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.

1963 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1962.

For “1963,” a Preliminary Vote with nearly 100 players whose playing career ended by 1956. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

We will post the Finalists of the Class of the 1963 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1963 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all who participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are still determining what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 16 years thus far.

For “1963,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1955. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago,” allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

30 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

You have also voted to keep the 50 percent threshold for induction.  60 percent of you made that determination.  That will be put up again in 1966

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1963 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

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 seventeenth official class;

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

Remember that the group took a vote in “1961”, 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 “1963”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1962:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1962, though no one made the mandatory 50% threshold to advance.

About the 1962 Inductees:

Tom Fears E, RAM 1948-56: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1962 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

Tom Fears was the first NFL player of note to be born in Mexico. The former UCLA standout played all nine of his NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Fears was initially pegged to be a Defensive Back, but he blossomed on the offense, where the end helped usher in more of a passing attack.

As a rookie, Fears would lead the NFL with 51 Receptions, and he was the league leader again in 1949 with 77, which would then be an NFL record.  That mark would last for only one season when it was broken by Fears himself when he had 81 Receptions for a league-leading 1,116 Yards.  He was named a First Team All-Pro that year.  Fears never had a season that productive again, but he proved to be a vital component of the Rams Championship season of 1951.  He had helped Los Angeles reach the title game the previous two seasons, but in this game, he had a 73 73-yard reception that broke the tie and led them to victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Dante Lavelli E, CLE 1946-56: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1962 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Dante Lavelli played for Paul Brown at Ohio State, where the duo won the National Championship in 1942.  Lavelli entered the U.S. Military in World War II, and when the conflict ended, he rejoined Brown, who built the Cleveland Browns of the new All-American Football Conference.

Along with Mac Speedie, Lavelli was a star at End, leading the AAFC in receptions (40) and receiving yards (843) in the league's first year.  Lavelli was a consistent producer and excellent blocker, and he played a large part in why Cleveland won all four AAFC Titles.  Cleveland was one of the teams that joined the NFL when the AAFC merged with the senior league, and they continued to dominate, winning the NFL Championship in 1950, 1954, and 1955.  In the NFL era, Lavelli was a three-time Pro Bowler and was an instrumental cog in Paul Brown's machine.

Doak Walker HB-DB, DET 1950-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1962 on his 2^nd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

What is it about the Detroit Lions and their star players retiring early?  Doak Walker did just that as after six seasons he called it a career, but really, and as he stated after he retired, what else had he left to prove?

Walker, who was such a star in college at SMU that the award for the best college running back is named after him, transferred that skill to the Detroit Lions, where he made an immediate impact.  Walker was a Pro Bowler five out of six of his years and was a four-time First Team All-Pro.  Walker was also used as the Lions Place Kicker and would lead the NFL in Points Scored twice (1950 & 1955), and also anchored Detroit to two NFL Championships (1952 & 1953).

1962 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1961.

For “1962,” a Preliminary Vote with over 100 players whose playing career ended by 1956. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

We will post the Finalists of the Class of the 1962 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1962 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all who participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted like the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 16 years thus far.

For “1962,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1955. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago,” allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

31 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1962 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1961 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 sixteenth official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 31 votes,

Remember that the group took a vote in “1961”, 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 “1963”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1961:

This is for the “Senior Era”, *Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1961, though no one made the mandatory 50% threshold to advance.

About the 1961 Inductees:

Otto Graham QB-DB, CLE 1946-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1961 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.

Otto Graham was the first player that Cleveland Browns owner; Paul Brown, sought when he assembled his team in 1946 to begin play in the All-American Football Conference. Brown was right to convert the Northwestern Tailback to a pro Quarterback in the T-Formation. Graham and the Browns dominated the AAFC, and without question, Graham was the best player in the upstart league. The Browns won every single title in the four-year existence of the AAFC, and Graham was at the forefront of that success. The AAFC would merge with the NFL, and it was expected that those teams would not be successful in the first few years of the unification. They were wrong. The Browns won the 1950 NFL Championship, thus proving the merit of the AAFC; Graham won two more NFL Championships and was, overall, a five-time league leader in Passing Yards. In the ten years he played, there was never a year where he didn’t at least take the Browns to a Division Title.

Marion Motley FB-LB, CLE 1946-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1961 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

While there were African Americans in pro football before Marion Motley, they had been phased out, but after World War II, this was about to change.  Motley tried out for the Cleveland Browns of the new All-American Football Conference, and he made the team and would become oone f the best players in team history. Motley was an excellent rusher who won the AAFC Rushing Title in 1948, and the NFL Rushing Title in 1950, and he was a large part of the Cleveland juggernaut that won all four AAFC Championships and the 1950 NFL Championship.  He was also incredibly valuable as a blocker and helped open up Otto Graham’s passing game.  Motley had 5,827 Yards From Scrimmage, an excellent total for his era.

