Bud McFadin had an excellent career in pro football, yet when it comes to Hall of Fame discussions, his name never comes up.  Perhaps it should, but we get why it doesn't.

A versatile player who was equally adept as an Offensive Lineman or playing Defensive Tackle and Linebacker, McFadin played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1951 to 1956 and was a Pro Bowler in the last two years.  He was accidentally shot in the stomach, and shortly after, he decided to focus on his business rather than playing football, but when the AFL began four years later, he came back to the Denver Broncos, and he was a First Team All-Pro from 1960 to 1962.  He would play until 1966 after three years with the Houston Oilers.

The San Diego Chargers took Ohio State Buckeye offensive lineman Jim Lachey 12^th Overall in 1985, and he was plugged in immediately as the Bolts’ starting Left Tackle. 

Named to the All-Rookie Team, Lachey would be named a Pro Bowler in 1987, but after signing with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988, he was shipped off to the Washington Redskins after one game, and he would become a late addition to the "Hogs," the famed Skins' O-Line.  Lachey would rattle off three straight First Team All-Pros (1989-91) and was a member of their Super Bowl XXVI Championship Team.

Think about this for a second.  Mike Curtis played Linebacker in the 1960s and 70s, and his peers in that fierce era considered him one of the meanest players in the game.  How much does that tell you about Curtis?

Arriving as a 1^st Round Pick from Duke, the Baltimore Colts had a gem in the converted Fullback who would excel in the interior of the Colts' defense.  A ferocious tackler, he would also accrue 25 Interceptions in his career, and in 1968, he would be named to the first of two straight All-Pro Teams.   Denied the Super Bowl by Joe Namath's miracle New York Jets team, Curtis would help Baltimore return in Super Bowl V, where in the big game he was arguably the best defensive player on the field for the Colts.  He would be named to four Pro Bowls overall and would finish his career with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.

One can argue that Jim Ray Smith missed his window to be known on a higher level as he arrived in Cleveland one year too late and left two years too early, as the Browns would win NFL Championships before and after his arrival, but this was no reflection on the playing ability of Jim Ray Smith.

Smith was drafted in 1954 as an early draftee (Cleveland won the title that year), but due to military commitments, did not arrive until 1956.  Smith played both sides, but excelled as an Offensive Lineman, earning his first of what would be five straight Pro Bowls in 1958.  In that half-decade time frame, Smith would also be named a First or Second Team All-Pro (three First Team and two Second Team).  He retired right after, though he came out of retirement for two seasons with his home-state team, the Dallas Cowboys.