1968 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 22 years thus far.

For “1968,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1959. 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. 

33 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.

Please note that three voted for “None of the Above.”

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1968 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1967 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 22nd official class;

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

Remember that the group took a vote in “1966”, 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 “1969”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1967:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1967.

About the 1967 Inductees:

Emlen Tunnell DB, NYG 1948-58 & GNB 1958-61: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1967 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

After playing at Toledo, a stint with the Coast Guard, and another college football run with Iowa, Emlen Tunnell would make Giants' history as the first African-American they signed.  As it turned out, Tunnell would also become the best signing they had ever done.

Tunnell blossomed into a ball hawk, petrifying Quarterbacks and infuriating Receivers for over a decade.  From his rookie season to 1957, Tunnell never had a year where he had less than six Interceptions, and he peaked with a 10-INT year in 1949.  Tunnell was named to the Pro Bowl annually from 1950 to 1957, earning four of those years a First Team All-Pro spot.  He was also vital to a loaded Giants team that won the 1956 NFL Championship.

He would have 72 Interceptions over his Giants career, which remains a franchise record.  Overall, he had another seven with Green Bay and was the all-time leader in Interceptions at the time of his retirement.

Tunnell was also used as a returner, and he twice led the NFL in Punt Return Yards, and he brought back five punts for a Touchdown. He would accumulate 2,206 Punt Return Yards with the Giants (and another three with Green Bay), and he was the all-time leader in Punt Return Yards at his retirement. 

Tunnell’s contract was sold to the Green Bay Packers after the 1958 Season.  He played under the legendary Vince Lombardi for three seasons, earning another Pro Bowl and a second NFL Championship.

He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, and Tunnell was named one of the NFL 100^th Anniversary Team.  The Giants also chose Tunnell for their Ring of Honor in 2010.

Art Donovan DT-T, BCL 1950, NYY 1951, DTX 1952 & BAL 1953-61: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1967 on his first Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968.

Known for one generation for his radio show and David Letterman appearances, another generation knew him for his excellent defensive play and “Bulldog” like tendencies.  Donovan was a member of the first version of the Baltimore Colts, which folded in 1950, and then the New York Yanks, which folded the following year. 

Coincidentally, it happened again when he signed with the Dallas Texans in 1952, making him the only player in NFL history to play for three teams in three years that all went out of business (though the new Baltimore Colts bought all the Texans’ assets, which is how he came to Baltimore a second time).

That was when Donovan’s career took off as he rattled off five consecutive Pro Bowls and four straight First Team All-Pros.  Donovan was also a member of the back-to-back NFL Championships in the late ’50s.

Gene Brito, DE-E, WAS 1951-53 & 1955-58, RAM 1959-60.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1966 on his 2nd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

A late round draft pick by the Washington Redskins from Loyola Marymount in 1951, Gene Brito would play on both sides of the ball in his first two seasons.   The End was certainly solid in his role, but by 1953, Brito was focused on the Left Defensive End position and was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. 

Brito would have another four-year streak of Pro Bowls (1955-58) and likely would have netted another one in 1954 had he been in the league (he opted to play in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders instead) and in 1955 the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club named him the NFL Player of the Year.   Brito was so beloved in Washington that he was one of the first players to host a local television show while still as an active athlete.

The defensive star would play his final two years with the Los Angeles Rams.

Hunk Anderson G-C, CHI 1922-25 & CLE 1923.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1967 on his 17^th Senior Ballot.  Was never Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It took a long time (from 1946 to 1967), but Hunk Anderson finally breaks through on his 17^th year on the Senior Ballot. 

A product of Knute Rockne at Notre Dame where he was part of two undefeated Fighting Irish squads (1919 & 1920), Anderson allegedly played under a summed name for the Canton Bulldogs in the first two years of the NFL’s existence.  He later played for George Halas and the Chicago Bears where he was a top Lineman for four years and later was named to the 1920s All-Decade Team.

1967 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 1966.

For “1967,” a Preliminary Vote with nearly 100 players whose playing career ended by 1961. 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.

35 Votes took place, with the top fifteen 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 Class of the 1967 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!

1967 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 21 years thus far.

For “1967,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1959. 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. 