Pete Pihos E-DE, PHI 1947-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1961 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

A three-time All-American at Indiana, Pete Pihos played his entire nine-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles, beginning as a two-way end, but eventually specializing in the offence.  Pihos was one of the top receivers in the late 1940s and early 1950s, aiding the Eagles in back-to-back NFL Championships (1948 & 1949), and securing five First Team All-Pro Selections.  In 1953, Pihos began a three-year streak leading the NFL in Receptions, with him also finishing first in Receiving Yards in the bookend seasons.  He would accumulate 5,619 Yards with 61 Touchdowns.

Charley Trippi HB-QB-DB, CRD 1947-55: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1961 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Charley Trippi was a coveted player coming out of the University of Georgia, and the New York Yankees of the upstart All-American Football Conference thought they had him locked up.  The Chicago Cardinals, who drafted him first overall, earned his services when Cardinals owner, Charles Bidwell signed him to what was a huge contract at the time, $100,000 over four years.  Trippi was the heart of what would become Chicago’s “Million Dollar Backfield” and as a rookie in 1947, he would lead the Cardinals to an NFL Championship.  Incredibly versatile, Trippi could play any offensive skill position and excelled at rushing, passing and punting.  He played until 1955, finishing his career with the Cardinals and amassing 4,827 Yards From Scrimmage.

1961 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of you who have participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1960.

For “1961,” a Preliminary Vote with over 100 players whose playing career ended by 1954. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

We will post the Finalists of the Class of the 1961 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1961 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all participating in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 15 years thus far.

For “1961,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1955. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago”, allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

31 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

Next week, we will announce the Finalists for the 1961 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1960 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 fifteenth official class;

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

Remember that the group took a vote in “1960”, 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 “1963”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1960:

This is for the “Senior Era”, *Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1960, though no one made the mandatory 50% threshold to advance.

About the 1960 Inductees:

Ken Kavanaugh E, CHI 1940-41 & 1945-50: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1960 on his 5^th Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

An SEC Player of the Year in 1939 with LSU, Ken Kavanaugh was chosen by the Chicago Bears the following year in the 3^rd Round of the NFL Draft.  The End would be a member of the dominant “Monsters of the Midway” where the won back-to-back NFL Championships (1940 & 1941), scoring a TD in the first one (which was the lopsided 73-0 dismantling of the Washington Redskins).

Like many of his peers, Kavanaugh enlisted to serve his country in World War II, and when he returned, the former LSU Tiger picked up right where he left off.  Kavanaugh would again help the Bears win the 1946 NFL Championship.  He would be named a First Team All-Pro in various publications three times and would twice lead the NFL in Touchdown Receptions before he retired after 1950.  He was named to the 1940's All-Decade Team.

1960 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1959.

For “1960,” a Preliminary Vote with over 100 players whose playing career ended by 1954. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

We redid the vote where we asked to vote as to whether a candidate needs at least 50% or to keep at it with the top five.

After a tie in the first vote, we had a 16-14 win for the candidate needing at least 50% to enter the Hall.  This will be re-evaluated in “1963”.

We will post the Finalists of the Class of the 1960 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1960 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all of you who have participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 14 years thus far.

For “1960,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 130 players whose playing career ended by 1952. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago”, allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

30 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

We had a tie in the special vote for How Many Moderns Should Get In

This will be put back in to vote again

In the Seniors Duration Vote:

We will post the 1960 Semi-Finalists of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project results next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1959 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 fourteenth 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 1959:

This is for the “Senior Era”, *Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1959, though no one made the mandatory 50% threshold to advance.

About the 1959 Inductees:

Bill Dudley HB-TB-QB-K-P, WAS 1937-52: Inducted in 1959 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

Taken number one in the 1942 Draft, Bill Dudley went from the University of Virginia to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where, as a rookie, he won the Rushing Title (696 Yards) and was the league leader in All-Purpose Yards (1,349).  World War II took the Halfback out of the NFL for three years, but he returned late in the 1945 season, and he again led the NFL in Rushing Yards (604) and All-Purpose Yards (1,650).  That season, Dudley was named the league MVP.  The versatile yet diminutive football player could do it all, as he was not just a rusher but excelled at returning, kicking, and punting and was decent on the defensive side of the ball.  Dudley played three years each for Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington.

