFHOF had begun 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 each voter selected 25 names as their semi-finalists and five 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 50th 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 1995:

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1995.

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1995.

About the 1995 Inductees:

Steve Largent, WR, SEA 1976-89: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

A member of the Seattle Seahawks for his entire career, Steve Largent is one of the most unlikely offensive superstars in history.

Largent fell to the fourth round after having a great college run at Tulsa, but the team that drafted him (Houston) didn’t see much in him and thought they got a good return on a future eighth round pick, considering they were going to cut him anyway.  This happened during his rookie pre-season, and Seattle arguably stole the player who would become their best Wide Receiver in franchise history. 

Never known for his speed, Largent was one of the most sure-handed receivers in the game.  He had 705 Receiving Yards as a rookie, and in 1978, he went to his first of what would be seven Pro Bowls.  In all of those Pro Bowl campaigns, Largent hit four digits in Receiving Yards, and he would also have the eighth one.  Largent would also lead all receivers in Yards twice (1979 & 1985), with the latter year earning him a First Team All-Pro.  It is also worth mentioning that Largent won the Walter Payton Man of the Year in his penultimate season.

At the time of his retirement, he was the league-leader in Receptions (819), Receiving Yards (13,089), and Receiving Touchdowns (100).

In 1992, Largent would become the first player to have his number retired by the team.  He was also named to the NFL 100^th Anniversary Team.

Mike Haynes, DB, NWE 1976-82 & RAI 1983-89: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Mike Haynes is regarded as one of the greatest NFL cornerbacks, known for his speed, quickness, and man-to-man coverage. After a standout college career at Arizona State, he was drafted fifth overall by the Patriots in 1976. Haynes made an immediate impact, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after intercepting eight passes and excelling as a punt returner. Over seven seasons, he earned six Pro Bowl selections and was the first in franchise history to return a punt for a touchdown.

In 1983, Haynes joined the Los Angeles Raiders, teaming up with Lester Hayes to become one of football's most dominant cornerback duos. Arriving mid-season, he helped the Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII 38-9 over the Redskins. Over seven years, Haynes became a shutdown corner, earning three Pro Bowl selections and back-to-back first-team All-Pro honors in 1984 and 1985.

Haynes retired after the 1989 season with 46 career interceptions and a legacy of absolute defensive dominance. His career has been heavily decorated; he was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and the NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary Team. 

Jackie Smith, TE, STL 1963-77 & DAL 1978.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 12th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

The speed of Jackie Smith earned him a late round selection (10^th Round) in 1963 by St. Louis, who converted the Flanker into a Tight End.

Smith was an excellent blocker, but his receiving skills helped transform the position, and he amassed 7,918 Yards with 40 Touchdowns from the air.  He would also earn five consecutive Pro Bowl Selections (1966-70).

Notably, Smith also served as the Cardinals’ punter for his first three years.

Tommy Nobis, LB, ATL 1966-76.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 14th Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tommy Nobis, affectionately known as "Mr. Falcon," was a founding figure of the Atlanta Falcons franchise. As the first overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft, he made an immediate and remarkable impact, initially with the expansion team. In his debut season, Nobis recorded an astonishing 294 combined tackles, a franchise record that still stands and is unofficially the highest single-season tackle total in NFL history. His fierce defensive play earned him the 1966 NFL Rookie of the Year award and the first of five Pro Bowl selections in his career.

Throughout his 11-year career with the Falcons, Nobis was celebrated as one of football's most formidable and intimidating middle linebackers. He led Atlanta in tackles in nine seasons, earned First-team All-Pro honors in 1967, and was included in the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team despite playing for a struggling expansion team. Remarkably, even after major knee surgeries, his legendary toughness enabled him to return to top form, earning his final Pro Bowl selection in 1972. Nobis retired after the 1976 season with 12 career interceptions, and his No. 60 jersey was the first ever retired by the Falcons organization.

Jan Stenerud, PK, KC 1967-79, GNB 1980-83 & MIN 1984-85.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 5th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

From Norway, Jan Stenerud arrived in the U.S. on a ski jumping scholarship at Montana State.  The Football Coach learned of Stenerud’s kicking abilities and offered him a tryout, which he made.  Stenerud would set a then-record 59 Yard Field Goal, and following college, he was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he became one of the first dedicated Place Kickers in the game.

Stenerud’s soccer style of kicking took over the game, and he was consistently among one of the most accurate kickers for years.  A two-time AFL All-Star and four-time Pro Bowl Selection over three different decades. Stenerud helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl IV and remained with them until 1979, then spent four years with Green Bay before concluding his career with two years in Minnesota. 

Roger Brown DT, DET 1960-66 & RAM 1967-69.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 1st Senior Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It is alleged that Roger Brown was the first legitimate 300-pounder in the National Football League. Nowadays, this is commonplace, but Brown proved that a much larger man could be very athletic. It is also amazing that someone so big could be forgotten so quickly.

Brown was good, but he played alongside other greats of the sport. As a Detroit Lion, he played with Alex Karras, who got all the headlines. Later, he became a Los Angeles Ram and was the fourth cog in the Rams’ Fearsome Foursome defense behind the big names of Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen. Roger Brown may not have become a household name, but his size and skill made him one of the most feared defensive linemen in the league, and his Pro Bowls were earned, not by riding the coattails of his more famous teammates.

What would Roger Brown’s legacy be if he had been the featured defensive star of his team? He was good enough to have been, but circumstances blessed him with the chance to play with the greats and cursed him to be in their shadows; nevertheless, he is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

Wellington Mara, Owner, NYG 1930-2004.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1995 on his 9th Coach/Contributor Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Wellington Mara had an 81-year career with the New York Giants, transforming the club from a startup to a key NFL franchise. Starting as a nine-year-old ball boy for his father's team, Mara and his brother Jack became co-owners in 1930 when he was 14. After graduating from Fordham and serving as a U.S. Navy officer during WWII, he returned to manage player personnel. His talent for spotting skilled players led to drafting legends like Frank Gifford and Roosevelt Brown and making key trades, building the dominant Giants teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He became team president in 1965, guiding the franchise through a rebuilding era that resulted in Super Bowl wins.

Beyond his dedication to New York, Mara was a key figure in the NFL, advocating for policies that promoted the sport's growth. He prioritized league interests over his own for fairness, supporting equal sharing of TV revenues, which helped small-market teams thrive. Mara also played a crucial role in league leadership, breaking a 1960 deadlock to elect Pete Rozelle as commissioner and serving as the National Football Conference president from 1984 until his death in 2005. Each official game ball bears his nickname, "The Duke,” honoring his systemic impact.