1973 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 28th official class; 

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

Remember that the group took a vote in “1970”, and we have reverted to the top five candidates entering the Hall, PROVIDING THEY MAKE 50% of the vote.  This will be put to a vote again in “1976”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1973:

This is for the “Senior Era”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1973.

This is for the “Coaches/Contributors”, 

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1973.

About the 1973 Inductees:

Raymond Berry E, BAL 1955-67: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

Raymond Berry was all about the details with every aspect of his game.  An expert route runner, Berry rarely fumbled or dropped passes and was essential to the two consecutive Baltimore Colts Championships in the late 1950s.  Most notably, he caught 12 passes in the 1958 Championship Game for 178 Yards and a Touchdown.  

Berry would lead the NFL in receptions three times as well as receiving yards three times.  He would amass 9,275 Yards and 68 Touchdowns, an incredible number for his time period.

Lenny Moore, HB-FL, BAL 1956-67.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

A Baltimore Colt for all twelve seasons of his career, Halfback, Lenny Moore was a bona fide dual threat.  Moore was one of the rare players who was equally adept at rushing and receiving and scored more than 100 Touchdowns.  Moore would lead the National Football League in Yards/Attempt four times, Touchdowns twice, and Yards from Scrimmage once.  The offensive superstar would be a five-time First Team All-Pro and was named the MVP in 1964.  

Pretty good career, right?

It’s not over yet.  

Moore was a major force in the Colts consecutive NFL Championships in the late 1950s and he entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Jim Parker, T-G, BAL 1957-67: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.

Jim Parker spent his entire eleven-year career as a Baltimore Colt. The prolific Lineman was a champion in College (with Ohio State) and helped the Colts win the NFL Title in 1958 and 1959.  Parker was named to both the 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams as well as eight Pro Bowls and eight First Team squads.

Jim Ringo, C, GNB 1953-63 & PHI 1964-67.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

Jim Ringo played most of his Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers and it was there that he started 126 of 131 games.  Ringo was a seven-time Pro Bowl and six-time First Team All-Pro Selection with Green Bay, and he was a vital component of the team that won the 1960 and 1961 NFL Championship.

Allegedly, Ringo had asked for a raise after the 1963 season, and did so in a way that angered the Packers brass, who promptly traded him to Philadelphia.  Regardless of that is true, Ringo was still a good player, and went to earn three more Pro Bowls as an Eagle.

Jim Taylor, FB, GNB 1958-67.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.

An All-American at LSU, the Packers would select Taylor in the second round of the 1958 draft. He saw limited action as a rookie but when Vince Lombardi was hired, Taylor would become a feature back. Along with Paul Hornung, the Packers would have the best pair of backs in the game. A power runner, Taylor was especially effective in short yardage situations. In 1960, Taylor would have his first of five consecutive 1,000 Yard Rushing seasons. His most productive would occur in 1963 where he would have a career high and league leading 1,474 Yards with 19 Rushing Touchdowns and he was named the AP MVP.

Under Lombardi, Taylor would assist the Packers win the 1961, 1962, 1965 and 1966 NFL Championship and he was a member of the Super Bowl I Championship Team. Individually speaking he was a five-time Pro Bowler and a First Team All Pro in 1963. Finishing his career in New Orleans for one season in 1967, he would retire with 8,597 Rushing Yards with 83 Rushing Touchdowns.

Joe Kopcha, G, CHI 1929 & 1932-35.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 12th Senior Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.

Kopcha finally makes it after being on the ballot from year one.  Tough as he was versatile, Kopcha was an old school cardio machine who was good in the 60th minute as he was in the first.  A hidden gem on Chicago’s 1932 and 1933 NFL Championship team, Kopcha’s career was brief, but impactful.  He is also known for redesigning shoulder pads, whose basic designs are still in use today.

Vince Lombardi, Head Coach, GNB 1959-67 & WAS 1969.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1973 on his 1st Coaches/Contributors Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

With all due respect to every coach in the National Football League history, there is, and will never will be another man revered more than Vince Lombardi in that capacity.