Bill Willis DG-G, CLE 1946-53: Inducted in 1959 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

Bill Willis played for Paul Brown at Ohio State, where he was a part of the 1942 National Championship Team.  Willis graduated in 1945 and wanted to play pro football, but as a black man with the knowledge that the NFL had an unspoken rule about African Americans, there was nowhere for him to go.  Enter the All-American Football Conference.  In 1946, his former Head Coach, Brown, was the Head Coach of the new team that bore his name, and Willis received an opportunity to try out for the Cleveland Browns. Willis made the team and, along with Marion Motley, was among the first two black players in pro football.  Playing at Guard, he was a part of the Browns dominance of the short-lived league, winning all four Championships.  Willis proved to be one of the top Guards in the AAFC, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  When the AAFC migrated with the NFL, Willis was recognized as a three-time Pro Bowl and three-time First Team All-Pro.  The Browns won the 1950 NFL Championship, and Willis was a colossal component of Cleveland's success in their early existence.

Arnie Weinmeister DT, NYY 1948-49, NYG 1950-53: Inducted in 1959 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

Arnie Weinmeister was one of the toughest players in football, and after two productive seasons with the New York Yankees of the AAFC, Weinmeister made history as the first native of Saskatchewan to play in the NFL when he joined the New York Giants in 1950.  Weinmeister played Tackle on both sides of the ball, but he was known primarily for his defensive skill.  He only played four years for the Giants, but he was one of the best they had while he wore the blue.  Weinmeister was a Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro in all of his years as a Giant.  He could have played longer in the NFL, but he opted to play for the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League.

Mac Speedie E, CLE 1946-52: Inducted in 1959 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Mac Speedie played collegiately at Utah and was a late-round pick (15^th) in the NFL Draft.  He did not enter the NFL, opting instead to go to the military to serve the United States in World War II, and when he returned, he tried out and made the Cleveland Browns of the upstart All-American Football Conference.  Browns' Head Coach, Paul Brown, used Speedie in his offense at End, where he would become one of the top receivers in the AAFC.  Speedie and the Browns won all four titles in the AAFC’s existence, and Speedie was the league leader in Receiving Yards twice.  The Browns migrated to the NFL in 1950, and he was named to the Pro Bowl twice, though he was unable to reach the four-digit mark in Receiving Yards as he did in the AAFC.  He did, however, help Cleveland win the NFL Championship in 1950, which was his fifth in a row.  His run in the NFL could have been longer, but a dispute with Brown resulted in Speedie taking his talents to Canada, where he played three years before retiring.  Speedie had 5,602 Yards with 33 Touchdowns with Cleveland.

Wayne Millner DE-E, BOS 1936, WAS 1937-41 & 1945: Inducted in 1959 on his 9th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Wayne Millner was a star of some phenomenal Notre Dame teams, and in 1936, the Boston Redskins took him in the Eighth Round of the NFL Draft.  Millner was an all-purpose End, and while the air game was not a huge part yet of American Football, his six consecutive years of 200 Yards (1936-41) were more than respectable.  Millner aided the Redskins in winning their first-ever NFL Championship in 1937.  After 1941, Millner was in the U.S. Military for three years and returned to Washington for a final season as a player.  Millner was named to the 1930s All-Decade Team, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in the same group as his legendary teammate, Cliff Battles.

1958 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1959.

For “1958,” a Preliminary Vote with over 130 players whose playing career ended by 1952. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

This is for the “Senior Era”

*Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals:

Next Saturday, we will post the Class of the 1959 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

1959 PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Thank you to all of you who have participated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the first 14 years thus far.

For “1958,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 130 players whose playing career ended by 1952. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters will be asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next after, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

Please note that a significant change occurred “years ago”, allowing voters to submit less than the allotted spots. 

31 Votes took place

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates they have been removed from future ballots

This is for the “Senior Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Semi-Finals:

*Indicates that they will be removed from the ballot permanently.

In the special vote, modern candidates are removed if they have no votes on years 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18.

We will post the 1958 Finalists of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project results next Saturday.

Thank you to all who contributed. If you want to be part of this project, please let us know!

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:

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.

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.

1958 SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Thank you for all of your participation in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project. If you are unaware of what that is, , we acted as if the PFHOF had its first class in January 1946.

We have completed the years up to 1957.

For “1958,” a Preliminary Vote with over 130 players whose playing career ended by 1952. We are also following the structure in that players have 20 years of eligibility, and if they do not make it into the Hall, they are relegated to the Senior Pool.

Each voter was asked to select 25 names from the preliminary list, and the top 25 vote-getters were named Semi-Finalists.

A week later, the voters were asked to pick 15 names from the 25 Semi-Finalists, and next week, they will pick five from the remaining 15. We will continue this process weekly until we catch up to the current year.

30 Votes took place, with the top five advancing.

This is for the “Modern Era”

Bold indicates they advanced to the Finals: