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.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is important to us that the

Dallas Cowboys will FINALLY be enshrining Jimmy Johnson into their Ring of Honor

The announcement came from Cowboys Owner, Jerry Jones before today’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and will officially happen on December 30, during their home game against the Detroit Lions.

Johnson took the Miami Hurricanes to a National Championship in 1987, and a year later was signed by Jones to take over the helm in Dallas.  After a 1-15 start, Johnson turned the ship around and with the triumvirate of Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman led the Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl wins (XXVII & XXVIII) but the success led to fractures in the relationship between Johnson and Jones.  The two agreed to part company before the 1994 Season, and Johnson would later coach the Miami Dolphins, and then work for Fox as a television analyst.  He had an overall record of 44-36 and 7-1 in the playoffs.

Johnson had previously entered the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but this honor, although clearly deserved, seemed to be forever barred from this one.  Jones had previously said that he “could not handle the disloyalty” as to the reason that Johnson was not yet honored.  As always, time and retrospect can heal all.

Johnson will join Cowboys legends, Bob Lilly, Don Meredith, Don Perkins, Chuck Howley, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Lee Roy Jordan, Tom Landry, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Bob Hayes, Tex Schramm, Cliff Harris, Rayfield Wright, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Drew Pearson, Charles Haley, Larry Allen, Darren Woodson, Gil Brandt and DeMarcus Ware.  Of that list, all but four (Meredith, Perkins, Jordan and Woodson) are Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Jaromir Jagr for his impending honor.

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.

There is always Hall of Fame related news when you look hard enough!

With the hope that the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ceremony will go on in August, impending inductee, Jimmy Johnson has given some insight as to his inductor will be.

On Twitter, he was asked if Jerry Jones, his former boss and owner of the Dallas Cowboys would induct him.  He responded that the honor will go to Troy Aikman and that Terry Bradshaw will put the jacket on him.

While there remains a rift between Johnson and Jones, there is hope that the Hall of Fame induction of Johnson will lead to a place in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.  It is worth noting that Tom Landry did not enter the Ring until three years after his Hall of Fame induction.

Hopefully we will find more Hall of Fame related news, and of course, we will be looking!

We thought we would be talking about this on Wednesday.

Breaking from tradition, Hall of Fame President, David Baker appeared on the CBS pre-game show on Saturday and announced to former Pittsburgh Steelers, Head Coach, Bill Cowher, that he had been selected by the Blue Ribbon Centennial Committee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Last night, during halftime of the Seahawks/Packers Game, Baker appeared again and made the same announcement to former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins Head Coach, Jimmy Johnson.

Cowher became the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992, where he would stay until 2006.  He would lead Pittsburgh to a win in Super Bowl XL, and he would have a record of 149-90-1.

When Johnson was greeted by Baker it was a very emotional scene.  The joy of his now fellow Hall of Famers (Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Tony Gonzalez) was infectious and Troy Aikman (who was calling the game) watched along.  After taking the University of Miami to the NCAA Championship in 1987, he would take over the helm of the Dallas Cowboys shortly there after.  He won two Super Bowls with Dallas and took them from the outhouse to the penthouse.  He was also the Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins for four seasons.  Johnson’s Head Coaching record in the NFL was 80-64.

This is the first time that Coaches were selected in a separate committee, and it is expected that it will return back to main committee.  The choices are no without controversy, as Don Coryell, who has been a Finalist six times was not chosen.  Tom Flores, who has been a Finalist the last two years, was also passed over.  Flores is 88, and based on online reactions, he is the biggest perceived snub.  

As both Cowher and Johnson are NFL analysts on major networks, there has been some speculation that the Pro Football Hall of Fame looked to make moments as opposed to honor the two most deserving candidates. Only the people on the Blue Ribbon Committee will know if that is true.  The other Finalists amongst the Coaches were Mike Holmgren, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves and Dick Vermeil.

This Wednesday morning on Good Morning Football, the remaining 13 selections will be announced.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson for entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.