After revamping the New York Giants offense and helping to make them one of the most potent forces in football, the Green Bay Packers, who had only won a single game in 1958, signed him to coach their team.  Lombardi turned them around instantly, and the Packers won five NFL Championships and the first two Super Bowls.  He finished his career with one year in Washington (1969), before ill health forced him to retire.

Lombardi had a stellar record of 96-34-6, and he remains the coaching template in not just football but in life.

American football is a globally adored sport that is constantly bet on. You only have to look at NFL betting odds to verify this.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is an elite club that only permits coaches and players who have best contributed to the game. There are many top-billed names to familiarize yourself with. Fortunately, we’ve narrowed down the most renowned coaches in NFL history on your behalf. 

Lombardi was a legendary five-time NFL champion best known for his incredible head coaching career as offensive coordinator for the New York Giants and head coach for the Washington Redskins (1969-1970) and the Green Day Packers between 1959 and 1967. 

The Super Bowl “Vince Lombardi Trophy” is named in his honor. Lombardi was also a Hall of Fame inductee in 1971.

2. George Halas

Football would not be the same without “Papa Bear”. Halas was one of the co-founders of the NFL and was one of 17 initial inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

He also coached the Chicago Bears (originally the “Chicago Staleys”) from their debut in 1920 up until he died in 1983, helping them achieve 324 wins, two undefeated regular seasons, and six NFL titles.

3. Bill Belichick

Belichick rose to fame as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach. However, it was his 2000 move to become the New England Patriots head coach that marked the golden age of his career. 

He achieved an overall 105-40 record and managed to lead the Patriots to their first Super Bowl victory – with many others following soon after.

Bill Walsh began his career coaching high school football but quickly climbed the ranks and made it to the NFL. Walsh was originally the San Diego Chargers’ quarterbacks’ coach, then moved to Stanford for two years, before taking over as San Francisco 49ers head coach in 1979.

Walsh took the 49ers to new heights throughout his time with the team, helping them to reach 102 wins, three NFC titles, and three Super Bowl championships. In 1993, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame thanks to his incredible service to the world of football.

5. Don Shula

Don Shula was an NFL coach for over three decades. He coached the Baltimore Colts but is most well-known for his role as Miami Dolphins head coach. Shula famously led the Dolphins to the single most perfect season in the history of the NFL, culminating in a victory at the 1972 Super Bowl.

Shula was admitted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. This isn’t surprising considering his incredible career achievements including six ties, 328 wins, and 173 losses.

6. Paul Brown

Paul Brown coached the team at Ohio State University before he secured a role coaching Cleveland’s professional team, the Browns. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967.

Thanks to his coaching success in the All-American Football Conference, Paul Brown led his team to the NFL. The Browns were named after Brown himself and he went on to lead them to an amazing championship victory in their first season.

7. Joe Gibbs

Joe Gibbs served as a college and professional football assistant for 15 seasons before scoring his first job as head coach with the 1981 Washington Redskins.

He is the only head coach to have won three Super Bowls with different quarterbacks. Essentially, no coach in the Super Bowl era of the NFL has achieved more with less. The 1996 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee deserves more recognition than he gets.

Landry was the founding head coach of the Dallas Cowboys during their first NFL season in 1960. During his 29-season tenure, he made the team into an NFL powerhouse, achieving 20 consecutive winning seasons and two Super Bowl victories. 

Behind George Halas and Don Shula, Landry is one of the most decorated head coaches in NFL history. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Inducted in 1993, Chuck Noll is regarded as one of the NFL’s greatest Hall of Fame coaches of all time. In the 1970s, Noll presided over the corpse of a franchise that was the Pittsburgh Steelers, and turned it into something with unmatched success.

Achieving four Super Bowl wins in six seasons, Noll restored pride to the team and also fathered what is now known as the Steelers Nation.

10. Bill Parcells

Parcells, or “the Big Tuna,” won two Super Bowls and made the NFL playoffs with multiple different teams throughout his 30-year career as a coach. This includes the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and the Dallas Cowboys.

He finished his career as vice president of operations for the Miami Dolphins. Parcells was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013 once his coaching career ended.

Summary

These are the top NFL Hall of Fame coaches of all time. There will likely be many more names added to this list as time goes on but the legacy these men have left in the sporting world is indisputable.