Randall continued to excel the following season as he began a streak of 202 consecutive starts that continued through the end of his career. He also earned the first of 12 straight Pro Bowl berths.

Randall McDaniel, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 / Photo: Newscom

In his acceptance speech, Randall made interesting similarities between playing football in the trenches (as an offensive linemen) and in his current profession as a teacher. And he encouraged everyone to make a difference in the lives of others:

“I’ve been extremely fortunate to have two passions in my life. The first was football, the second was education. I do find many similarities between playing on the offensive line and working in the classroom. On the line, you have a bunch of regular guys who bring their lunch pails to work and do a tough job without much fanfare or glory. They pretty much go unnoticed unless something goes wrong. And yet, if they weren’t there, nothing else would be possible. Life as an educator is quite similar. You bring your lunch pail to work. You do an extremely tough job without much fan fare or glory, and like an offensive lineman, you typically go unnoticed unless something goes wrong. And yet, without teachers, nothing much would be possible. I think that’s why I feel so comfortable in the classroom. I get to work in the trenches again. With a passionate group of people, fighting the good fight, and trying to make a difference. I guess that’s why I’ll always be a lunch pail kind of guy.”

Growing up a Minnesota Vikings fan, I was more than familiar with just how talented Randall was, unorthodox style and all. I especially remember him as 1/5 of the foundation of the then-highest scoring offense in NFL history during the Vikings’ 1998 season.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame: Randall McDaniel

Pro Football Hall of Fame, August 8, 2009 / Photo: Newscom

Pre-enshrinement introductions begin at 6:45 p.m. and the Class of 2009 Enshrinement Ceremony starts at 7. The Class of 2009 (and their presenters) are as follows. This is also the order of enshrinement tonight:

• Ralph Wilson, Jr. (presented by Chris Berman)
• Randall McDaniel (presented by O.K. Fulton)
• Bob Hayes (Roger Staubach will speak on behalf of the family. Bob’s son Bob Hayes, Jr. will represent his late father during the weekend’s festivities)
• Rod Woodson (presented by Tracy Foster)
• Derrick Thomas (Carl Peterson will speak on behalf of the family. Derrick’s son Derrion Hayes will represent his late father during the weekend’s festivities)
• Bruce Smith (presented by Ted Cottrell)

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Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2009 today in Tampa (site of tomorrow’s Super Bowl XLIII, of course). Wide receiver Bob Hayes, guard Randall McDaniel, defensive end Bruce Smith, linebacker Derrick Thomas, owner Ralph Wilson Jr., and defensive back Rod Woodson make up the Class of 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees.

The six-man class was elected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee. The newest members of the Hall were selected from a list of 17 finalists that had been determined earlier by the committee. I was somewhat surprised to see that Cris Carter came up short again. I was also kind of surprised to see that Shannon Sharpe, Andre Reed and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue didn’t make this year’s class despite being among the finalists. But as always, there are so many deserving names and only so many spots, so it’s really just a matter of time for these gentlemen.

• Bob Hayes, a gold medalist track star in the 1964 Summer Olympics, combined his world class speed with great hands. “Bullet Bob,” a three-time All-Pro pick, caught 371 career passes for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns. Because Bob passed away back in 2002 at the age of 59, his sister read a letter at today’s presser that he had previously written for just this occasion — if it ever happened. It was a tearful moment. Bob sure seemed like a great person. I wish I had been able to see him play more (he retired when I was eight-years-old) because his highlight reel is something to see.
• Randall McDaniel was named All-Pro nine straight seasons and voted to a record 12 consecutive AFC-NFC Pro Bowls during his 14-season career with the Minnesota Vikings (1988-1999) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-01). I remember him as a monument on the Vikings offensive line (and what an ugly stance he had) and truly one of the best to ever play his position.
• Bruce Smith, the first overall pick in the 1985 draft by the Buffalo Bills, is the NFL’s all-time sack leader with 200 career sacks. A member of both the NFL’s All-Decade Teams of the 1980s and 1990s, Bruce was named first-team All-Pro nine times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls. Enough said right there. Bruce was a no-brainer, first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. And a true gentleman.
• It’s going to be a big year for the Buffalo Bills at the Pro Football Hall of Fame because owner Ralph Wilson Jr. was also elected. Mr. Wilson founded the Bills in 1959 and watched his team win back-to-back AFL titles in the mid-1960s and become the only team ever to advance to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was an integral part of the AFL’s success and has also served on a number of important NFL committees over the years. Despite economic hardships here in Western New York, Mr. Wilson has managed to keep the Bills in Buffalo.
• Derrick Thomas amassed more sacks during the 1990s than any other player. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls, named All-NFL three times, and was All-AFC seven times in an eight-year stretch. He was relentless. I remember a game against Seattle where he had eight sacks. Yes, in one game! What is even more impressive was his work off the field. Did you know Derrick was the first NFL player to ever start his own charitable foundation, something that’s rather commonplace these days? Sadly, Derrick is also no longer with us. He died nine years ago from severe injuries sustained in an auto accident.
• Rod Woodson, a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team in 1994 and selected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, intercepted 71 passes which he returned for an NFL record 1,483 yards and a record 12 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro six times and voted to 11 Pro Bowls. As good as Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed is today, he hasn’t reached the level of play of Rod Woodson, one of the best safeties of all-time. Rod is a class act.

