The Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project: 1981 Final VOTE

1981 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 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. 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 36th 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 1981:

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1981.

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1981.

About the 1981 Inductees:

Len Dawson QB, PIT 1957-59, CLE 1960-61, DTX/KAN 1962-75: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1981 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Len Dawson was a First Round Draft Pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers but the former Purdue Boilermaker accomplished nothing there as he would in Cleveland shortly thereafter.  It looked like Dawson became a bust, but after being released by the Browns, he would sign with the Dallas Texans, and it was a match made in football heaven.

Dawson would lead the American Football League in Touchdown Passes in his first season there, while more importantly taking the team to a league championship win (1962).  Dawson and the team would move north to Kansas City, where they would become the Chiefs, but while the team’s geography would change, Dawson’s efficiency would not. 

Dawson’s AFL league-leading Passer Rating of 1962 would be duplicated in every season from 1964 to 1968, as well as posting four seasons where he led the league in Touchdown Passes.  Dawson would take the Chiefs to the first Super Bowl, where, although they lost, Dawson impressed many in defeat.  He would later take the Chiefs to a win in Super Bowl IV (where he was named the Super Bowl MVP), which to date is the only one in franchise history.

Overall, he threw for 28,711 Yards and 239 Touchdown Passes, which are incredible for his time.

Jimmy Johnson, DB, SFO 1961-76: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1981 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

How good an athletic family did Jimmy Johnson come from?  The Pro Football Hall of Famer was the brother of the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist (Decathlon), Rafer Johnson.

Johnson, who played his college ball at UCLA, did not have to travel far to join the Professional ranks as the San Francisco 49ers with the Sixth Overall Pick in 1961.  Johnson was incredibly versatile, though he was undoubtedly at his best at Cornerback, where he began as a rookie.  While he had five Interceptions as a rookie and was considered good, the Niners moved him to Flanker in 1962, where he played for one year with 627 Yards.  Johnson went to Safety in 1963 but returned to Corner, where he stayed for the rest of his professional career.

Johnson proved his worth in the Secondary throughout the 1960s, but it was not until 1969 that he turned heads.  From 1969 to 1972, Johnson was both a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro Selection, with his Approximate Value never going below 14 in those seasons.  During this time, Johnson was considered the best Defensive Back in Football, and many thought he was.

Johnson played until 1976, never leaving San Francisco. He would go to his fifth Pro Bowl in 1974, and he retired with 47 Interceptions.

George Blanda, QB-K, BCL 1949, CHI 1949–58, HOU 1960-66 & OAK 1967-75.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1981 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

Regarding longevity, few players in team sports in the United States can light a candle to George Blanda.

Playing in four different decades, Blanda had periods as an elite quarterback, and his durability kept him in professional football, thanks in part to his special teams ability. Blanda played for the Chicago Bears through the 1950s as a quarterback and kicker, and when the American Football League started in 1960, he signed with the Houston Oilers.

In the AFL, he was a three-time champion, two with Houston and one with Oakland, and he was the league MVP in 1961. When the AFL merged with the NFL, Blanda’s kicking ability was kept in pro football until 1975, making his 26-year career the longest in pro football. 

Johnny Robinson, DB-FL-HB, DTX-KAN 1960-71.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1981 on his 5th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

Johnny Robinson is arguably the greatest Safety in Kansas City Chiefs history, though he did not start his professional career that way.

Robinson was drafted as a Halfback for the inaugural season of the American Football Leagues’ Dallas Texans. Converted to a Flanker, he accrued over 1,800 Yards from Scrimmage in his first two seasons.  Robinson would be moved to Safety the following year, and he would help the Dallas Texans win the AFL Title in 1962.  He would stay with the team when they relocated to Kansas City, and his defensive prowess began to blossom.  Robinson was named a First Team AFL All-Pro every season from 1965 to 1969 and would be a First Team All-Pro in 1970 in the NFL following the merger.  The product of LSU would lead his respective league in Interceptions twice (1966 AFL, 1970 NFL), and he would secure 57 picks overall in his career.

His best performance took place in Super Bowl IV, where he helped the Chiefs win the game with a fumble recovery and an interception.  Robinson had a pick in each of the three AFL Championship Games he played!  Robinson was one of the early inductees into the Chiefs Hall of Fame, receiving the call in 1974.

Del Shofner, E-DB, RAM 1957-60, NYG 1961-67.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1981 on his 9th Ballot.  Was never inducted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Del Shofner was a remarkable receiver who was part of the 1960s All-Decade Team. He achieved this status thanks to his outstanding performance during a six-year stretch from 1958 to 1963, where he was named a First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in all those years except for 1960.

During his time with the Los Angeles Rams, Shofner topped the NFL in Receiving Yards in 1958 with 1,097, and finished second in the following year with 936. In 1960, he was relegated more to punting duties, but once he joined the New York Giants, he regained his place as an elite receiver. In his first three years with the Giants, Shofner had at least 1,100 Receiving Yards and finished in the top four in that metric. Although he never had a stretch close to that again, his reputation as one of the top offensive skill players and deep ball threats of his era earns him a high spot on this list.