1958 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 that 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. Following that, we 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 thirteenth official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 30 votes,

Remember that the group took a vote, and we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall.  This will be put to a vote again in “1960”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1958:

Player	Year of Eligibility	Vote Total
Sammy Baugh QB	1	30
Bulldog Turner C-T-LB-G	1	21
Bob Waterfield QB	1	18
Tony Canadeo TB-HB	4	11
Steve Owen T-G	20	12
Wayne Millner E	8	10
Mac Speedie E	1	9
Whizzer White TB-HB	12	7
Marshall Goldberg FB	5	5
Buckets Goldenberg	8	3
Ward Cuff WB-QB-HB	6	3
Bill Osmanski FB	6	3
Ken Kavanaugh E	3	3
George Christensen T-G	15	2
Ace Gutkowski FB-TB	14	2
Woody Strode E	4	1

This is for the “Senior Era”, *Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1958, though no one made the mandatory 50% threshold to advance.

Tony Latone	3	12
Hunk Anderson	8	10
Al Nesser	2	5
None of the Above	N/A	3

About the 1958 Inductees:

Sammy Baugh QB-TB, WAS 1937-52: Inducted in 1958 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

 

In 1937, The Boston Redskins relocated to Washington, and that year's First Round Pick was Sammy Baugh. Baugh was initially listed as a Tailback, but passing was not the norm. But he became one of the first accurate passers and the prototype for the modern Quarterback. He won two NFL Championships for Washington (1937 and 1942), and he led the NFL in Pass Completion Percentage eight times, Passing Yards four times, Touchdown Passes twice and Passer Rating three times.

Baugh was not just a Quarterback; he was also an excellent Punter. Before he was exclusively playing offence, he netted 31 interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. In the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Baugh may not be the best Quarterback, but historically speaking, he is considered the most important.

Bulldog Turner C-T-LB-G, CHI 1940-52: Inducted in 1958 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Clyde “Bulldog” Turner lived up to his nickname, playing at Center and Linebacker in a ferocious and skilled fashion.

Turner was a First-Round Pick in 1940 and played his entire career in Chicago. He was one of the best blockers in the decade, and his freak athleticism matched anyone on the field.  Turner proved to be the lynchpin to four NFL Championships and was also the league leader in Interceptions (8) in 1942.

Bob Waterfield QB-K-P, RAM 1945-52: Inducted in 1958 on his 1st r Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Bob Waterfield had one of the most remarkable rookie seasons as a quarterback in NFL history. He graduated from UCLA and led the league in touchdown passes (14), was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), and took the Cleveland Rams to an NFL Championship by defeating Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins.

After the Rams relocated to Los Angeles, Waterfield remained with the team until he retired in 1952. He was a three-time First Team All-Pro and led the Rams to another NFL Championship in 1951. Additionally, he played defensive back during the first half of his professional career and was an exceptional kicker and punter in the pros.

Tony Canadeo HB-TB-FB-DB, GNB 1941-52: Inducted in 1958 on his 1st r Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

One of the most versatile players in Green Bay Packers history, Tony Canadeo did it all for the team.  As an NFL Champion in 1944, Canadeo became the third player in the NFL to rush for over 1,000 yards and the first Packer to do so.  He would play good defense, was their kick returner, and was occasionally used as a Quarterback.

Steve Owen T-G, KAN 1924-25, CLE 1925, NYG 1026-33: Inducted in 1958 on his 20th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966 as a Coach.

Owen was inducted into the actual Hall of Fame as a Coach, but that section has been paused until 1963, and you elected him on his last “Modern” ballot as a player.  Named to the 1930’s All-Decade Team as a player, he was the captain of the team that won the 1927 NFL Championship, and in 1930 he became a player/coach.  Owen held that latter role until 1953, and won two more NFL Championships.