40 Votes took place (a new record)

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.

Please note that two voted for “None of the Above.”

We also had a vote to see if you wanted to change the voting parameter on the Final Ballot and asked if you wanted to keep it as is (vote max 5) or expand it to a maximum of 6 or 7.

31 of you said to keep it as is, so we will do that going forward.

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1967 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1966 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 21st official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 3q votes,

Remember that the group took a vote in “1966”, 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 “1969”.

This is for the “Modern Era”

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1966:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1966, though no candidate made the 50% threshold.

About the 1966 Inductees:

Norm Van Brocklin QB, RAM 1949-57 & PHI 1958-60: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1966 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Norm Van Brocklin entered the NFL as a Fourth Rounder from Oregon, but the Quarterback entered a unique situation where he shared the duties with fellow Hall of Famer, Bob Waterfield.  It worked well enough, as Van Brocklin was an NFL Champion in 1951, and he was still among the league leaders in passing, winning the Passing Yards Title in 1954, after Waterfield’s retirement.

Van Brocklin retired in 1958 but thought better of it, and the Rams traded him to Philadelphia, where he picked up right where he left off.  The QB would have a monster 1960 season, winning the UPI MVP, NEA MVP, and Bert Bell Award while leading the Eagles to an NFL Championship.  With that win, the “Dutchman” could say he did one thing no other QB could defeat a Vince Lombardi-led team in a Championship Game.

Dick Stanfel G, DET 1952-55 & WAS 1956-58: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1965 on his 3^rd Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

From the University of San Francisco, Dick Stanfel arrived in Detroit as the Second Overall Pick in 1951, but a knee injury prevented him from joining the Lions until 1952.

He was worth the wait.

The Guard anchored Detroit to NFL Championships in 1952 and 1953, and the five-time First Team All-Pro was traded to Washington, where he was a stalwart on their line before retiring early to join Notre Dame on their coaching staff.  He was named to the 1950s All-Decade Team.

Ed Sprinkle, DE-E-G-LB, CHI 1944-55.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1966 on his 6^th Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

Joining the Chicago Bears in 1944 after being undrafted out of Navy, Sprinkle would help the Bears win the 1946 NFL Championship.  Sprinkle would become a significant player on the defensive side of the ball, where he would become known as a ferocious (some would say dirty) pass rusher and was a forebearer for what would come.  Think about that for a second.  In a sport where you are encouraged to do whatever it takes, he was feared among players in a game who aren't afraid of much.

Regardless of that assessment, this was a highly skilled football player. Sprinkle would be named to four Pro Bowls in the '50s, and he would be named to the 1940's All-Decade Team.

1966 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 1965.

For “1966,” 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 fifteen 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 also put forth a vote asking if you wanted to have another level in the Finals to ten.

You decided not to on an overwhelming 24-6 vote.

We will post Class of the 1966 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!

1966 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 18 years thus far.

For “1966,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1959. 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.

We also had a vote to see if you wanted to change the entrant parameters.

You voted with over 80 percent to keep as is with the Top Five entering providing they get 50% of the final vote.

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1966 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1965 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 20th official class;

Below are the final results of this project based on 30 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 1965:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1965, though no candidate made the 50% threshold.

About the 1965 Inductees:

Lou Creekmur T-G-DG-DT, DET 1950-59: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1965 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Lou Creekmur was a special breed in a game that features the toughest of the tough. 

A rock on Detroit’s offensive line throughout the 1950s, Creekmur anchored the line that brought the Lions to four NFL Championships and won three.  Equally incredible on both the pass and rush offense, Creekmur’s dominating presence at Left Tackle ensured success on that side of the ball.

Individually, Creekmur was a six-time First Team All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowl Selection and never missed a game until his final season, a testament to his durability. 

Jack Butler DB, PIT 1951-59: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1965 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

Playing at St. Bonaventure, Jack Butler did not receive any attention from NFL scouts, which is reflected in his not being a Pick in the Draft. Butler found employment with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1951, which worked well for both parties. 

Butler won the starting job on the right side at Defensive Back as a rookie, and he had a sweet five-pick year in his first year on the job.  The former Bonnie played his entire career with the Steelers as a starter, which ended after he retired in 1959.  Butler was considered at his best in the last half of his career, where he was named to four Pro Bowls and three First Team All-Pros, and he led the NFL in Interceptions with 10 in 1957.  He would have 52 Interceptions in total with four Touchdown Returns. 

