1962 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 eighteenth official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 32 votes,

Remember that the group took a vote in “1963”, and we have reverted back to the top five candidates entering the Hall PROVIDING THEY MAKE 50% of the vote.  This will be put to a vote again in “1966”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1963:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1963.

About the 1963 Inductees:

Elroy Hirsch E-HB-DE, CHR 1946-48, RAM 1949-57: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Dubbed “Crazy Legs” because of the strange, jerky way his legs moved when he ran, Elroy Hirsch was one of the most outstanding college players ever. Despite his collegiate success, getting going as a professional took him some time.

Hirsch joined the Chicago Rockets of the AAFC instead of the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, but he would later call it the worst decision he ever made.  The Rockets were awful, and though Hirsch was competent, he was expected to be spectacular.  A contract dispute allowed Hirsch to leave the AAFC, and he joined the Rams in 1949.

Hirsch struggled initially, but a shift to the End position rejuvenated him. His 1951 season was one of the best in Rams history, as he led the NFL in Receiving Yards (1,495) and led the Rams to the NFL Championship. He remained one of the top Ends over the next few years and still owns one of the best nicknames in sports.

George Connor T-LB-DT-G, CHI 1948-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 3^rd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

George Connor was a two-time National Champion at Notre Dame, and he would parlay the skills he learned with the Fighting Irish to nearby Chicago with the Bears for a stellar eight-year career.

An All-Pro on both sides of the ball (Offensive Tackle, Defensive Tackle, and Linebacker), Connor was primarily used on the offensive line in his first two years.  Still, his athleticism made him a natural to try at Linebacker.  He was arguably better in that role, which likely landed him a spot in Canton.

Frank Gatski, C-LB, CLE 1946-56, DET 1957.: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

Frank Gatski played college football at Marshall and then joined the American military during World War II.  Following the war, Gatski tried out and made the Browns in their inaugural season of the AAFC.  Gatski, or "Gunner" as he was known, opened the holes for Motley and expertly protected Graham for years.  Easily the best Center in the AAFC, he helped Cleveland win all four Championships and proved his worth in the NFL as the Browns won the NFL Title in their first year after the NFL-AAFC merger.

Gatski, who was so good that he never botched a snap over his entire career, helped the Browns win the 1954 and 1955 Championship, and in his last year in the NFL, 1957, he was with Detroit and won an eighth title.

Tony Latone G-E-C, POT 1925-28, BOS 1929 & PRV 1930: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1963 on his 8^th Senior Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nicknamed the “Human Howitzer,” Tony Latone’s path to professional football did not come from the college ranks, as he played semi-pro and worked in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania.  He finally joined the NFL with Pottsville Maroons in 1925, and he is believed to be the unofficial rushing leader of the 1920s.  Latone allegedly rushed for 2,616 Yards in six seasons, and the legendary George Halas stated that Latone would have been an all-time great had he gone to college and honed his craft early.

The seventh overall pick of the 2020 Draft, Defensive Tackle Derrick Brown has yet to taste the playoffs, but that is no fault of Brown, who has been a solid contributor to the Panthers’ defense.

Brown won the starting job as a rookie and was a solid run-stuffer able to clog the interior.  After three solid years, Brown had a breakout campaign in 2023, where he went to his first Pro Bowl and had his first 100-plus tackle year.

While Carolina has struggled, Brown has proven that he is a proven piece that the organization can build around defensively.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Bills again made it to the playoffs but again fell short, having been knocked off by Kansas City in the second round.  The year gave us one new entrant and two elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Bruce Smith
2. Thurman Thomas
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Jim Kelly
5. Andre Reed

You can find the entire list here.

Quarterback Josh Allen rose to #22 from #30. 

Wide Receiver Stefon Diggs rocketed to #29 from #45.  He is now with the Houston Texans.

The only new entrant is three-time Offensive Tackle Dion Dawkins, who first appears at #39.

Notably, Tremaine Edmunds has been dropped off the list.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2023 revision of our top 50 Baltimore Ravens.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the Ravens again made it to the playoffs and boasted the league MVP in Lamar Jackson.  They did not make it to the Super Bowl, but there was significant movement with two new names and five elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes:

1. Ray Lewis
2. Ed Reed
3. Jonathan Ogden
4. Terrell Suggs
5. Marshal Yanda

You can find the entire list here.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who added his second MVP, moves up to #6 from #10.  With another good year, Jackson should be able to overtake Yanda to enter the top five.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey edged up two spots to #21.

Offensive Tackle Ronnie Stanley moved up to #26 from #38.

Tight End Mark Andrews rose to #32 from #35.

The first debut is Linebacker Roquan Smith, arguably the best defensive player on the Ravens roster going into 2024.  He has not been with Baltimore for long but has already had two First Team All-Pros as a Raven.  He debuts at #41.

Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cornerback Patrick Queen reached #42 from #46.

The second new entrant is Defensive Tackle Justin Madubuike, who was a Pro Bowl Selection for the first time comes in at #43.

Please note that Kicker Justin Tucker remains at #9.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.