The 2009 class will increase to 253 the number of all-time greats permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Enshrinement of the Class of 2009 will take place at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7 p.m. ET. The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by both ESPN and the NFL Network. I’m very impressed with this year’s class and I plan to attend and cover the ceremony for my 6th straight season.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

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Pro Football HOF Class of 2009

And then there were 17. There are four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The HOF’s Board of Selectors meets in Tampa on Saturday, January 31, the day before Super Bowl XLIII. There are nine modern-era players, two contributors and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The nine modern-era players are Cris Carter; Dermontti Dawson; Richard Dent; Russ Grimm; Cortez Kennedy; Bob Kuechenberg; Randall McDaniel; Andre Reed; and Derrick Thomas. The contributors are former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Buffalo Bills founder/owner Ralph Wilson, Jr. And the Senior Committee nominees are former Dallas Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes and former Atlanta Falcons defensive end Claude Humphrey.

This is a very interesting and diverse group. The first-year eligibility players alone are impressive enough to have a spot in the Hall. Rod Woodson is the NFL’s all-time leader in interceptions returned for touchdowns. Bruce Smith is the NFL’s all-time leader in sacks with 200. When Shannon Sharpe retired he was the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions for tight ends. He also went to eight Pro Bowls. And John Randle had 137.5 sacks and was a seven-time All-Pro. I can’t wait for the announcement. The Class of 2009 can be no more than seven and no fewer than four.

Source: ProFootballHOF.com

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17 Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Four first-year eligible players — John Randle, Shannon Sharpe, Bruce Smith, and Rod Woodson — are among the 25 semifinalists being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2009. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors announced the 25 semifinalists today from the recently revealed list of 133 preliminary nominees. Even though he has been eligible since 1999, this is first time that Roger Craig has been a semifinalist. Each of the remaining 20 nominees has been on the semifinalist list at least once prior to this year. And while no coaches are among the semifinalists, the list includes three contributors — Art Modell, Paul Tagliabue and Ralph Wilson.

The complete list of 25 modern-era semifinalists is as follows:

• Cris Carter, WR
• Roger Craig, RB
• Terrell Davis, RB
• Dermontti Dawson, C
• Richard Dent, DE
• Chris Doleman, DE/LB
• Kevin Greene, LB/DE
• Russ Grimm, G
• Ray Guy, P
• Charles Haley, DE/LB
• Lester Hayes, CB
• Cortez Kennedy, DT
• Bob Kuechenberg, G
• Randall McDaniel, G
• Art Modell, Owner
• John Randle, DT
• Andre Reed, WR
• Shannon Sharpe, TE
• Bruce Smith, DE
• Ken Stabler, QB
• Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner
• Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR
• Derrick Thomas, LB
• Ralph Wilson, Owner
• Rod Woodson, CB/S

The list of 25 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era candidates. That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey. Bob Hayes is a three-time All-NFL pick spent 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (1965-1974) and one season with the San Francisco 49ers (1975). Claude Humphrey is a five-time, first-team All-Pro defensive end who played with the Atlanta Falcons (1968-1978) and Philadelphia Eagles (1979-1981). The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January.

To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated player or coach must have been retired at least five years. A contributor, who is a nominee who has made outstanding contributions to pro football in capacities other than playing and coaching, may still be active in his career.

Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a given year and a class of seven enshrinees can only be achieved if both senior nominees are elected.

The Class of 2009 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting on Saturday, January 31, 2009, in Tampa, Florida the day before Super Bowl XLIII. The election results are announced immediately following the meeting at a press conference at the Super Bowl media headquarters.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

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Pro Football HOF Modern-Era Semifinalists

Two first-year eligible players, wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green, are among the 17 finalists who will be considered for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Board of Selectors meets in Phoenix, AZ during Super Bowl XLII week on Saturday, February 2.

Joining the two first-year eligible players are 12 other modern-era players, one contributor and two players nominated earlier by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. The contributor finalist is former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The Senior Committee nominees, announced in August 2007, are Chicago Cardinals back Marshall Goldberg and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas. The other modern-era player finalists include defensive ends Fred Dean and Richard Dent; linebackers Randy Gradishar, Derrick Thomas and Andre Tippett; guards Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Randall McDaniel; punter Ray Guy; wide receivers Art Monk and Andre Reed; and tackle Gary Zimmerman.

Dean, Dent, Goldberg, Gradishar, Grimm, Guy, Kuechenberg, Monk, Reed, Tagliabue, Derrick Thomas, Tippett, and Zimmerman have all been finalists in previous years. Although they have been previously eligible, this is the first time Emmitt Thomas and McDaniel have made the finalist list.

Of course, Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2007 meeting. The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Board of Selectors from a list of 124 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 26 semifinalists (that included a tie for the 25th semifinalist position). To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five years while a contributor need not be retired.

Of the 2008 finalists, Goldberg has been eligible for 46 years (the Hall of Fame opened in 1963, at which time Goldberg would have been first eligible), Emmitt Thomas 25 years, Gradishar 20, Kuechenberg 19, Dean 18 years, Guy 17, Grimm 12, Tippett 10, Monk eight years, Dent and Zimmerman six years, Derrick Thomas four years, Reed three years, McDaniel two years, and Carter and Green are in their first year of eligibility. Contributors, such as Commissioner Tagliabue, need not to be retired to be considered for Hall of Fame election. Therefore there is no specific year at which he first became “eligible” for consideration.

This has been a hotly contested issue here at EMQB and I look forward to more of your comments and opinions about these final 17 names. All of these men had great careers and all are deserving of entry into the Hall. But obviously, not all of them will make it. Which of these players are on your final list?

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

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Finalists For Hall Of Fame Election at 17

Wide receiver Cris Carter and cornerback Darrell Green are the only first-year eligible players to make the list of 26 semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. The Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors chose the 26 semi-finalists from the recently announced list of 124 preliminary nominees today. The list includes one more than the required 25 nominees since there was a tie for the twenty-fifth position. Hall of Fame selection by-laws provide for the inclusion of all ties for the twenty-fifth position on the ballot.

Nominees included on the semi-finalist list for the first time, although eligible prior to this year, include linebacker Rickey Jackson and defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy. Each of the remaining 22 nominees has been on the semi-finalist list at least once prior to this year. The complete list of 26 modern-era semi-finalists is as follows:

Cris Carter, Terrell Davis, Dermontti Dawson, Fred Dean, Richard Dent, Randy Gradishar, Darrell Green, Kevin Greene, Russ Grimm, Ray Guy, Lester Hayes, Rickey Jackson, Joe Jacoby, Cortez Kennedy, Bob Kuechenberg, Randall McDaniel, Art Monk, Andre Reed, Ken Stabler, Paul Tagliabue, Steve Tasker, Derrick Thomas, Andre Tippett, George Young, and Gary Zimmerman.

I know some of you have had very strong opinions about who should be in the 2008 class. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this latest round of finalists. The list of 26 semi-finalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era candidates (announced in mid-January). That list will increase to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee. The Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Marshall Goldberg and Emmitt Thomas. The Class of 2008 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting on Saturday, February 2, 2008, in Phoenix, AZ the day before Super Bowl XLII.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame Board Selects Semi-Finalists for Class of 2008