Lou Rymkus, T-DT, WAS 1943, CLE 1946-51.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1965 on his 9^th Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Paul Brown called Lou Rymkus the best pass protector he had ever seen, which is high praise considering how many people he had seen do that task.

Brown did not see much of Rymkus as a rookie, as he played for the Washington Redskins after being drafted there in 1943 after an outstanding career at Notre Dame.  Rymkus enlisted in the military during World War II, and upon his return to football, he elected to join the Cleveland Browns of the AAFC.  He would quickly establish himself as an upper-echelon Tackle on both sides of the ball.  With Cleveland, he would be named to a version of the All-Pro team each of the team's four years in the AAFC and was a significant factor in the Browns winning all four of their league championships.  Rymkus and the Browns would prove that the AAFC was for real, as when the NFL absorbed the team, they would win the NFL Championship, making it five in a row for the Tackle.

He would later be a Coach, winning the AFL title twice with the Houston Oilers (1960 & 1961) as their Head Coach and a Super Bowl as the Baltimore Colts Offensive Line Coach.

1965 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 1964.

For “1965,” 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.

32 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 Class of the 1965 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!

1965 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 17 years thus far.

For “1965,” a Preliminary Vote with close to 100 players whose playing career ended by 1959. 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 1965 Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project.

1964 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 nineteenth 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 1964:

This is for the “Senior Era”,

*Bold indicates they have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Class of 1964, though no candidate made the 50% threshold.

About the 1964 Inductees:

Jack Christiansen DB, DET 1951-58: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1964 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

Jack Christiansen was a game-changing Defensive Back who altered how people viewed the Safety position.  A significant part of the Lions’ two early 1950s NFL Championships, Christiansen was one of the game’s first true ball hawks, twice leading the National Football League in picks and earning six nods as a First Team All-Pro.

Christiansen was also a spectacular returner, taking eight punts back for a Touchdown, and still holds the record for the most yards per Punt Return.

Len Ford DE-E, LAD 1948-49, CLE 1950-58: Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1964 on his 1^st Ballot.  Inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976.

A National Champion at Michigan in 1947, Len Ford signed with the Los Angeles Dons of the AAFC, but the Dons were not one of the teams that would be absorbed into the NFL when the two leagues merged after the 1949 Season.  The Cleveland Browns took Ford in the Dispersal Draft, who was one of the teams that the NFL did take and who won all four AAFC Titles.

Ford, who was more of a two-way End in L.A., was predominantly used on defense in Cleveland and aided the Browns in their 1950 NFL Championship Team.  Ford became one of the best Defensive Ends in the game, and he was chosen for four straight First Team All-Pros and Pro Bowls (1951-54) and would later be named to the 1950s All-Decade Team.  He was also integral in Cleveland's 1954 and 1955 NFL Championships.

He played with the Browns until 1957, when he was traded to Green Bay, where he played one final year.

Ford was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and was an inaugural member of the Browns Ring of Honor in 2010.

Dick Barwegen, G, NYY 1947, BCL 1948-49, CHI 1950-52, BAL 1953-54.  Inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Revisited Project in 1964 on his 5^th Ballot.  Was never inducted into the actual Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dick Barwegan was an outstanding Pro Football player, but other than those who decided who should be on the 1950's All-Decade Team; he might be one of the most under the radar players in the history of the game.

It is easy to see why, as he was a late round pick of the Brooklyn Tigers in 1945, but didn’t play pro ball until 1947, and that was with the New York Yankees of the AAFC.  He only played there one year and went to the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts (again in the AAFC) and finally played in the NFL in 1950 with the Chicago Bears, where he played for three seasons before finishing with the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts for two years.

All of these factors led to Barwegan being lost in the annals of history as he does not have any deep association with any team.  Thus, we have a four-time First Team All-Pro who did not get his due in Canton, but he does here.

1964 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 1963.

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.

31 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 1964 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!

1964 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 “1964,” 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.

Next week, we will announce the Semi-Finalists for the 1964 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 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: